Al Molina
Doug Gollan meets Al Molina, founder and owner of Molina Fine Jewelers and owner and CEO of Black, Starr and Frost.
His day job is selling jewelry, and that he does at the highest level. The son of a Cuban immigrant who fled after the revolution, Al Molina recently scored a record $21.5 million price for the 76.45-carat D, Internally Flawless Archduke Joseph diamond at auction in Geneva.
Bigger than life is a good description. Perhaps he is one part Donald Trump when it comes to putting his name out there, another slice Tony Robbins when it comes to motivation, Bill Clinton in terms of ability to connect on a personal level and some of Ronald Reagan’s ‘morning in America’ optimism.
A dinner with Molina at Prado at Scottsdale’s Montelucia Resort includes a detailed history of Black Starr and Frost, America’s oldest jeweler with a new location in Newport Beach and some dietary recommendations on how to lose 50 pounds. Al did it, and the DVD he gifted me is now longingly waiting for yours truly to follow suit.
I stopped by the next day to see the House the Al built – an expanded former bank building housing both his retail and by appointment business for Molina Fine Jewelers. There are numerous awards and even more impressive jewelry. Of course since I wasn’t shopping, the highlight was getting to hear Al talk on a variety of subjects. Below I thought I would share with you some of his advice, or Seventeen Rules for Success in 2013:
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# 1 – AMC: Attitude / Motivation / Commitment / Attitude determines altitude, PMA: Positive Mental Attitude
# 2 – No one searches for something better unless a door closes.
# 3 – One must learn to go slow, to go fast; technique then speed / accuracy before momentum / slow down when you are in a hurry
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# 4 – An obstacle is what you see when you take your eyes off the target
# 5 – Reasons & Results – Only be interested in results
# 6 – On the shores of hesitation lie the bones of helpless millions. Make no small plans for they have no magic to stir man’s soul.
# 7 – Never give up, never surrender. True commitment is being on the bleeding edge.
# 8 – 6 P’s: Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance
# 9 – CNEI – Constant Never Ending Improvement. The problem with retirement is you never get a day off.
# 10 – Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans; when in doubt, accelerate.
# 11 – Surround yourself with excellence. There is no acceptable substitute for excellence
# 12 – If you know what you do not know, you know everything there is to know (Lao Tzu)
# 13 – Adapt, improvise, overcome – Do what others are not willing to do
# 14 – Reality is 90% perception and 10% fact – buy today at the price of tomorrow.
# 15 – No is just the beginning. No means maybe and maybe means yes
# 16 – To get milk from a cow, you don’t send her a letter
# 17 – This too shall pass; you lose tomorrow reaching back for yesterday. The past does not equal the future.
