We had the good fortune of connecting with Robert Mazzucchelli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Robert, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think from many people’s perspective, I’ve taken a lot of risks in my life, especially in my career. I’ve started five companies over a few decades, not all in the same industry. And I’ve switched industries at a point in life when some people may have deemed it safer to stay put and enjoy the fruits of their success and reputation. But I’ve always been curious, adventurous and confident in my ability to figure things out and find a way to succeed. Risk is defined as a situation involving exposure to danger. I’ve never seen much risk in what I’ve done, because I think we learn and grow the most when we step out of our comfort zone. We have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. I think it was Winston Churchill who said “Success in not final, failure not fatal – it is the courage to continue that counts”. I think life is most rewarding and fulfilling when you can adopt that approach to risk.

What should our readers know about your business?
Today, I run a company called SportsEdTV, which is the world’s leading online platform for sports improvement, and a pioneer in the space. We offer the 2.5 billion people who participate in sports around the world the three things they need to improve, no matter their current age or level of play: world-class video instruction and blog content, a supportive online community of parents, coaches and athletes, and a marketplace of coaching resources and sports facilites. We are a one-stop virtual location for all of these things, so there is no need anymore for endless searching all over the internet or general social media apps for hours and hours – we have changed the paradigm.

The great thing about SportsEdTV from a career standpoint is that I get to combine most of the things I have spent my three decade career doing and that I really enjoy, sometimes all in the same day: sports, media, brand building, marketing and being creative.

Building a successful business is always a challenge, no matter how many times you done it, because all situations are different and the business landscape in the world is ever-changing. In the case of SportsEdTV, I have faced the challenges of finding the right management team (can’t build anything alone), of finding capital (can’t grow without funding), and of fighting through the tough moments when things don’t work out as planned or go slower than desired (can’t avoid these realities in business, but they still create frustration).

My positive attitude is really my best strength and defense against the constant difficulties of entrepreneurship. I have a great short-term emotional memory. When my head hits the pillow at night, I can erase all of the frustrations I may have faced during the day and wake up (at 5am) with a clean slate and ready-to-go mindset. I am able to look forward at what can be done, what is possible, and not dwell on looking backward at what went wrong. I still glance back to learn from my mistakes, but I don’t linger there too long.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Sunday Morning – Panther Coffee or Delicious Raw in Sunset Harbour. Great people watching and the best accidental meetings of interesting people in town (I once met one of my favorite authors and thinkers – Malcolm Gladwell – while getting my morning joe at Panther. And I met a guy who was the son of one of my father’s dental colleagues in Rhode Island, and who’s ski house in Vermont I actually stayed in when I was 12. Hadn’t seen him in thirty-five years!)

Monday Lunch – Sorbillo in SoFI for a genuine Neapolitan pizza and a little know vegetable treat called Friarelli. They only grow it in Naples.

Tuesday is Beach Day – I’d first grab paninis at Mama Leone’s bakery in midtown (women who owns it is from my very small ancestral home town in Italy – small world – and knows my cousin well!). This will transports you to Italy via Miami for sure.

Wednesday Dinner – Salumeria 104. This is my second dining room and the best simple trattoria in Miami. Period.

Thursday Dinner – Omakai in Wynwood. Do the delux omakase. You will not be disappointed.

Friday Lunch or Dinner – Joe’s Stone Crab. Hey it’s Miami and this place is an institution. Good luck getting a table.

Saturday – hit the Perez Art museum and stay for lunch at Verde.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My life was shaped largely by my parents, both of whom were denied the ability to pursue their dreams by their parents, and although they lived a good life, felt some nagging sense of frustration over what might have been. Maybe for that reason, they always encouraged me and my siblings (2 brothers and 1 sister) to pursue our dreams and follow our passions. They were incredibly supportive when I told them I wanted be a professional tennis player, and later start a marketing agency at the ripe old age of twenty-three. Without their support and belief, I may have had a very different life path. So they get the Shoutout for sure.

Website: www.sportsedtv.com

Instagram: @sedtvchairman

Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/rjmazzucchelli

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