LIFE IN EIGHT QUESTIONS: Steve Varsano
‘Being in love with what you do is number 1, 2 and 3 in priorities’
Long business days and an active social life are favoured by Steve Varsano, founder of The Jet Business. His London base provides ample scope for both.
Life in eight questions: Steve Varsano
‘Being in love with what you do is number 1, 2 and 3 in priorities’
Long business days and an active social life are favoured by Steve Varsano, founder of The Jet Business. His London base provides ample scope for both.
Life in eight questions: Steve Varsano
‘Being in love with what you do is number 1, 2 and 3 in priorities’
Long business days and an active social life are favoured by Steve Varsano, founder of The Jet Business. His London base provides ample scope for both.
How did you get into business aviation?
After graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, I worked for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association in Washington DC overseeing the Statistical Forecasting and Airports & Airways Committees. I worked at night in a restaurant/nightclub and one night working there I met a customer who had a jet on his tie pin. After multiple conversations I convinced him to introduce me to his boss who I eventually convinced to hire me … for free … until I sold my first jet.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
From 14 years old I wanted to be a pilot. Halfway through my Embry-Riddle coursework and being exposed to the different facets of aviation besides flying for the airlines, I decided I wanted to be more involved in the business of aviation.
What advice would you give to your younger self and would you have taken it?
Being in love with what you are doing is number 1, 2 and 3 in priorities. Next you have to put the priority of your social life during university and the first few years immediately thereafter below (I’m not saying don’t have one) that of building your career.
Of course, this does not apply if you want to have a ‘normal’ 9 to 5 job, a quiet life and just want to cruise through life. If you want to do anything above this, the work/personal life balance cannot ‘balance’ equally and you should make sure your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife is supportive of this life/career goal or it just won’t work.
What was your best business decision?
Coming up with the idea to build and then making the decision to open The Jet Business showroom in London.
What was your worst business decision?
Not going into business for myself earlier in life than I did.
Is business aviation in the climb, the cruise or the descent and why?
Business aviation has consistently been on the climb since its beginning in the early 1960s due to a few reasons:
a) The commercial aviation experience has become too unreliable and unpleasant and has consistently reduced the number of commercial airports served
b) The growing wealth of companies and UHNWIs and their increased realisation of how flying on corporate aircraft adds executive’s time, flexibility, security and productivity
c) The average age of a charterer or the corporate executive decision maker/buyer of corporate aircraft has gone down by at least 15 years over the past 25 years
d) Covid has accelerated the speed of all the above by pushing a huge amount of very strong companies and wealthy individuals who never utilised or even tried corporate aviation before to try it whether due to the airlines cutting more than half of their flights/routes and the health scares that came with Covid of flying on a plane with hundreds of people. Not all of these people will stay in the market but most experts think at least 20-30% of those ‘newbies’ will stay as users going forward.
How do you relax?
Even though our business day is incredibly long due to all the time zones we are covering being based in London, I still maintain a very social night life which also expands my business network. As tough as this schedule is on the minimum amount of hours I get to sleep, it serves as a huge mental release of the stress that comes from my business.
Tell us a secret about business aviation.
CO2 makes up .04% of the atmosphere and the global fleet of corporate jets make up .04% of those CO2 emissions. Consequently, CO2 emitted from corporate jets is .0016% of the atmosphere.
CJI Connect
