Milton Paris uses his business savvy to help others get ahead in the professional world.
By: Leon Tovey
MONROE Milton Paris can do anything just ask him.
"There is no such phrase as ‘cannot do’ in my vocabulary," the 67-year-old Regency resident says. "There is only ‘can do.’ "
It’s a credo that served Mr. Paris so well during his 40-year business career that he’s made a second career of it in retirement.
Mr. Paris, who still works as an independent businesses consultant in the tri-state area, has recently taken his "can-do" attitude to the airwaves, hosting a weekly, half-hour, call-in radio program on WCTC-AM 1450.
The aim of "Getting Ahead in Business," which airs Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., is to help business people realize how much of their success is dependent upon their own attitude, Mr. Paris says.
His callers are often small-business owners or managers considering the move to ownership looking for advice on how to take the plunge, improve business or expand. His guests are usually successful local business people with insight into a particular aspect of business.
"People e-mail and call in and they’re all looking for answers on how to get ahead," Mr. Paris says. "And the gist of my answer and the answer of most successful business people is some variation on how very important it is to have a positive attitude."
Mr. Paris doesn’t discount the importance of careful planning, hard work and dedication to success in business, he says, but these are qualities that many people possess and by themselves won’t necessarily lead to success.
Mr. Paris views his own career as a testimonial to the value of a positive outlook.
After attending Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., on a basketball scholarship in the late 1950s ("there I was, the only Jewish student among 1,600 Catholics," he says) the New York native returned home to a job with a New York-based manufacturer of bridal dresses.
"I told the guy who recruited me that I wanted his job in two years," he says with a laugh. "And I had it."
In 1985, at the age of 45, he bought the company. In 1999, at 61, he retired.
And that’s where things got interesting.
After retiring, Mr. Paris began sharing his knowledge of business management with others on both a professional and personal basis.
"I went to board meetings, gave speeches," he says. "And I fielded calls from friends, as well. So at some point, I had all these people calling me for advice, so I said, ‘Hey, let’s put this on the radio and try and reach a larger audience.’ "
With no prior radio experience, Mr. Paris convinced the programming director of WGBB-AM 1240, in his then home of Long Island, N.Y., to let him host a call-in talk show dealing with business issues.
"Aim for the Sky" ran from 1999 to 2002, when Mr. Paris moved with his wife, Susan, to Monroe.
He wrote a book, "250 Statements and Thoughts to Live By in Sales" a collection of his insights into sales and marketing which was published by Infinity Publishing in October 2004.
In July 2004, he started hosting "Getting Ahead in Business."
Mr. Paris says he’s pleased with the show’s reception and is looking at ways to improve it. He says he’s considering adding a co-host to the program and he hopes to expand the show to an hour.
"And I’m always looking for guests to come on the show and sell their businesses," he says. "That’s really what it’s all about: selling."

