If Steve Cesari '79 has a lot to say, it's only because he's listened so much.

“I learned a lot about what not to do, a lot about what to do, and now I'm trying to give it back,” says the businessman and author of Clarity: How to Get It, How to Keep It & How to Use It to Balance Your Life, released November 1 and available via Amazon.

Today, Cesari “gives it back” as founder of Vital Visions Inc. (vitalvisionsinc.com), where he helps businesses grow by building teams to optimize their organizational efficiency. Equal parts entrepreneur, consultant and motivational speaker, Cesari can't help but show his enthusiasm for sharing the knowledge he gained running 17 different companies in eight industries.

To Cesari there's a lesson in everything, and he even draws on the experience he gained during his Northeastern co-op at Oliver's, the sports bar now known as Cask'n Flagon.

“I learned a lot about people, management, and gained experience interacting with people in those spur-of-the-moment, impromptu conversations that so often come up in business,” he says. “Even being with the guys who ran Oliver's, I learned a lot about the back end, and what it took to run that kind of business.”

One of eight children born and raised in Valhalla, New York, Cesari came to Northeastern because Bo Lyons was the one coach to offer him a football scholarship. In perhaps a foreshadowing of his future business success, Cesari seized his opportunity: in his first game, the young tight end caught 11 passes for 97 yards, a touchdown and a conversion, and was immediately promoted from the freshmen team to the varsity for the remainder of the year.

Reminded of his gridiron debut, Cesari poignantly draws – what else? – the lessons of his athletic experience.

“I think the sports environment is a natural for helping people get along with other people,” he says. “In football, you had 11 talented guys, but if one of them doesn't play like part of the team, everyone suffers."

“It's not always the most talented team that performs the best…So I always preach, 'attitude over ability.'”
He kept busy off the field as well, earning his business degree before jumping straight into the tumultuous world of entrepreneurship. In the early years, whether owning a sporting goods store or starting the first warehouse sporting goods concept, Cesari once again prioritized the learning experience over making a fortune.

“I like to say that life is a series of non-fatal mistakes,” he says. “I was always trying to learn something, anything, in whatever situation I was in.”

His attitude paid off: in 1989 Cesari founded Trillium Health Products, marketer of the now-famous Juiceman Juicer. By 1992 Inc. Magazine had named Trillium one of the fastest-growing privately held US companies, and nominated Cesari for Entrepreneur of the Year. He has been running Vital Visions since 1995.

With Clarity, Cesari now wants to pass on his expertise to those who find themselves where he was so many years ago. The book derives many of its tenets from his best-selling program, Success is not an Accident: Secrets of the Top 1%, which sought to maximize personal achievement in all areas of life.

“I tell people it's unacceptable to be successes in the marketplace but failures at home, and it's unacceptable not to be passionate about what you do,” he says. “I'm trying to help people become more intentional with their choices of what they do for a living.”

Cesari is quick to point out that he didn't always have these answers. But when asked how he might have advised his college self – and what he would advise today's Huskies – he almost reflexively has a life lesson at the ready.

“One thing I didn't have when I was in school was long term goals to overcome short term obstacles…You need to always remember why you signed up in the first place, and take ownership of your own experience.”

Endorsements for Cesari's Clarity: How to Get It, How to Keep It & How to Use It to Balance Your Life:

"There are so many useful and powerful concepts in this book and those that resonate most with me are "Finding Balance" and "Understanding the Why". Steve has created a roadmap for success in life and made it easy to navigate. You will thank yourself for reading Clarity. Enjoy the journey!"
-Peter Roby, Athletic Director, Northeastern University.

"When I was a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys in 1965, I was exposed to goals by Tom Landry. He believed strongly that you had to have goals set each and every day to be a champion. In this book Steve has really done a great job of helping you learn how to set goals for your life personally and professionally. He helps you focus so clearly in all areas of your life: mentally, physically and spiritually. Goals have been a big part of my life. I wish I had the knowledge in this book when I was a young man."
-Dan Reeves, former NFL player and coach

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE CESARI'S BOOK: Clarity: How to Get it, How to Keep It & How to Use It to Balance You Life