We recently connected with Ivan Zadikoff and have shared our conversation below.

Ivan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Owning a business was something i sort of fell into. My parents built an engineering business that i was around my entire life. From 13 i was going into the field with my dad, wading in creeks having sharks swim through my legs all in order to do envrionmental testing for permiting for a project we were working on in the keys.

When i finished my MBA with a focus on healthcare from FIU i figured i would go for a normal job focused on healthcare but my parents were in the poistion of wanting to scale down their time and look towards retirement. They offered me a job and after 3 or 4 years gave me ownership of the company. I’m happy to own a business that ive been so close to most of my life, it feels like im taking on a part of my family history that provided for me and my family.

I still often think about what the other side of things could look like. Its hard to be a business owner, this is something i took for granted watching my parents growing up. The last time i had a thought about if life could be greener on the other side was last year. My family was going through some difficult times, my father spent almost 6 months of the year in the hospital, a sibling of mine was struggling with really difficult personal problems out of town, and i had a little brother in high school. While my Mom went to spend time with my sibling, i Spent my days in the office running the business, ferrying my brother to and from school and home and then spending my evenings in the hospital. All of this is to say, running an engineering firm making decision being avaialbe from your employees,making sound decisions to grow and keep your business healthy is challenging enough. When these problems stacked up it felt as if there was no escape from stress and i truly thought a more traditional route without all the extra stresses of business ownership would have made life a lot easier during this time.

My takeaway from that difficult time was that i truly can rise up to any challenge and amount of stress despite the diifculty. It made me a better stronger and more thoughtful leader.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Getting into my industry felt almost like a mantle i was meant to take up. I went to undergrad for International Relations, I always wanted to work in some kind of international position allowing me to travel. I followed that with an MBA focused in healthcare. All this was well and good but meanwhile i was working with my family engineering company which i had been around since i was a kid, I knew the business inside and out because i had been helping out on and off since i was just a kid. I had grown up surrounded by Ocean engineering, scuba diving, strucutral investigations and had taken part in every single of the activiteis our comapny provided while helping. Once I graduated my parents asked me to come work for them, they wanted the help, they wanted someone to take over th company so they could start thinking about retirement. I took their offer knowing i was giving up other opportunities but had the possiblity to create something bigger.

My company G.M. Selby inc. provided structural, forensic, ocean, and civil engineering. We love to solve challening or unique problems for our clients, We recently did a design for the demoltion of a building in downtown miami that was only 2 feet from another building. It was a really challenigng project but we were able to create a solid plan in order to create a safe demolition. A niche we pride ourselves on is underwater engineering. One of our highight projects is the engineering we did for Neptune memorial reeef, an underwater graveyard and aritfical reefa that looks like the lost city of atalntis off the coast of Miami beach. We take pride in having some of the only Scuba diving Proffesional Engineers in the business. Theres nothing better than spending a day underwter and on the boat for work. We’ve done a lot of work at the port of miami inspecting upgrades done the 50 plus foot seawall, we were part of the inspection for dreding to allow post panamx cargo ships to be allowed into our port, the first one on the east coast.

I think I’d like people to know we make an effort to create real connection with our clients were not a huge company and as cliche as it sounds we do act like a family in many ways. We like our interactions with clients to reflect a personal touch and feeling.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I know this is a hot button issue and im not sure how people will feel about it, when I was in unviersity i was a terrible student for my first two years. I essentially failed out of FIU on probation and needed to go to Miami dade to finish my AA and bring my grades up to be conditionally approved back into FIU. i did that and got back into FIU. Once i got back into FIU i was still struggling my GPA was a 1.6 I was absolutely terriblee and decided i needed a change. I grew up in a Jewish houshold to two parents who lived in israel and served in the army, i decided to voluntter for the Israeli military for 2 years. i volunteered for a combat infantry position and the growth i experienced in those two years was astronomical. it put thigns into perspective for me. the challenges i faced made my challenges back home seem like a fairy tale. When i came home i was a changed person for the better and by the time i finished my undergrad i brought my gpa up to a 3.6.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The book of five rings by Musashi Miyamoto. A very close friend of mine had read it multiple timesand suggested it to me,The Book of Five Rings offers a framework for approaching any challenge with a strategic mindset, a calm demeanor, and a focus on continuous improvement. It was a warriors guide and my takeaway it to view every challenge in life as if youre in war and how best to apply that thought proccess to your current situation.

Strategy and Tactics: Musashi emphasizes the importance of understanding your opponent, assessing situations, and developing effective strategies. These principles are applicable to any competitive or challenging situation, from business negotiations to personal relationships.

Mental Fortitude: The book stresses the importance of mental discipline, focus, and the ability to remain calm under pressure. These qualities are crucial for success in any area of life.

Adaptability: Musashi highlights the need to adapt to changing circumstances and to find innovative solutions to problems. This is essential for navigating the complexities of modern life.

Self-Awareness: The book encourages self-reflection and the development of self-knowledge. Understanding your own strengths and weaknesses is key to personal growth and achieving your goals.
Essentially,

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gmselby.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salomon-ivan-zadikoff-mba-lssgb-a97a4633/

Image Credits

Jennifer Christian