leave no room behind with xfi pods. simple. easy. awesome. click or visit a retail store today. good morning. coming up on msnbc's "your business," his father fired him 20 years ago, but now he has his own show. "kcriminal minds" star runsa whiskey business. that's all coming up next on "your business."

hi, there, everyone. i'm j.j. ramberg and welcome to "your business." this year's business star is more than a triple threat. she doesn't just write, act, and produce, she's also a partner in the blinking owl distillery. defined by the motto, artistry, family, and fun, she built the business with her two friends and their mutual affection of craft spirits. keir stin makes a mean moscow mule, and if you happen to be there on the day of her house, a

tasting virtually guaranteed you won't be walking out empty-handed. on tv she's the bespeckled fbi technical analyst penelope on the cbs series. she's the artistic owner of the blinking artillery distillery. >> what you've got to do with this, you've got to spank the mint. >> she was intrigued when her longtime friends tell her they were going to chase a dream and open the first distillery in orange county. >> it's beautiful and participates in the economy in fair way where people are getting paid to do something they're good at and they're not cutting corners.

that's why people love contract criminal minds." they're people mo work it in the make. we're conscious about how we're treating the environment and how we treat our employees, how this stuff looks, how it tastes. i feel like in the end if you're looking for a good metric of what keeps you happy, sane, and calm, yeah, this is perfect. >> reporter: the blinking owl and its owners made a decision early on to do things the long way, making their booze from scratch using santa ana's water along with botanical. >> we're as local as possible. so we're committed to using organic grown grain as much

california based as possible, and that's important to us because the impact it has on local farming is massive. for example, one of our busiest months last year, we used 15,000 pounds of grain. that could season. >> the products we make, aqua sri has got caraway, hibiscus, and fennel. it's the bartender's favorite and our bestseller. it's amazing what happens when you make spirits with really good product in equals good product out. >> while they run the day-to-day operation, they built it with

three objectives. artistry, friendly, and fun. >> i can do a tasting like you've never seen. they won't even know who i am. they don't watch tv. i met a whole group of ladies who have like 25-year-long subscriptions to pbs. i have made them buy booze they're never going to drink because i did a good tasting. >> reporter: while she has her day job, her title is creative muse wizard owl. she's the number one cheerleader for the blinking owl. >> kerstin is like the best friend and partner. extremely generous, constantly looking out for blinking owl like a little guardian of the business. >> one day you're going to leave your company, it is a fact, and so succession planning long

before you need it is a must. the owners of a model airplane company in florida gave some thought to the future, but they didn't have a formal plan in place. for your a while, they looked like they were gog to have to sell. but much to their delight after years of saying no, their son decided to join them. so now the family is working together to form the brand to make sure sales take off. >> this company today is a lot better than it was. >> my idea coming in is, yeah, i was going to be challenging, i was going to be tough. but what it really is more of that. >> early morning, late nights, and lots of weekends have become part of his new normal. >> you jump in and you go, and you take your lumps along the way, right? >> after being fired from his family's business as a teenager two decades ago, the man who

goes by his middle name, lee, has landed back at the company. they make high quality models. >> it's a lot of balls to juggle at the same time. making models wasn't a passion of mine. it was hard to get excited until i started seeing the bigger picture. >> his perrins roger and carol have run the miami, florida, company since they bought it in 1985. >> our most important goal is making sure everyone has a model they love. >> for a pilot, if they're in a bad weather situation and they have a hairy trip and they safely land, they're bonded to that airplane. >> roger always wondered about lee's potential in the business. they've had some other famous customers along the way as well. >> i've always had an interest in the succession planning both not only for us management-wise

but within the shop. >> lee's take was clear on it in from start. >> in the very beginning i asked if he had any interest. no. through the years, no. he wanted to create his own. he didn't want to be roger's son. >> carol said she believed he would know if and when the time was right. >> i encouraged him not to come into the business. i wanted to make sure it was his. the passion has to be there. >> eventual will i that moment came. roger talked about retiring or coming up with a plan b, and lee was listening. >> i nudged him a little bit. either you're going to do it or i'm going to find somebody. it's no a big deal, but i was anxious to get that done. >> the minute he told me that, it solidified i've got to come over here. it's a special place.

it can't change hands. >> he joined betsy who worked as a general manager. she welcomed it. >> it's surprising after all these years how much he was paying attention, but the more i think he came through here and saw us working and saw what an interesting business this was, i think we kapd of hooked him. >> lee was never a stranger to the operation, but his arrival set the wheels of change in motion. >> i don't feel like an outsider. it is a transition because most of these employees have known me since i was 10, 12 years old. now that i'm their bosque it's a dirnl interaction? roger used to run the company more like i was a hobby. lee focuses on fine-tuning production and the money-making potential. >> we have some orders taking way too long to fill. there were a lot of, oh, look, it's new and shiny.

