Sean Pandya took Amcon, a strong business with an even stronger resume – and revolutionized it. As CEO, he led the team in dropping outdated business practices and brought them into the cannabis cultivation industry. He shares his unique perspective on business, travels, and personal life with us today.
Scaling the Family Business
Pandya’s father, Anil Pandya P.E., founded Amcon – a licensed electrical, mechanical, and plumbing engineer service. They specialize in full design for commercial and industrial buildings. When cannabis was legalized in 2018, Sean Pandya knew they had a huge opportunity to differentiate their business. Friends and family tried to tell Pandya that cannabis was too stigmatized – that he’d never be successful. However, he forged ahead and spearheaded the department dedicated to full engineering and building design for large scale cannabis cultivation projects. Under his guidance, they’ve built a number of successful cannabis buildings and dispensaries.
Pandya recognizes that part of his success in scaling the business has been his fresh outlook. In business, it’s all too easy to stick with old practices and rules. He personally phased out many of these in his own business. He holds his team to a high standard, and insists they are upfront about all costs. This allows clients to trust him, and the company, more deeply.
Advice for Future Entrepreneurs
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” this bit of wisdom is one of Pandya’s favorite quotes. It may be cliche, but it’s accurate, and it has certainly played out in his life. From bringing the family business into cannabis cultivation, to building his physique, to starting his own up and coming business, SP Enterprise – this lesson has played out again and again. Failure just shows that you’re trying. When you miss a shot, it’s all about how quickly you get back in the game.
On his core values, Pandya says this: focus on your star player (yourself), treat others the way you want to be treated, and live your life the way you want to. Future entrepreneurs should live their lives as they see fit. In fact, Pandya advises that the younger you are, the more risk you are usually able to take. Combine this attitude with treating others well, and you’ll be unstoppable. Pandya himself faced tons of adversity and naysayers, but he knew his own worth. By overcoming his own anxiety and self doubt, starting young, and building self discipline – he’s been incredibly successful.
Travels, Hobbies, and Cats
In his free time, Pandya admits he has a hard time ignoring work. As he says – if you love what you do, the rest will follow – by which he means, he loves spending time on work, even in his free time. When he does take time off, he travels the world, bringing his friends along with him. He says his biggest passions in life, other than business, are fitness, cars, and cats.
Pandya is a huge animal lover. He describes meeting his cat as an “unexpected blessing.” One day, a stray cat showed up on Pandya’s doorstep, meowing incessantly. Pandya felt he had no choice but to take the cat in, and name him Max. His life hasn’t been the same since, and he has a goal of opening a cat rescue center one day.
Having been interested in fitness since his teenage years, Pandya sets aside an hour each day for working out and self care. His schedule varies, so he takes this hour when he can – that might be in the morning one day, and late night another. It is this self discipline that carries Pandya through every aspect of his life, and it’s what he credits his success to.
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