In mid-November, soon after we launched Need 3.0, Mr. Tony Hartl was kind enough to reach out to offer his support of the company and our work.
As a Need customer himself, he had an outset goal of supporting local entrepreneurs, whilst also committing himself to ethical and sustainable causes in life and business.
Over time, we learned of his latest project, Seed, which is a phenomenal Argentinian wine with a charitable spin. (We’ll let him explain a little more below.)
As you can imagine, we were thrilled and honored when Need Edition offered to interview Tony for their lifestyle and culture magazine, Imprint. In the story, Tony candidly shares what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and why he’s so passionate about Seed with Need Collection Editor, Kari Jones.
Kari: Before we dig into the meat of the conversation, how did you come across Need?
Tony: A local entrepreneur who is a friend of mine told me about Need and how it was Dallas-based. I was intrigued and went on the website to learn more.
KJ: Matt, our founder, mentioned that you both met via a friendly email exchange, wherein you expressed your support for Dallas entrepreneurs. What roots do you have in Dallas?
TH: I came to Dallas in 1995 to start Planet Tan. Even after I sold the company in 2008, I decided to keep a residence in Dallas. There’s such a great energy here and I really got plugged into the Dallas entrepreneur community. I serve as an advisor to a lot of local organizations such as Biz Ed- Business Accelerator and National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), which teaches the importance of education and goal setting for inner city schools. As well for the past 14 years have belonged to E.O.(Entrepreneurship Organization) which I’ve belonged to the same small forum of eight founders of companies from various industries. I’m passionate about mentoring young entrepreneurs and helping them succeed. Even though my primary home is in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Dallas has a special place in my life.
KJ: You seem to have had an amazing journey. Can you share a little bit of that background and how you’ve arrived at your current stage in life?
TH: I grew up in very humble circumstances with a single mom who passed on a lot of values about hard work, integrity and perseverance. When you start a business from the ground up, your values are put to the test. I relied on my mom’s great example and made sure I never shied away from staying late and getting up early. After 13 years of working long hours and always putting the business first, I sold Planet Tan and made plans to travel around the world. In 2009, I visited 12 countries in 12 months. That journey reinvigorated me about the next phase of my life, which included writing a book and starting a boutique winery in Argentina called Seed Wine.
Read the full article here.
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Seed Wine is a single-vineyard, boutique Malbec from the prestigious Altamira district of Uco Valley, in Mendoza, Argentina. With each bottle of Seed Wine purchased, a child in Mendoza receives a new schoolbook, planting seeds for the future of the region.
Visit us at seedwine.com
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