Exclusive Q&A with Kenny Dichter, Founder of Marquis Jet and Tequila Avión

Kenny Dichter has been a successful entrepreneur for more than 20 years. In 2001, he founded Marquis Jet, a global leader in hourly private jet cards, and was Chairman and CEO until 2010. Kenny is also the co-founder of Tequila Avión, an award-winning brand of premium tequila. 

Here he talks about the history of both businesses, discusses the partnerships that have made them successful and shares his tips for small business success. 

If you had $500 left in your monthly budget, how would you spend it? I would spend it on my customer and ask “what could I do promotionally?” If someone ordered a scoop of ice cream, I’d give them two. Five hundred dollars can go a long way when you’re talking about the cost of your own product, so I would surprise and delight my customer every month. It’ll bring them back in the store. 

If you had one piece of advice for small business owners, what would it be? Don’t quit. Never quit. Stay with it. The 12-, 14-, 16-hour days are investments that will pay off later. 

What’s the most important thing to consider when making the leap from small business to the big time? When your business gets bigger, treat it like it’s small. If you always do the things that made you great in your small business, your big business is going to be great. You can’t run a big business for the sake of running a big business. It’s a lot of little businesses inside of a big business. Do the things that made you great that allowed you to expand. 

Think of your favorite local business. What makes it stand out and why is it special to you? There are three of them. Livingston Bagel in Livingston, Seymour’s Luncheonette across the street and Oscar’s in Milburn. They’re great breakfast places. They take care of me, my family and my kids. They make you feel like you’re at home and like they’re an extension of your kitchen. The way the owners take care of their customers is why they’re my favorite. 

What was your first job? What lessons did you learn that you still draw on today? My first job was in customer service and taking care of people, which is what I do today. I was a busboy, and I was a newspaper carrier. Both of those involve taking care of clients and people, not disappointing, being on time and doing it right. I’ve taken things from both of those jobs and apply them everyday to what I do today…which is make people feel good and take care of them while delivering service