At the age of fifty-six, Paul Giannone, aka Paulie Gee, decided to leave his unfulfilling IT job of thirty years to chase a dream of opening a pizzeria. It was a risk. A real risk.
“I realized that the real risk was to keep on doing what I was doing,” says Paulie.
In March of 2010, Giannone welcomed his first customers into his new home — Paulie Gee's — one of the most successful pizzerias in New York City.
But what motivated Paulie to take a chance on his dream at the age that many others would have given up on? Read on as he unveils his fascinating story.
The IT Career
Giannone discovered his interest in cooking at a fairly young age. “Growing up, my parents would often travel to Florida and, when they were away, I was free to eat and cook whatever I wanted,” he recalls. The sense of freedom and joy that cooking gave him continued into his adult life: on weekends, Paulie would often invite people over to his house to cook and entertain them.
Giannone's parents — like many other children of the Great Depression — instilled a belief in him that he needed to get a good and safe job in the future. Therefore, despite his enthusiasm for cooking, Paulie decided to take up a job in a Port Authority’s mailroom in the World Trade Center.
Because of his hard work and determination, Giannone steadily progressed in the corporate world. “I thought the future was in computers, so I decided to take an evening course and worked my way up in the IT sector.” In spite of moderate success, Paulie was unfulfilled by the work and always knew he wanted to do something else with his life.
“I wanted to have a good life where I would enjoy myself,” he recalls. And so, throughout his corporate career, he studied the principles of success and taught himself the power of commitment and believing in yourself, which were instrumental in the success of his own business.
The Idea(s)
By late August of 2001, Paulie had accumulated over eighteen years of experience in the IT industry. Thus, when he found out that the company he worked for at the time was downsizing, he was very optimistic about his future. He decided to take an early retirement and become an independent IT consultant. But, little did he know at that time that the job market would drastically change only a few weeks later.
Despite having difficulties finding work as a consultant after the 9/11 attacks, Paulie eventually returned to the IT world. However, he never stopped looking for his true calling in life.
“I briefly considered working in a ski resort, because I enjoyed skiing, but, at the same time, I always loved to cook and have people over at my house,” he says.
When a friend of Paulie’s approached him about opening a restaurant together, naturally, the idea sounded very appealing to him. Although the two never ended up finding the right place to open a business, along the way, Paulie came up with a vision of opening his own pizzeria instead.
“I have always been a pizza enthusiast and after visiting various pizzerias I realized they were different from restaurants,” he says. “They were simpler and I thought this was something I could do.” So he started to tell his family and friends that he was going to open one. But there was just one little problem…
Daniela Spinaci pie by Paulie Gee's.
Money
Paulie was convinced that his friend would be interested in investing in his pizzeria. As it turned out, he had no interest in partnering on such project. “All of a sudden I had no money to open it, but it was too late. I already told people I was going to do it so there was no turning back,” he admits.
In order to prove to himself (and others) that he could do it, Paulie decided to build a wood-burning oven in his New Jersey home. At first, the project was coming together rather slowly: working full time did not leave him with too much time to work on the oven. However, there was one person he was determined to impress against all odds.
“My son wanted to be a pilot since he was eleven years old and I always told him to believe in himself and that he could do it,” he remembers. “I helped him chase his dream and he was very excited to help me chase mine.”
Admittedly, Paulie’s desire to show his kids what they could achieve in life was his biggest driving force. “I wanted to show my children what they had to do when they were alive. If I continued to have unfulfilling jobs, they were gonna think it was ok,” he adds.
Glengarry Glen Ross
Although walking away from a secure IT job was not easy for Paulie, one incident in particular had made it very clear it was the right thing to do.
“I was watching the movie ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ one day and it scared me to death,” he recalls. “It was about four real estate salesmen and one of them, this old man, was really struggling to make sales. I didn’t want to be that person. I knew then I had to take a chance and I became willing to take a risk.”
Determined to make his dream come true, Giannone raised the funds needed to open up a pizzeria and ensured he was well prepared to run it. From finishing the oven (with his investor friend’s help) and perfecting his pies and recipes, to seducing the most influential pizza bloggers to his tastings and learning the ins and outs of the business from other successful pizzeria owners, it’s no coincidence that Paulie Gee’s instantly became — and continues to be — a massive success.
Paulie Gee's Interior. Photo credit: Adam Kuban
Believe in Yourself and Commit
Giannone admits he is finally living the life he always wanted. He suggests that, in order to find your passion, you need to take a look at things you love to do when you are not working. “And that’s usually it,” he says. “That’s what I used to do on the weekends: I loved having people over, cooking, and playing music for them.”
Once you find your passion, he argues, there are two things you need to do — above and beyond anything else — in order to be successful:
Believe in yourself — Paulie stresses the importance of believing in yourself and ability to accomplish your goal. He suggests that, if you lack such belief, the first time you encounter an obstacle — maybe the second or third time — you are going to give up, because you will not want to go through the pains and will not be willing to take risks.
Commit — Paulie highlights the importance of never using the word ‘try’. He suggests that the phrase ‘I’ll try’ indicates lack of commitment, whereas the phrase “I’ll do my best” has a much stronger meaning.
Lastly, he recognizes how important managing your fear is to your success. “You have to walk through the walls of fear,” he says. “They are paper thin and there is usually good stuff on the other side.”
Paulie is a living proof that it is never too late to follow your dreams. He demonstrated that, if you really want something badly enough, you can achieve it regardless of your financial and/or work situation. His courage, hard work and determination is truly to be admired.
Be sure to stop by his Paulie Gee’s home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn to taste his awesome pies!
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