Pitchman Anthony “Sully” Sullivan made a reputation for himself on TV advertisements because the OxiClean Guy and starred in a Discovery Channel fact sequence PitchMen.
These days he runs Sullivan Productions, a 12-person advertising company with 50-60 subcontractors, based totally in St. Petersburg, Fla. It produces advertisements for emblem akin to OxiClean, Arm & Hammer, Nutrisystem and a bunch of smaller, direct reaction entrepreneurs.
Anthony “Sully” Sullivan discovered pitching at a flea marketplace. He was the nationwide face of the … [+]
Sullivan Productions
About 3 years in the past, he began MONTKUSH Wellness, a CBD industry in accordance with a farm in Plainfield, Vermont. It sells CBD oil, tinctures, gummies and different merchandise.
Sullivan was involved in CBD when he discovered his daughter, now 11, had an extraordinary genetic dysfunction that reasons seizures, and that the anti-seizure drugs brought about horrible unwanted side effects. Her mom really useful making an attempt CBD. “We experimented with it and had just right effects,” he says. After visiting a chum’s hemp farm in Vermont, he made up our minds to take a possibility on an business that was once new for him.
“There’s a large number of causes to not do one thing,” he says. “You’ll be able to concentrate to the entire individuals who say no or say, ‘I’m going to check out it.’”
I latterly spoke with him about how he constructed his occupation because the one-man face of a emblem. Here’s an edited excerpt of our dialog.
Elaine Pofeldt: How did you get began as an entrepreneur?
Anthony Sullivan: My entrepreneurial roots return. My father was once a slot gadget engineer. He would at all times take me to paintings with him. At an overly younger age he advised me he now not labored for his corporate and acquired slot machines. He made my mother follow for a gaming license.
My storage was once stuffed with those slot machines. We’d polish them up and paint them. The complete time he was once telling me “Son, if you wish to get forward, it’s a must to paintings for your self.”
He was once a really perfect salesman and would persuade pubs to place those machines in. We’d meet the landlords of those pubs and return a couple of weeks later and empty the machines. I couldn’t elevate the money field. I might take this giant field of money and pour it at the desk. My dad and I might rely the cash. We divided it with the pubs. The on line casino at all times wins.
I feel I at all times had this concept I might paintings for myself. I used to be very stressed at school. The whole lot we did, I requested myself, “How can I monetize this? How are we able to flip this right into a industry? My mother sought after me to be a journalist. I attempted to use myself to my teachers however I used to be a stressed child with ADHD. I had jobs as a bartender, and wiped clean bogs, did a large number of guide hard work. I felt like “I will not have compatibility in as an worker. I’m unemployable.” I had grandiose concepts: I’m going to begin an organization.
Elaine Pofeldt: How did you get started pitching?
Anthony Sullivan: I couldn’t get a correct activity. I finished up serving to a chum at a flea marketplace. That was once the primary time I felt at house in a industry global. I noticed this gentleman who was once doing pitching. He was once demonstrating this automotive wash known as the “wonderful Washmatic.”
I believed I would love to check out demonstrating. I used to be at all times an overly talkative consumer. I were given hang of this automotive washing software. I discovered how one can promote it. I discovered the pitch, phrase for phrase. I came upon I may just hang a crowd and I may just entertain. I might promote. I used to be no longer scared of “No.” I used to be no longer scared of failure. I used to be out of my convenience zone, and I discovered how one can promote to automotive washes. I used to be just right at it. I finished up getting recruited on this flea marketplace. I finished up virtually residing the lifetime of a carny. I might move from flea marketplace to flea marketplace in the United Kingdom. All this was once a basis for the entrepreneurial lifestyles. I’d paintings at flea markets and boat presentations. I might immerse myself in no matter product I used to be promoting.
Then I discovered this mop. It was once a protracted tale how I discovered this mop, however I were given a role cleansing a early life hostel in Hawaii. I were given very keen about ensuring I did a really perfect activity. I finished up promoting that in every single place England.
Elaine Pofeldt: How did you get into infomercials?
Anthony Sullivan: I became on my TV sooner or later and noticed my first infomercial. That was once once I had an “aha” second. I’d spent 2 or 3 years promoting other gadgets to other folks one on one. I picked up all of my worldly property on the ripe outdated age of 23 and moved from the U.Okay. to the U.S. with the dream of having on TV. I advised my mother I’m going to visit The usa and promote mops on tv. My circle of relatives idea I used to be completely insane, very similar to when my dad purchased the 40 slot machines.
Inside 18 months of touchdown in The usa, I used to be on HSN. I spotted if you wish to play ball, it’s a must to move to the ballpark. And HSN was once the ballpark. I moved to Florida and stayed right here as a result of HSN was once right here.
I offered $100,000 price of mops in 22 mins. That was once the primary merchandise. I went from being a scrappy boulevard marketer to being on TV. That was once once I felt legitimized. My mother didn’t like what I did: Sully is a mop salesman.
Elaine Pofeldt: How did you get onto mainstream TV?
Anthony Sullivan: I sought after to head past HSN and met my outdated spouse Billy Mays [who appears on PitchMen]. We went from HSN, a buying groceries channel, and ended up on mainstream media. That was once a milestone. We helped OxiClean. Then we ended up entering retail. Shall we stroll into Walmart and spot OxiClean.
It was once this loopy adventure that began at a flea marketplace. We ended up with an international volume-producing merchandise at Walmart. You coudn’t move to a Walmart on the earth with out seeing OxiClean within the early 2000s. it was once an implausible adventure, and it nonetheless continues to conform. It’s extra virtual now. We’ve at all times picked issues that resolve a commonplace downside and used TV to get them at the air.