the fun of it was the motivating factor rare than the business side of it. >> kmien indication is crucial to everything. while his parnls are open to new ideas, there are certainly times not everyone agrees. >> we butt heads, but we can explain our points openly and honestly and put things aside. we move the ego, move the facts, we can get a lot done. >> lee has had to remind his father that the leadership has changed. there is a new hierarchy to follow. >> i was talking to one of the fellows about a project. he said, look, i don't mind you talking to the employees, but you need to let me know. i thought, geez, he's been here a week and i thought, he's been observing. >> roger and carol know a lot

about the business and he's still just learning. >> i knowing you know, the dinner boeings and airbuses and all that kind of stuff. i dodge know how many times i put a model in and roger would say, in 1972 they had this transition. i was like, what are you talking about? >> though there's been a change in control, a lot of the customers don't know there's a difference between father and son. >> when people call over the phone and they ask for roger. it's like what roger. >> make no mistake about it. this shift carries a schiff for everyone. >> when you have a business of your own, you never lose sigh of the fak that we in our particular case, we have 25 families who are depeblding upon us for our livelihood, and that's important. >> despite their ups and downs along the way, they're ecstatic

to see the business pass through the hands of their children. >> it's the world to me. it's the idea that what you started is of enough interest to carry it on, is really gratifying. for today's elevator pitch, we've done something pretty special. we've partnered with shop i phi. they work with more than 600,000 merchants. they know what they're talking about. and we're here in los angeles where they've opened up a pertinent space. now, our elevator pitcher, if she wins, is going to get two prizes. the fir, she'll get her product placed in a shopify store. the second is he she's going to get mentorship from shopify who are exerted in growing businesses. let's go meet our pitcher. today's elevator pitch is a

family affair. so good to see you guys. >> high. -- hi. >> you are well branded. how are you related? >> this is my niece. >> how great is it to work together? >> it's fun. >> have you pitched together? >> we have not. >> who's going to be doing the pitching? >> both of us. >> what will it mean if you win this elevator pitch? >> well, shopify is such a great global company and with their resources, it would be a great game-changer for us. we're looking forward to winning that let's start walking. there are two people you're going to be talking to. the first is harley finkelstein.

he was their first customer and then became the coo. and the second person is michelle cordero grant. she's like you guys. a founder and ceo who started from nothing. her company is lively and she's been incredibly successful. let's see how you do. >> hi. >> hi. >> let me tell you about ayllu. it means family, kmunl, and acceptance and now ayullu is an iconic word. it comes from my multi-cull real background. the design is two hearts that represents the hearts we share. the infinity sign represents unity, forming a clover for luck. together this creates the iconic symbol ayllu. my generation was defined by the

peace sign? and mine will be defined by ayllu. celebrating diversity and celebrating. we have items at bloomingdale's. . >> you see me walking in. that's okay. you did a great job. by the way, you've done this a thousand times. this is your first time? fantastic. i was very, very impressed. >> great pitch. really appreciate you guys telling us about your company. >> you two can go talk to each other for one second. you can decide what you think. how much did you practice this? ? a little bit.

>> this is good stuff. this is not your first. >> we want them to share it. you don't have to buy it but go out and inspire the community. >> come back in, you guys. >> thank you so much for that pitch. it's really great. we want to understand a little more about the business. i know there's a charitable possibility to the business. i'd like to hear about that. >> 25 cents to every piece we sell goes to a global charity. right now we're donating to global citizens that's happening in new york. we're excited about h. >> i think you have to lean into i. the jewelry is beautiful and the story is incredible. it differentiates you guys. i think you have to push that a little bit stronger that i'm

going to get to the moment of truth here. >> are you ready in. >> we're ready. >> and. >> yay. >> thank you. >> we really appreciate it. >> shopify is going to put us on the map. you're such an incredible company. thank you for the opportunity. >> don't forget the mentorship. >> yes, everything, all their resources? a thank you you. >> well done. in 2015 jen rubio and steph met at warner parker. most interest, they are profitable. we're here at shop.org in las vegas and i had a chance to meet jen rubio. congratulations.

you must be proud of yourself. >> yes, and it's not very t traditional for a company to reach that at this stage and we're very proud of it. >> i'm interested in how you bill a brand. all maltby you sell luggage. your company created a company that feel leak much mo-- like mn that. how did you go through the push/pull of do we talk about fee furs or the world of travel? >> from the beginning we knew we wanted to know more about the luggage brand. we used the insights for designer suitcase and that's how we're thinking about the travel company at large.

>> that changes everything. we're not a luggage brand. >> it charchls the way we think about it and other people talk about it. no one wants to talk about it. it should be something you talk about to one of your friends. >> that is the best. this is another point i want to talk about. just repeat that again. erring -- >> everything you do as a company should be something people want to talk about with their friends over drinks. >> so you do not want to talk about the grit materieat materi >> no. they want to talk how it fits into their life, how it made their experience better. so we looked at all of our marketing and branding communications through that lens. >> was there any discussion about the features or the bigger brand idea? >> i think that's a time and place for both.

