good morning. coming up on nbc's "your business," his father fired him 20 years ago, but now he's got his own plane business. criminal minds star has become a star by turning her love of whiskey into a successful whiskey brand. >> and these two impress shop i phi with their line of jewelry. that's all coming up next on "your business."

hi, there, everyone. i'm jmt ramberg and welcome to "your business," the show dedicated to helping you build your business. this week's businesswoman doesn't just write, produce, and acted on the hit series "criminal minds," she's also the distillery owner. defined by the motto artistry, friendly, and fun, the blinking owl is her business along with two friends. kerstin, a curious connoisseur of artist malcolm tails makes a

mean moscow mule and if you happen to be there when she's in the host, a tasting means you won't be walking out empty-handed. on tv she's the bespectacled fbi technical analyst pen epi on the tv series "criminal minds." in real live kirsten vangsness is the partial owner of the blinking owl in california. >> what you have to do with this is spank the mint. >> reporter: kerstin was intrigued when her friends said they were going to chase a dream and open the first distillery. >> it's beautiful. people are getting paid do something they're good at and we're not cutting corners and i feel that's why people love contract minds. it's because we all genuinely

get along, so you're watching a show about people working together made by people who work together. people can smell that. i people like you can smell it and taste it. we're conscious about how we're treating the environment, the farmer, the ploys, how the stuff looks, how it tastes. i feel like in the end if you're looking for a good metric of what keeps you happy, saerng app calm, and, yeah, you make money, this is perfect. >> known for its vodka and distillery the blinking owl made a decision early on to do things the long way, making their booze from scratch using santa ana's award-winning water along with its grind. >> we're committed to using organic grown grain as much california based as possible and

that's really important to us because the impact it has on local farming is massive. so, for example, one of our busiest months laugh year, we used 15,000 pounds of grain. that could keep a small farmer in business for an entire season. >> he's god swedish heritage. so it's got hair oh way, dill, hibiscus and fennel, but it was one of our favorite nerd out experience. we make an orange county orange vodka in which we use our local oranges. it's really delicious. it's amazing. good product in equals good product out. >> while robin and brian run the day-to-day operation, the partners build the craft distill

we with three objectives. artistry and others. >> they don't know who i am. they don't watch tv. i made a whole group of ladies who have 25-year long sus history. >> her title is creative muse wizard owl. >> kirsten is like a best friend and best, best business partner. just so encouraging. constantly listening in. like a little guardian of the business. >> one day you're going to leave your company. it is a fact.

and so succession planning is a must. the owners of a model airplane company had given some thought to a future, but they didn't have a formal plan in place. for a while they looked like they might have to sell, but much to their delight after years of saying no, their son decided to help them. now everyone has formed the brand and they make sure things take off. >> this company is boater stored than it was 20 years ago and it's ready for the next step. my idea coming in was, yeah, i was going to be challenging, it wh was more than that. >> you jump in and you go. you take your lumps along the way. >> after being fired from his family's business two decades ago, the man who goes by his middle name has landed back at

atlantic models. they make them of all shapes and sizes including commercial jets. >> making model airplanes wasn't a passion on mine. >> it wasn't exciting till i saw the bigger picture. >> our most important goal is making sure that someone has a model that they love. >> every model is a story and it's very personal. from 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 wondering about lee's potential involve&in the business especially with major clients. they've had some other famous customers along the way as well. >> i've always had an interest in the successing plans.

>> lee's take on it was clear from the start. >> in the very beginning i asked if he would have any interest. he said no. he wanted to create his own shadow. he said i don't want to be roger's son all the time. >> i encouraged him not to come into the business because i wanted to make sure it is his decision. it is important that somebody come in and have the energy level but the passion has to be there. roger talked about retiring amming coming up with a plan b. roger was listened. >> i thought, i've got to find somebody. it was to make him realize i was anxious to get this done. >> the moment he was done with that, it solidified it.

>> lee joined his sister betsy who had already been working for them. she welcomed him. the more i think hi cape and saw what was working, i think we kind of hooked him. >> his arrival set the wheels in motion. >> it is a transition because most of these employees have known me since i was 10, 12 years old. now coming in as their boss, there's been some interaction. >> roger used to run the company more like it was a hypo. lee focuses on fine-tuning productions am the money making potential. >> there was a lot of, oh, look, this is new and shiny. let's go do that. the fun of it is what the

motivating factor was, not the business part of it. >> and communication is crucial to everything. whiles he parents are open to new ideas there are certainly times times. >> we butt heads. we said a couple of times if we remove the ego, focus on the facts, we can get a lot done. >> there have been many bumps in the road. lee has had to remind his father there's a new leadership. >> i was stalking to one of the fellows here about the project and we pulled him assad and said you need to le me know not to mess me up. i thought, gee, he's been here a week? i said, okay, do your thing. >> he toyed with the idea.

