National Entrepreneur’s Day recognizes entrepreneurs and all business owners of any sort who are visionaries, innovators, and risk-takers, a community with a lasting impact on the economy. Their passion, resilience, and creativity inspire others to dream big and reach for success.
Sam Longo Sr. and Jr. are a father-son duo that has taken the bath accessibility industry to new heights with their expertise in shower seats and grab bars at Seachrome. Originally manufacturing just bath accessories, Seachrome was officially born and bought on Sam Jr.’s 27th Birthday. Sam Jr. previously studied law when he and his father came up with the brilliant proposal to start a business together as machinery distribution salesmen. The path ultimately led them into the manufacturing industry where they purchased Seachrome together. But Sam Jr. took many avenues and along the journey, he and his father purchased other companies together as well as Sam Jr. doing so separately. Sam Jr. was a natural businessman. But it never took away from what was being built with his father at Seachrome, a project they nurtured together.
In honor of this day, we highlight the daring entrepreneurs, Sam Longo Jr. and his late father, Sam Longo Sr, who have built Seachrome, a company known for its high-quality standards in accessible bathroom accessories; the Seachrome as we know it now. In an exclusive interview with Sam Longo Jr., we get his perspective on being an entrepreneur and working alongside his father.
Risks, Challenges, Reward
During the interview, Sam Jr. shared his insight, lessons, and advice on being a business owner and what it meant to him.
Sam Jr.: There’s risk in owning a business of any kind.
He dove in to explain that with risk comes challenges when operating a business which sometimes can be discouraging but it is important to remain patient and move forward, revise, and adapt to changes in order to excel.
Sam Jr.: But there’s a lot of years where you’re not making a lot, you know, I mean, even though you have sales, you know, your expenses are high, and a variety of reasons, you know, you’re making money, but you’re not getting rich off of it… and I think it’s just over time you slowly try to- evolve a company into something that’s going to be successful and that might take 40 years… You have to be very flexible. Like I said before, ADA, it was a different company, ADA came along, you had to evolve with that and be flexible enough to change your products and all this kind of stuff.
Sam spoke about what drives him as an entrepreneur and the personal risk involved, part of that being the work sticks beyond the workplace.
Sam Jr.: I mean, it’s like, even though you’re not [at work], I mean, you’re constantly, you know, either working on different things, numbers-wise, financial statements, or thinking about strategy. Should we do this, should we do that- it never leaves your brain as an entrepreneur… or as a business owner of any kind.
But as an entrepreneur how does one manage the work-life balance when it inevitably comes home? Sam explained the remedy for that is to not balance and juggle your priorities but to think about what your priorities are at the moment of a given time and how you work with them simultaneously and interchangeably.
Sam Jr.: It’s just intertwined… you just have to pay attention to what’s pressing at the time… It’s all thrown- glommed together.
But the risks and challengers an entrepreneur faces aren’t deterrents, for Sam Jr. “owning a business is fun!” His favorite part of running a business is being able to build something and continuously finding ways to make it better.
Sam Jr.: It’s like a painting. I mean, a painting that’s never finished. You’re all constantly trying to- I think we need a little blue over here. I think we need a little white over here. It’s- it’s very creative.
But more than being creative, Sam believes it’s rewarding to be able to support others.
Sam Jr.: It’s very rewarding to hire people, you know, and to allow a lot of people to make a living. And, I mean, when you look around, we’ve got about a hundred people here; they all have families.
He shared that personal reward also comes with the flexibility of the decision-making process and how much of an impact one can make.
Sam Jr.: You have the freedom to make mistakes, or to be successful, depending on whether your decisions are good or bad. Yeah, it’s nice to know that the decisions you make, you can kind of see if they’re good or bad. If they’re successful or not successful… If you don’t like the way it is, change it.
His advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to take risks and start young because it is more than likely they don’t know what they really want to do. They should take the time to figure it out by trying different things in a mindful and determined manner, and that means doing the hard work that will take you there.
Sam Jr.: You have to have as many pots on the stove that you can mentally handle… Things take time… there is no hurry to be successful
Like Father like Son
Sam Jr. had always seen himself as a business owner working for himself. At the time, he never thought he’d be working with his father as long as Sam Sr. was working with his long-time business partner, whom he had been doing sales with for 30 years prior. It wasn’t until after he and his father talked about the opportunity of doing business together that the idea came to mind.
Sam Jr. recollects working with his late father, reflecting on the uniquely rewarding experience. He spoke about how special it is to be able to have built something with his father.
Sam Jr.: It’s nice to work with somebody side by side that you’re building something, and you just feel that you’re building something.
What made the experience great was not only working together but also the quality time spent with one another. Sam Jr. reminisces about the meaningful conversations about life he and his father would share during their commutes to work; Sam Sr. would tell great stories with lots of enthusiasm.
When asked about his favorite part of working alongside his father, Sam Jr. responded:
Sam Jr.: It’s hard to pick something. Every part was my favorite.
He enjoyed all the parts of working with his dad, not recalling ever having disagreements on business and company decisions. They worked well together and got along. Sam Jr. believes that’s why business ran smoothly and grew because they got along, most importantly, and Seachrome was something they had built and raised together.
Sam Jr.: We started together and bought Seachrome together.
They trusted each other’s expertise and kept their duties separate, eliminating boundaries being crossed. Their mutual respect and reliance on one another were fundamental to their partnership.
Sam Jr.: It was nice to work somewhere with somebody who you had mutual trust and admiration- um, for reasons I’m not really sure, but he always- gave me credit for a lot of stuff, and vice versa. You know, I mean, I can without a doubt say we wouldn’t have any of these companies or be as successful as we were if it wasn’t for him… We wouldn’t be around if it wasn’t for him.
Working alongside his father for so long and growing up with him, Sam Jr. learned a lot from Sam Sr. as a businessman and as a father.
Asked, while working alongside your dad, what were some of the biggest things you learned from one another that stuck with you the most that you still carry in practice today?
Sam Jr.: Number one would be a work ethic. I mean, just, you gotta work your butt off, especially at the beginning, or as you’re growing a company… [and] Integrity. I mean, he was always, he was a big believer that don’t do anything for the money today. You know, think, just- do what is gonna help you grow to the next stage. So don’t just take a job for the sake of a paycheck… Don’t lie to customers, that’s how a business will grow… over deliver to your customers
Being a very driven and successful entrepreneur, Sam Jr. thanks a lot of his habits and success to his parents, especially his father. His father had always worked for himself with an entrepreneurial mindset and believes that’s how he adopted those traits. Some of his father’s teaching can be credited to a saying Sam Sr. would often say to his children and grandchildren, “Be big,” which meant to be a grown-up and tackle things confidently and independently.
“Be Big” – Sam Longo Sr.
Sam Jr. honors his dad every day by being a great business owner who cares about his employees, practicing a great work ethic, and upholding integrity.