We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Robert Powells. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Robert below.

Hi Robert, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the decision of whether to donate a percentage of sales to an organization or cause – we’d love to hear the backstory of how you thought through this.

I am the co-founder of Nozzleman Pizza and we donate a percentage of our sales to local fire stations. We also donate to local special needs communities and foster children communities through actor Jeremy Renner’s Rennervation Foundation.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Nozzleman Pizza is a firefighter founded quick serve pizzeria. My business partner Jesse Corletto is a recently retired firefighter. We donate a percentage of our sales to local fire stations as well as to local charities. Snooki (Nicole Polizzi) of the TV show Jersey Shore owns 4% of the company. Her father Andy was a firefighter in New York state for 47 years and Nicole is a huge supporter of firefighters. Jeremy Renner is also a partner and we donate to his RennerVation Foundation, which helps special needs and foster kid communities. Prior to Nozzleman Pizza, I am the co-founder and former president of the Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shops. I built the brand from one store to 82 franchises across the country before selling out so that I could pursue Nozzleman Pizza. Also, I have been featured in a dozen TV shows, including being the boss on the CBS TV show Undercover Boss (season 6, episode 7–Rocket Fizz).

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

You have a lot of great questions and I could answer most all of them… Nozzleman Pizza is funded by a small group of investors who I know personally, including Snooki (Nicole Polizzi). I got funded because of my past experience with succeeding with Rocket Fizz… However, when my former business partner and I started Rocket Fizz, it was during the great recession of 2009. We had just opened our first store and knew it was a hit but we were broke. Thirteen banks refused to loan us money. We had to meet payroll, pay utilities, and pay our cost of goods so therefore I sold my 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card to help raise money (holy grail of baseball cards). Even though we had a home run business, the debt created to start Rocket Fizz was super high. No one would lend us money and so I took out casino markers in Las Vegas to fund the business. I had 30 days to repay the markers (no interest). I would drive to Las Vegas and get a marker for $10,000 and then play a little video poker and leave. I had to gamble some of the money otherwise I would never qualify for a marker. I did this several times and on my last marker I hit royal flushes and walked out with $32,000 after repaying my marker. Rocket Fizz also got approved to sell franchises (which was a long and difficult process) and we earned money through franchise fees collected. The financial tide had eventually turned in our favor but the stress was enormous.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

I enjoy cross branding with celebrities. A famous actor/actress/musician likely worked super hard in their craft and dealt with a lot of rejection, but eventually they succeeded. They understand how perseverance is important and they deserve a lot of credit for their successes. When I was involved with Rocket Fizz, I worked directly with many celebrities to promote my brand. Celebrities have huge followings and when they are involved with my brand they promote it. And on the flip side, I want to ensure that my brand promotes the celebrities as well. I worked with celebrities such as Snooki, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Mike Tyson, Judge Wapner, KISS, Wink Martindale, The Kardashians, John 5, Sugar Ray Leonard, John Wayne and Babe Ruth estates, Gene Autry and Ritchie Valens estates, The Three Stooges and the Farrah Fawcett estates, The Monkees, and even King Kong. To name a few. I became very good friends with some of these celebrities. People in certain businesses should consider working with Hollywood and pursue cross-branding relationships. It was amazing for me to learn about how so many celebrities are so smart and business savvy. I could talk for hours about this subject, and even share a few very funny stories.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.NozzlemanPizza.com
• Instagram: Nozzleman Pizza
• Facebook: Nozzleman Pizza
• Yelp: Nozzleman Pizza