but roger and karol know a lot about the business and he's still learning. >> i know about the airbuses and all that kind of cool stuff, but i don't know how many times i've put a model in and roger said, wait a second, in 1972, this model had this transition, and so the engines are different and i'm like what are you talking about? if you're up to me. >> though there's been a change in control. a lot of kidnap trues don't know it's fa and feign. they keep being asked, which roger? there's only wuj raejer. >> they want to get this transition right. >> when you have a business of your own, you never lose side of the fact in our particular case you have 25 families depending upon us for our livelihood and that's important. >> despite the ups and downs along the way, roger and carol

are ecstatic to see the idea fall. >> you hope that it's enough interest to carry them on. it's gratifying. for today's elevator pitch, we've done something pretty special. we've partnered with spotify. they work with more than 600,000 merchants. they know what they're talking about. they've opened up a permanent space. our elevator pitcher if she wins is going to get two prizes. the first is she's going to get her product placed in a shopify store. and she's going to get mentorship from experts at growing businesses. today's elevator pitch, it's a

family affair. good to see you guys. >> hi. >> you are well branded on your t-shirts here. how do you say the naum of your company? >> ahodo you work together? >> yes, we. do she did all of it. >> how do you work together. >> it's fun. >> yhave you pitched together. >> of course. >> what will it mean if you win this elevator pitch? >> shopify is sich a great koch. it would take this brand and movement to a whole other level. >> let's see how you're doing. there's going to be two people you're going to talk to.

the first is harvey finkelstein. and the second person is michelle cordero grant. she's like a founder. she's been incredibly successful. >> grit, grit. >> let me tell you about alooyl. the zone is two hearts of the love we share, the infinity shine reps unity, forms a iconic symbol.

it allows you to transform and inspire. my generation is inspired by the clover. >> and mine is ayllu. it's something. we're looking to shopify to help egg with mentorship. >> i'm throwing you off because you see me walking in, but you've done a great john chb. fantastic. i'm very, very impressed. you do have anything before you go. >> no. great company. >> you two can talk to each other and say what you think. how much did you practice this? >> a little bit. >> you're a good mentor.

i think this is really beautiful stuff and this is not your first goaround at this. this is a movement. we want people to join in with the movement. you don't have to buy it. we want you to go out there. >> we'll see if you get this chance. >> thank you for that pitch. we want to understand a little bit more about the business. i know there's a charitable component to the business. >> yes. 25 krebs for every piece we sell goes to a happening enevent. >> e think you've got to lean into that a little bit manufacture. the jewelry is beautiful but the charity is incredible. i think you have to push that a

little by stronger p. are you ready in. >>y, we're ready. >> and? yay. congratulations that thank you. we really appreciate it. thank you so much for the opportunity. we know that shopify is going to put us on the map. you guys are an incredible company tharm p. don't forget the mentorship. >> yes. that includes everything, all their res so sources. >> today they've sold more than half a million pieces of luggage and they've raised more than $80 million as part of comcast, which is our parent company, and most interesting. hi, there. first of all, congratulations. the profitable part is what's

important. you must be prol inch to preach profitability, but it's something we even bub was shus our. ultimately you sell luggage. how did you go through the push/pull, do we talk about the features or the world of travels? >> from the beginning we knew we wanted to be much more than a luggage band. in the beginning we accident know anything about luggage. we used the insights to design our first suitcase and that's how we're thinking about travel.

>> that inch chas your branding. >> it changes the way we think about it andfeep. we've look at it. everything should be something you talk about to one the. everything you do as a company should be something that people want to talk about with their friending over drink that so you don't want to talk about the grlt peels on the piece of luggage. >> people want to talk about their experiences, how it fits into their life, the trip they took it on, how it made their experience better. so we looked at all of the markets and branding communications through the lens. >> was there any discussion, no, we need to focus on the features, no, we need to talk about the bigger brand idea? >> i think there's a tame and place for both. when we're talking to press and

customers on in stay dwram, we want to talk about travel and the feerlings. but when someone's on our product page,features, what you really getting, and why it's ultimately better than any product out there. >> right. there are a lot of luggage companies, too, who have gone by the wayside. why do you have staying power when those don't? >> the brand and storytelling aspect, i think. obviously we're very proud of the product created. a lifetime warranty. people rave about it. >> there are a lot of -- >> there's good luggage out there. end of the day we are living in a time when people want to be proud to identify with the companies they buy from and they recognize that we stand for a lot more than luggage. we've created a demand for anything our brand creates. >> a hotel, pop-up hotel,

suddenly people want to stay there. >> so we did a pop-up hotel in paris last year. we've joked doing away airlines, maybe not far off in the future. it's about thinking about the biggest pain points in travel and how to uniquely solve them. >> talk about how you think about your whole portfolio of branding and advertising and how they feed off each other. >> we don't believe you can build a long-lasting bran ining legacy just by buying customers or any other advertising platform. there's an art to science. the storytelling, branding, the customer love is what makes our growth marketing more efficient and it's what makes it scalable. >> you have marketing that wouldn't work well if you didn't also have a storytelling brand marketing? >> we have brand marketing and growth marketing and they work together hand in hand to make sure we have things people want to talk about. by the time our paid marketing gets to customers, they're efficient and can work. >> i love the way you think about -- i wrote it down.

