Episode 122: Building a Sustainable and Authentic Family Business for Future Generations with Phyllis, Michael, and Eric Okon

On today’s show, Sharon welcomes Phyllis, Michael, and Eric Okon. The Okon family represents the leadership of The BLS Company, a global ground travel company with offices across the country, from New York City to Los Angeles and almost everywhere in between. As the CEO of BLS, Phyllis founded the company in 1976 with her late husband, Jay David Okon (lovingly known as David), and together they pioneered the chauffeured car service industry.

Phyllis and her two sons, Michael and Eric, are the ideal guests because they exemplify what it means to create a sustainable family business that is moving into its third generation, with more than 12 family members involved. Both Phyllis and David had a vision for the business and they obviously did something right, as both sons were brought up in the industry and are each well-positioned for leadership. Michael is a bestselling author with an MBA in business and serves as the president of BLS. Eric serves as the COO and is responsible for worldwide operations and technology initiatives. Michael and Eric also co-host the Okon Brothers Podcast, which has become the voice of the ground travel industry.

Tuning in today, listeners get a peek into the beginnings of The BLS Company, and how things shifted when David passed two years ago. Hear about the influence that the podcast and social media presence has had on the business, how owning the buildings they operate from has helped them weather some storms, and how farming the business out to drivers has allowed for a high level of quality control, as well as the family values and core tenets that make the business appealing to clients and future generations alike. All this and more, so don’t miss this episode! 

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

• How Phyllis and her late husband got into the ground travel industry and built BLS.
• Getting the business off the ground as a small, family-run operation out of New York.
• The number of limos in BLS’ fleet at the time and the types of customers they were serving.
• What it was like for the family and the business to lose founder, husband, and father, David.
• The process of starting up social media accounts and a podcast for the business.

Additional Resources:

Phyllis Okon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phyllis-okon-a0206a186

Michael Okon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-okon-b02b60162

Eric Okon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericokon

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blslimo/

Website: https://blsco.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blslimo

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/blslimo

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BLSLimo

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/okonbros

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/okon-bros/id1480772880

Links Mentioned:

The Great White Hype: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116448/

Gary Vaynerchuk: https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/

Just Ask the Universe: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Ask-Universe-No-Nonsense-Manifesting/dp/061550129X