I just spent 2 hours in a deep-dive interview with former mafia boss Anthony Arillotta.​
Anthony was part of one of the East Coast's largest criminal enterprises (the Genovese Family).
After the interview, I convinced him to buy a crime-scene cleanup franchise.
Just kidding….
Starting from zero in the 90s, he quickly became one of the largest marijuana dealers in the Northeast, personally profiting $5M to $10M per year.
He also ran all the classics: sports betting, loan sharks, casinos, numbers games, and poker machines.
Plus, business partnerships in strip clubs, restaurants, construction, real estate, and more.
What stuck with me:
1/ Low Risk, High Reward
Anthony was focused on low-risk, high-reward businesses that could print money with low (or no) jail time if caught.
This led him to the marijuana business.
Back then, you could be caught with up to 50 pounds, and the penalty was a misdemeanor, which was often thrown out in court. Compared to 5 years for a single ounce of cocaine or heroin.
The same principle applies in any business — look for the highest return with the lowest downside.
This is why franchising can be so powerful. You’re buying into a proven system with lower risk than starting from scratch.
Before jumping into any new venture, ask yourself: “What’s my downside here, and does the potential reward justify it?”
If you can’t clearly answer that question, keep looking for better opportunities.
But building a successful organization isn’t just about picking the right business model…
2/ Working Shoulder to Shoulder
In 2003 Anthony became the boss of the Springfield (Mass) faction of the Genovese Family.
He believed that no one was below him. He would go along with the guys for any jobs that needed to be done, which gained him massive respect among his crew.
This "in the trenches" leadership style is pure gold in any business.
Your team doesn’t want a boss who sits in an ivory tower handing down orders. They want someone who understands their daily struggles because they’ve been there too.
It shows your team you’re not asking them to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself.
Plus, you’ll spot operational issues you’d never see from quarterly reports.
While Anthony’s leadership style earned respect, his customer approach was equally smart…
3/ Focus on the Forest, Not the Weeds
An associate of his loaned someone $5,000 at 6 points — $300 per week, $1200 per month that was paid for almost 3 years straight — over $45,000 of interest.
The borrower comes to them tight on money, asking for a break. His associate’s response: "F-you, pay me" (plus slaps him around a little)
The borrower goes to the cops, agrees to wear a wire, and returns, hoping to get slapped around some more. The plan works (except there’s a funny twist to the end of this story that I’ll save for YouTube)
Anthony thought this was a bonehead move by his associates.
He would’ve worked with his customer to devise a payment plan or reduced his monthly interest to $600-$800. This would’ve kept the money flowing and avoided the cops.
Don’t get greedy with short-term gains at the expense of long-term relationships.
When a good customer hits hard times, working with them builds loyalty that pays dividends for years.
Anthony shared many crazy stories such as accidentally becoming partners with some NFL players, losing $400k+ in Las Vegas weekend, and more.
I’m dropping the full Anthony interview on YouTube in a few weeks.
​Subscribe here to my channel
Cheers!
Brian
P.S. Book a free discovery call if you’d like my team’s help in buying a scalable franchise.
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