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My husband and I had our share of challenges in which our business and family’s livelihoods were on the line. Each of those challenges we could not ignore if we were to survive financially, so we had to learn the hard way not to be victims of unfair competition. Instead, we had to be strong and do whatever it took legally to fight for what we believed in.
Prevailing Against a Major Corporation
A prime example of overcoming adversity was when my husband and I prevailed against one of the largest privately owned corporations in California that we alleged was infringing on our intellectual property rights.
We incorporated Grando, Inc., a fine jewelry manufacturing company, in January of 1986. My husband is a third-generation fine jeweler, and my father was in the jewelry industry for 45 years.
Our challenges began when my husband and I invented a patented gold chain that became the second best-selling product of a major television infomercial. The problem was that the infomercial purchased the chain from one of our competitors, who falsely claimed he had the rights to our product. That competitor’s company did approximately $300 million in sales per year, while we had limited funds to compete.
We found an intellectual property attorney who was willing to take our case on contingency. In the end, we settled, and the money from the settlement paid for a modest home in Bel-Air, where we lived for 17 years. Our jewelry business flourished into a multi-million-dollar company.
We joined a prestigious country club where our son’s coach was a Wimbledon competitor from Australia. Today, our son is a professional tennis coach sponsored by a major sporting goods brand. And yet, in between, my family nearly starved.
Stefano has been recognized as “One of the Leading Jewelry Designers of the 21st Century” by Jewelers’ Quarterly Magazine. He is the Past President of the 24 Karat Club of Southern California and the first-prize winner of the World Gold Council’s annual competition for a patented Venetian Lace 18kt. gold bracelet that he designed and produced.
Surviving the Recession
During the recession, we experienced one of the greatest challenges of our lives. The lines of credit we had with two major banks were cut off and converted into loans, even though we had never missed a payment. Monthly fees increased to the point that we were forced to close our beautiful downtown factory of 20 years and move our business into our garage in Bel-Air.
Instead of eight full-time employees, we reduced to two who worked in our garage for several years. Eventually, we were forced to sell our Bel-Air home or risk losing it. It was a modest two-bedroom home—but it was on the same street as Elon Musk! The co-founder of Summit Entertainment lived nearby, and his son was my son’s best friend. Our plan had been to move up in the world, but instead we found our lives spiraling backward.
We sold our home for over one million dollars. However, with expenses, California’s high housing costs and bank fees, we could not afford another home at that time.
Finding Gratitude
Thank God a friend of ours offered us his rental home where we have been living for the past nine years. The home is a four-bedroom house that was built in the 1950s. I initially told my husband that he could not give me a million dollars to move into the home, as I was spoiled by having a commercial Wolf 6-burner range in Bel-Air and a custom kitchen with an absolute marble island in the middle that I designed and loved. My husband had to give up his 15-foot built-in BBQ in the backyard and three fountains that were produced by the same artisan who created the fountains in Las Vegas hotels and who was from my husband’s city in Italy.
Now I thank God every day that I live in the house that I currently do, as I have a roof over my head and food on my table. For the first year living in that home, we could not consistently pay the rent. So, my husband’s friends gave him odd jobs around their homes to repair—from fences to bookcases, etc. One of our friends, a well-known concertmaster of A-list movies, and his wife called us every day to see how we were. I kept telling them we were fine. Yet they somehow realized that we were suffering.
There was a week I fed my family only soup which barely sustained my son, who is a 6’5” athlete. I lost so much weight from the stress that I looked like an anorexic. So, after our friends called us for the umpteenth time, I finally accepted their support. After six months or a year, we repaid our friends for their help during our dire time of need. Plus, our accountant gave us a loan, which we paid back as well.
Lessons Learned
To prosper, one must work to the bone. Think of the training of a gold-medal athlete and bring that intensity to your business and life’s challenges. Each challenge could have crushed us, but instead we worked harder than ever to get back on our feet.
Each challenge made us stronger and wiser. As long as someone is willing to focus on making their future brighter, they can overcome life’s business and personal challenges. In life, we all experience ups and downs. During the low periods, it’s important to reflect on what’s working and what needs to be adjusted or let go, so we can move closer to achieving our dreams.
Even though we still believe the banks treated us unprofessionally and unfairly, instead of crying victim we had no choice but to accept the situation and find a way to survive. A banker in Beverly Hills once told me jewelry businesses were targeted because banks assumed jewelers had assets they could exploit. Many jewelers we knew lost their businesses during the recession.
Ironically, through DNA tests, I discovered a half-brother who was a top executive at one of the very banks that challenged us! I could have spent my life feeling wronged, but instead I chose gratitude that we overcame this obstacle. That shift led me to conceive of a chocolate business and the life I have today. Sometimes being forced to change leads to better things.
This experience was a costly one, as our company paid one of the banks twice the sum of the line of credit, and with the high interest rate they wanted us to pay three times the sum! Instead, we refused, and the sum due was sent to a collection agency. Our attorney settled the amount due at a quarter of the original sum. In essence, the total interest was 225% of the original price. This is a learning experience for those who take out loans, as the banks can call in lines of credit and you may end up paying substantially more than you anticipated in the end. Our mistake was not having someone with experience and/or an attorney review our original contract. Live and learn. On a positive note, I love my newfound brother.
