There I was shuttling back between Dewey Beach, DE every summer and Honolulu every winter. I was living the "Cocktail" lifestyle ala Tom Cruise, bartending at two of my favorite beaches. Golf clubs over my shoulder, a bag filled with shorts and T-shirts, and no keys. I rode two kick-start mopeds with combination locks and lived in two beach houses that were always open. Life was simple and carefree.

Then one day on May 1st my life changed. I was sitting under a banyan tree in Kapiolani Park on Lei Day learning the native tradition of lei making from a wonderful Hawaiian lady. Fast forward to Washington, D.C... I thought I would charm a girlfriend with a birthday lei. After calling the local florists and discovering they were not only hard to find but also no less than $75, I decided to practice my recently learned Hawaiian craft. Well it was an immediate hit and her friend wanted a lei, and her friend wanted one and so on to the point where I printed up some simple business cards (1,000 cards for $20!) and called myself "THE LEI MAN™".

Shortly after coming up with my business name, I began badgering reporters trying to convince them they needed to do a story about my fledgling business. Oddly enough both The New York Times and The Washington Post decided to do a story with photos on "THE LEI MAN™". Odder still was that the stories were featured on a Sunday; the same Sunday! On January 4th, 1994 my life changed again thanks to the media. I was "THE LEI MAN™".

Well now I was off to the races. The New York Times story was picked up on the wire services and reporters and radio stations were calling for interviews and I didn't even have a business phone! I was working out of my house, I wasn't able to process credit card requests, and I was calling all my friends to help me process orders and deliveries. My little lark of a business was blossoming and now I had thrust myself into the middle of a start-up. The learning curve was a tad steep and little did I think I would ever have a website with a trademarked moniker. But here I am and I thank you for stopping by.