Like many great business ideas, The Cigar Guys started as an accident. The owners Alex Lukoff and Tony Wilson had started a blog writing cigar lounge reviews and had hosted a few networking events trying to get like-minded business professionals together to enjoy a cigar, but they never thought The Cigar Guys would be anything more than a fun hobby. "We were always a little different," says co-founder Alex Lukoff. "It was never about the cigar for us — it was about hanging out with new people in new places and enjoying cigars as an accessory to our conversation."
When a large local real estate company called asking about a private cigar event they agreed to help without any idea of what that first event would lead to. "We had a great time, made some money, and said 'We should do this again!'" remembers co-founder Tony Wilson. "Within weeks quote requests started coming in for corporate events and weddings, and we thought we might be on to something."
From those early events, the pair gained an insight into the cigar business that seems obvious in retrospect: most people are not regular cigar smokers. Cigars, rather than being the focus of the event, serve as a moment that the guests could remember and share with new and old friends and family. By taking the mystery out of cigars with friendly conversation and accessable descriptions, The Cigar Guys have seen fathers and sons smoke together for the first time, the bride light up with her grandmother, deals get closed at conferences and business owners puffing alongside mailroom clerks. It's not about the cigar — it's about the experience!
Quickly adding corporate clients such as Intuit, The Hartford, Pacific Life, Oakley and Google as well as prestigious local venues such as Pelican Hill, Montage and St. Regis gave the company early legitimacy, and Alex and Tony's desire to help spread the joy of cigar smoking by making sure that every guest had a perfect First Cigar Experience won repeat clients again and again.
Business grew organically year after year through referrals in the event planning community and satisfied clients, but the pair never counted on their event guests being their greatest source of business — people who attended an event, enjoyed the cigar service, and decided that they wanted cigars at their party, too! The business' next step wasn't clear until the pair booked an event during a weekend they had planned to be in Las Vegas for a cigar convention. After recruiting a couple of friends who had worked events with them in the past, the vision of a national network was born.
National requests for cigar services were a trickle for many years, until the pair felt that they had reached critical mass in 2012 that a national expansion began.
In the summer of 2013 The Cigar Guys International began recruiting Team Members and actively expanding its reach, growing to 25 Team Members in the first year. By recruiting cigar lovers who are passionate about sharing the joy of cigar smoking, The Cigar Guys quickly became the largest cigar event company in the country by giving event guests an excellent cigar experience, and clients a highly responsive, professional, tech-forward business relationship.
Business continues to grow every quarter, and while The Cigar Guys named account list includes leading companies such as Accenture, Walt Disney Restaurant Group, Time Warner Cable, American Express, David Tutera Weddings, Wells Fargo and Yelp, they continue to book hundreds of weddings, birthdays and backyard parties a year — that means it probably won't be long until we offer you a cigar at the next function you attend!
Company Name: The Cigar Guys International
Contact Person: Alex Lukoff
Email:Send Email
Phone: 8006106717
Address:2520 Coral Way #2018
City: Miami
State: Florida
Country: United States
Website: www.thecigarguys.net