A friend of mine who is an attorney told me that my husband and I should fight to save our business when others suggested that we consider going bankrupt. So, we hired an attorney who, after reviewing our case, took it on contingency, and we were able to settle in a manner that allowed us to keep our company and get back on our feet.
Today, my husband and I count our blessings. We may not have the prestigious Bel-Air zip code, but we are actually happier where we currently reside. We now have sidewalks to walk on; whereas before, we lived in a canyon where we had nowhere to walk. Now we have closer access to farmers’ markets and hardware stores. Instead of shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue, I learned to shop in thrift stores where I find clothes from shops on Rodeo Drive!
We still have the same friends who have been there throughout our challenges. No one thinks less of us. So, as you can see, by fighting for what you believe is rightfully yours, you can overcome challenges even when the competition is much greater than you are.
I almost forgot to mention that one experience that really helped me was when a woman who was an acquaintance of mine at the time took me under her wing. She was at my side every day for six months as she introduced me to Nichiren Buddhism, where the focus is on overcoming life’s challenges—whatever they are. Her husband was one of the biggest Italian cinematographers at that time, and I learned to focus on solutions rather than problems thanks to her and the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism. It was during this period that I conceived the idea of creating a chocolate business. Each time I chanted, I thought of my challenged jewelry business and how I could turn chocolates into diamonds, so that I could potentially save lives through the health benefits of chocolate!
Reinvention Through Chocolate
During the dark hours, I created a collection of Organic Italian Chocolates. A cardiologist had recommended the heart benefits of fine chocolate while I served on the board of the American Heart Association. For over a year I literally begged a company in Italy to sell me their organic chocolate cabochons, so that I could transform the highest quality cocoa beans into GC Chocolate Diamonds and provide them as a special gift with each fine jewelry purchase. I was also influenced by the head of UCLA’s Gastrointestinal Department, who told me that organic food was essential for good health. That is why it was important to me to produce chocolates with organic ingredients, which are much more challenging to obtain.
I have a motto: I never compromise on quality—whether for my chocolates or anything else I produce. Just one ingredient can make a difference in taste and benefits. For this reason, I have scoured the earth to provide what I believe are the best-quality chocolates to the world!
One of my greatest honors was creating 400 lifelike chocolate statues of the late Avatar producer Jon Landau and his family. Jon exemplified the principles of accountability by staying on top of my production schedule. Since that time, I have gone on to create innovative chocolates for Fortune 500 companies, Wounded Warrior and Children’s Hospital charity events, and many other special occasions that not only brought sweetness to people’s lives but also highlighted the health benefits of the cocoa bean.
Chocolate has more antioxidants than any other known food, and that fact inspired me to create my business and continues to fuel my passion today. There is abundant scientific evidence that chocolate is good for the heart and overall health—while also feeding the soul!
We are all responsible for our futures. We can either be victims or lions—the kings of the jungle. That is what Grando’s lion logo represents. Every signature box of Grando Cioccolato comes with a sterling silver lion crest as a reminder to eat healthy and stay strong in mind and body.
Today and Tomorrow
The chocolate division within our company has not been without challenges. I am deeply passionate about my chocolate business and fortunate that my husband, Stefano, supports my dream of creating the highest-quality organic Italian chocolates, complete with a sterling silver crest and keepsake luxury signature box. I must admit, Stefano enjoys indulging in my chocolates too! When someone is passionate about what they do and willing to face challenges head-on, they will prevail. Even when the chips are down, they will find a way to turn things around in a positive manner.
I am currently working to overcome new challenges in my chocolate business. The commercial kitchen I had rented for several years closed down during COVID, and the owners sold the building out from under me with only four days’ notice. I pivoted, obtaining a cottage food license—which took me two years to acquire—along with an organic food license. This forced me to consolidate and limit my sales to Los Angeles County, rather than distribute nationwide. Fortunately, the majority of my business falls within the parameters of my current license. This year, I have a plan to grow my business in multiple ways, and I continue to dream of one day having my own commercial kitchen.
The story above is just one example of my life’s many challenges. The greatest lesson I’ve learned from each challenge is that no matter what happens, it is not the end of the world—merely another chapter in the game of life.
Stefano and I are both passionate about our future endeavors and innovations within our fields of expertise. We succeeded in enforcing our multiple patents and rose above financial, legal, and competitive challenges. As I learned in Landmark Education, one can sit safely on the sidelines or choose to live life in the arena. I have been in both places, but for my husband and myself, the arena is where life is most exciting—because there, you can become anything you dream of, as long as you are willing to overcome life’s challenges and believe in yourself.
So, I urge everyone to pursue their dreams and remember that challenges will come, but they can be overcome if you rise above them. Another lesson my mother taught me was to always go after my dreams, because I had nothing to lose. If I didn’t yet have what I dreamt of, failure meant I lost nothing—except the opportunity to reach for the sky!
Good luck on life’s ventures. And set your sights high, so that you too can live the life of your dreams!