>> no. when we're talking to press, we want to talk about everything. but when someone's on our product page to buy the suitcase, that's talk about the features, what you're really getting and why it's ultimately better than any product out there. >> and there are a lot of luggage computes that have gone by the wayside. why do you think you have the staying power? >> obviously we're very proud of the product. it has a lifetime warranty. there's good luggage out there, but at the end of day we're living in a time when people want to be proud to identify with the companies that they buy from, and they recognize that away stands for something much bigger than luggage. that means we have created this inherent demand for anything our brand creates. >> so when you have a pop-up

hotel, suddenly people want to stay there. >> exactly. we've joked about doing away airlines, but maybe that's not too far off in the future. it's all about thinking about the biggest pain points in travel and how we can uniquely solve them. thinking about your whole portfolio fields off each other. >> we don't believe you can build a legacy by buying customers. we think there's an art and science to it. so all the storytelling, the branding, the customer love is what makes our growth marketing more efficient. >> so it's position marketing, but it wouldn't work that well if you didn't have the storytelling brand marketing. >> and they work together hand in hand to make sure we have things people want to talk about and by the time our paid marketing gets to customers and

they convert. >> you think of your stores as profitable bimboarllboards. >> they actually are. what we do with our stores is offer customers an experience we can't offer them online. it helps bring the brand to life, but also drives web sales when we open a store in that region. six stores? >> five stores so far, including one in london. so good luck with everything going forward, and thank you for stopping by. thanks. we're so excited. still to come, how entrepreneurs in other cunning can find interested investors here in the u.s., and why you should by focused on more than just sales. the meeting of the executive finance committee

is now in session. and... adjourned. business loans for eligible card members up to fifty thousand dollars, decided in as little as 60 seconds. the powerful backing of american express. don't do business without it. being a business project, interested in starting out in the u.s. market, what are the biggest challenges we must overcome in getting in touch and getting the interest of u.s. investors? >> if you're a foreign bills looking to launch big in the u.s., there are a few challenges. first, you need to be incorporated here in the u.s. and maybe already establish a presence here.

i know many investors who won't invest in foreign entities. additionally you need a network here. a lot of investors won't speak to you unless you have a warm introduction, so tap into your alumnae base, or consider building a local advisory board. and finally americans are known for being pretty confident in the start-up world. you want to make sure you're not too conservative in your projection and not being shy about your vision. we have the top two tips. mona is the found of the inkwell, a executive search firm, and online floral retailer, that delivers flowers from ecofriendly sustainable farms. because of you these small

farmers are sending their kids to college. >> and 70% of farmhands are women. because of the way they play living wages, they'll work at that same farm, 20, 25 years and send their kids to college for the first time because of that job. >> and you are doing great work for women who have the great jobs and still have some flexibility. you have both grown your companies from just ideas. what have you learned along the way? >> i think people should find other ways to compensation their workers, and flexibility is one of them. if you can offer your best people flexibility, you can save money and get the best people. >> so true. it's not all about salary. there's flexibility, there is vacation, there's opportunities to learn more. you just have to be creative.

i think a lot of time owners and managers just think it's all about what's in the paycheck. >> my cfo was the former cfo of gify, it's a huge tech unicorn. for inkwell to attract that talent, we had to giver what she wanted, which was flexibility. for e-commerce, trying to sell a product is difficult. it's hard to win on price. you have to win in some other way. what we try though sell is digital experiences that make your life easier and better. of course we're selling flowers, that's what we do, but we try to do it in a way that brings values in another way. it might be around sustainability because you care about that. but we also offer tools to make the orton process simpler.

one is a scheduling tool. you say here are my five relyships my send -- >> so january i can schedule things for the entire year? >> and you get 20% off, so roses delivered on valentine's for $36 out the door. that does not exist -- >> forget about $36 out the door. i don't even have to think about it on the week. in in my calendar, set up the flowers every year. >> and it create loyalty. we're not just selling you a product. we have a traditional subscription, once a month is the most popular. in the holiday time frame we see it takes off, because it's an amazing gift. now you're gives mom or your wife or whoever for the whole year. >> the point is well taken. you have to be more. you have to do what you do the very best and give more than anyone else. congratulations to both of you. you both have done amazing jobs

with your companies. it's great to see you. this weeks's #yourbizselfie. andrew is a company that creates successful and meaningful job opportunities. they operate three small businesses in mt. kisco. thank you so much for watching, thank you so much for all you do. we wish you a lot of success. thank you so much for joining us today. today i've got some other news. after 12 years on the air "your business" is coming close to the final episode. we had two weeks left. this has been a fabulous job for me. i thank you so much for watching and supporting us. i just wanted to let you know.

in the meanwhile, we would love to hear from you. if you have any questions or comments, e-mail us. you can also click on our website. we put up all of the segments from today's show plus a whole lot more for you. don't forget to connect with us on all our digital and social media platforms. and check out the podcast. you can download it for free from apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. until next time, remember, we make your business our business.

you're in the business of helping people. we're in the business of helping you. business loans for eligible card members up to fifty thousand dollars, decided in as little as 60 seconds. the powerful backing of american express. don't do business without it. ♪ this is "up" everybody. i'm david gurra. huge developments today in the russia investigation. three bombshell filings in recent hours, including two from the special counsel. >> the house will have little choice, the way this is going, than to start impeachment proceedings. robert mueller the first time mentioning what took place during donald trump's presidency. >> russia is a