you think of your stores as profitable billboards. >> they truly are. what we've seen, we could put a billboard up somewhere and that would drive web sales but what we can do with our stores offer customers answer experien s an t online. >> six stores now is what you have? >> we have five stores including one in london. >> congratulations. i -- you've seen so much success but truly at the beginning of this ride. you're just a couple years old. good luck with all you're doing and thanks for stopping by. >> thanks. we're so excited. still to come, how entrepreneurs can find interested workers in the u.s. and how you should be interested in more than just sales. just s. just s. 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 boring business project, interested in it, in starting out in the u.s. market, what are the biggest -- 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 business looking to launch operations in the u.s. and potentially get u.s. investors there are a few challenges that might come your way. first, you really need to be incorporated here in the u.s. and maybe already establish a presence here. i know many invest that just

won't invest in foreign entities. too many tax and legal implications. addition will ally you need a n. a lot won't speak to you unless you have a warm introduction of someone you know. consider a local advisory board. finally, you're going to come across cultural differences. americans are known for being, hmm, pretty confident in the start-up world. you want to make sure you're not too conservative and your financial projections and not shy about sharing your big vision. we now have the top two tips you need to know to help you grow your business. let's introduce our panel for their advice. this is founder and ceo of inkwell, a search firm that connecting executive talent with flexible jobs and also an online floral retailer, delivering flowers from ecoflower sustainable farms. good to see you both. an interesting fact.

because of you these small farmers are sending their kids to college because they had no way to get their flowers out in a somewhat economical way. >> and average time on the farm, three years. some of the farms the way they treat workers and pay living workers, they'll work at the same farm for 20 25shgs years and send their kids to college for the first time. >> amazing. and you are doing great work for women with great jobs and flexibility. what's something you learned along the way running your company. >> companies should think about other ways to compensate their workers to attract them and flexibility is a great way to do that. there's a whole workforce that prioritizes flexibility over cash. if you can offer your best people flexibility, you save money and can get the best people. >> it's so true. right? it's not all about salary, or that kind of compensation. there's flexibility, there's vacation. there's opportunities to learn more. you just have to be creative.

i think a lot of times owners and managers just think it's all about what's in the paycheck and i mean you found out it's not at all. >> exactly. we've used that at our own company. for example, my cfo was the former cfo of giffey. that's a $1 billion huge tech unicorn. for us to attract that kind of talent we had to give her what she wanted, which was flexibility. >> john, something you've learned along the way? >> ecommerce, the age of amazon, jet.com and walmart, trying to sell a product is hard to win now. hard to win on price and convenience so you have to win in another way. at our company we try to sell digital experiences that make your life easier and better, not necessarily just sell the products. of course, we're selling flowers, that's what we do, but we try to do it in a way that brings value to your life in other ways. it might be sustainability because you really care about that, but we offer off tools to

make it easier. a scheduling tool. come to our website. five relationships i send flowers to. my mom, my sister, my -- >> schedule things the entire year? >> yes. 20% off and free delivery. roses delivered on valentine's day for $36 out the door. that does no exist if you wait until the week of valentine's day. >> i don't even have to think about it on that week, forget about that. it's set up for all year. >> creates loyalty. making your life better, not just selling a product. a traditional subscription once a month, most popular. in the holiday time frame takes off. it's an amazing gift. set it once. giving mom, your wife, whomever, flowers the whole year, point well taken. you have to be more. you have to do what you do the very best and give more than anyone else does. congratulations to both of you. juv both done amazing jobs with

your companies and it's great to see you. >> thank. >> thanks very much. this week's "your biz" selfie comes from andrew a longtime viewer of the show, director of business development at an amazing company called extraordinary ventures new york, based in mount kiscop they create and support meaningful opportunities for people with autism and other disabilities. this includes gift manufacturing and a laundry. thank you so much for watching and for all you do, and we wish you a lot of success. thank you so much for joining us today. i often take the time in the show to let you know something i learned this week, but today i have other news. after 12 years on the air, "your business" is coming close to its final episode. we have two weeks left of new shows after this one. this has been a fabulous job for me and i thank you so much for watching and supporting us. we will talk about this more over the next two shows but i

just wanted to let you know. in the meanwhile, we would love to hear from you. if you have questions or comments about today's show, e-mail us at "your business" @msnbc.com or click on our website, msnbc.com/yourbusiness. we put all the segments from today's shows and a lot more for you and don't forget to connect with us on digital and social media platforms as well. we love hearing from you. finally, check out the podcast called been there, done that. get it from wherever you get your podcasts. i look forward to seeing you next time. until then, i'm j.j. ramberg, and remember, we make your business our business. >> announcer: sponsored by --

y thousand dollars, y thousand dollars, decided in as little as 60 seconds. the powerful backing of american express. don't do business without it. welcome to "up." i'm in for david gura. the federal government enters its eighth day of a partial shutdown with no end in sight. >> how long should the president keep the government closed? how long? >> do you it until hell freezes over. >> now the president is holding firm on his border wall, even threatening to close the entire southern border if he doesn't get the wall funding. >> -- the southern border, a billion dollars a day, is the president seriously willing to do at