Robert Safuto has a passion for life and it’s his passion for life that has instilled him with so much dedication for the art of business. Robert’s true belief is that everyone can use their business skills to lead a rich and free life.

Born in New York City, Robert learned early the value of entrepreneurial endeavors. A paper delivery route at age twelve lead to a part time job in a school uniform factory at age fourteen. “I took two buses each way. I spent two hours a day traveling to a decrepit factory building near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The place was hot, dusty and I packed a seemingly endless stream of school uniforms. Still, I loved having the spending money, along with the great sense of independence that I got from making that trip each day.”, Robert remembers.

Many other jobs followed, including: Tile and Marble installer, Department Store Clerk, Shipping Dock Worker, Personal Fitness Trainer, U.S. Army Soldier, Technology Consultant, Restaurateur and Energy Market Consultant.

In 1993, Robert enlisted in the United States Army as an Infantryman. The initial fourteen weeks of training at Fort Benning, Georgia proved a difficult, but ultimate rewarding experience. Robert remembers, “It was a great challenge to change my life and place myself at the will of others. The days were very long and very challenging both physically and mentally. I felt a great sense of pride at the completion of the course and had the confidence that I could face the toughest challenges.” Robert continued to seek out challenges while serving his country, first by completing Airborne parachute training and then gaining acceptance to and completing Officer Candidate School. As an officer, Robert completed the Scout Platoon Leader course at Fort Knox, KY, one of the most challenging leadership schools in the Army. Robert volunteered for an overseas tour of duty in Germany where he served in the 1st Armored Division as a Tank Platoon Leader and Tank Company Executive Officer. Robert’s experiences in the U.S. Army shaped his world view and provided him with a frame of reference that is impossible to attain in school or a regular job. “I had the opportunity to push myself to my limits and face my fears, while leading diverse groups of people in extremely stressful circumstances. There’s absolutely no parallel for that in the civilian world.”

Upon returning to the United States and civilian life in 1998, Robert shifted gears by accepting a position as a systems analyst for a large technology consulting firm. Robert spent a year working on a variety of projects providing technology services to state and local governments. This experience proved rewarding only in the sense that it revealed up to him the challenges of succeeding in a large corporate environment. “Somehow I expected that a large corporation would have their act together. I was wrong. I witnessed a lot of money being spent frivolously and a lot more people failing at their missions. The lower folks on the totem pole were forced to pick up the slack from their bosses failures. The more I accomplished on behalf of my bosses, the less appreciated I felt. I was basically pushing them towards their own wealth and success while toiling in obscurity. At that point I decided to take more control of my destiny and go back to being an entrepreneur.” Upon the announcement of his resignation, Robert’s boss literally begged him to reconsider, but he had seen enough.

Robert’s next foray took him into the restaurant business as a partner in a large, and not very successful New York City restaurant. “I had the opportunity to take ownership of something that needed my assistance and that excited me. The challenge of learning a new industry energized me in a way that can’t really put into words.” Robert learned the business from the ground up while managing day to day operations and planning the restaurant’s return to profitability. Within a few months, the restaurant was turning a profit and gaining popularity. “Customer service and sales were the key. I prided myself on requiring a high level of service from my employees. I held myself to the same high standards and worked harder than my employees. The customers recognized this and we were able to gain a lot of repeat business. During off hours I called hotel concierges, built a website and did anything else I could to raise the profile of the business.” Other people recognized Robert’s effort and an investor agreed to purchase his share of the business for a good sum of money.

Robert then took what turned out to be a very short break as a friend from the military recruited him join a start-up company in the energy services industry. Recognizing another challenge, Robert jumped back into the corporate world. “This company was different than my previous experience. It was smaller, more ambitious and respecting of the entrepreneurial spirit. The business model made sense and the people were a lot like me.” Over the last five years Robert has helped his company grow from a small, unknown firm to a well respected player in the energy services industry. Robert advises a list of major clients in the U.S. energy industry on the finer points of the de-regulated electricity industry.

Robert sums up his experiences with these words, “Everything I’ve done has been out of a sense of adventure and learning. I always move to the next thing only after I’ve learned all I can from the previous venture. Each experience has lead me to greater rewards both emotionally and financially.”

Along the way Robert has taught himself the arts of guitar playing, singing and songwriting. Robert has traveled extensively throughout North America, Europe, the Carribbean and the South Pacific. His great adventures include diving the Great Barrier Reef, skiing the Swiss Alps, canoeing through the Belizean jungle, attending Oktoberfest in Munich and living on the beach in California. “Since I was a small kid growing up in Queens I wanted to have great adventures. I can honestly say that I’ve used my business abilities to support all my great life adventures.”

Welcome To The Beehive is Robert’s first novel. Contact Robert at author@welcometothebeehive.com.