"You're wrong. Yes, you're wrong. It will take much longer and be much harder than you think." With Shaun Eli

Stand-up comedian Shaun Eli has rightfully been called one of America's smartest comics. Whether it's a story about dining with a vegetarian or successfully fighting a parking ticket, master storyteller Shaun Eli shows you that there's hilarity in the ordinary if you approach life with a comedic warp. Job interviews? Serving on a New Yor City criminal jury? How about the Ten Commandments? For just about anything he's experienced Shaun has a hilarious story at the ready.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I went to Wharton and worked in finance in NYC for twenty years. I always had a good sense of humor. I started selling jokes to Jay Leno for his Tonight Show monologue. On a first date, a woman convinced me to take a comedy class and start performing stand-up, something I never thought I'd do. Six years later I gave up the lucrative job in favor of the fun one twenty years on Wall Street, and leaving it to be a full-time comedian was the best trade I ever made. Or as I like to say, Laughing all the way From the bank.

What inspired you to start your business? 

When I was working in finance I'd take customers to see me performing stand-up comedy. My comedy was clean but most comedians were not. Clients wanted to bring other people to comedy shows but weren't comfortable if the shows weren't clean. They asked me where the clean shows were. There weren't any, but clearly, there was a demand for them, so I started producing clean comedy shows. We perform at comedy clubs, theatres, for corporate and charity events, for houses of worship and all sorts of other places. I've performed in an embassy and in a barn.

Where is your business based?

I live in NY but I perform all over the world- I've headlined shows on five continents.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I just started it. Told people about it, picked a name, set up a website. Then changed the name. We were originally Ivy League Comedy (I wanted something that sounded fancy). One night we arrived at a theatre and they got the name wrong- the marquee said The Ivy League of Comedy. I thought that sounded better so I changed it.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business? 

I try everything- direct mail, emails, phone calls. The best way depends upon the type of customer I'm trying to reach.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? 

The biggest challenges are often the stupidest. Convincing people that stand-up comedy doesn't have to be dirty. Especially after someone else made that promise and then gave them a horrible show. Or that a quality show is worth paying for. You can find amateur comedians who will perform for five dollars... but you get what you pay for. People will compare us to musicians but it's not a good comparison. There are plenty of great musicians who will work for nothing because there are a lot of them. And they're good because they've been practicing since they were five years old. So by the time they're thirty they can be excellent. It takes at least ten years of performing, as an adult, to become a good comedian.

How do you stay focused?

Well, on stage it's easy- there are people in front of me judging every single thing I do. Off-stage, for the business side, well, I do everything I can to get on stage.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition? 

We're the leading independent producers of stand-up comedy shows for theatres. We work very hard to make sure our shows are as good as they can be- and often that means I get to keep very little for myself even though I'm in the shows. I work with great comedians and I treat them well. You'd be surprised how many bookers take comedians for granted. I return phone calls and emails from everyone, even the guy who had never been on stage and sent me a video of himself sitting down, reading jokes off his computer screen. (I told him I can't book anyone who hasn't been a working comic for years and suggested he start by taking a comedy class).

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business? 

Not giving away my trade secrets!

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs? 

You're wrong. Yes, you're wrong. It will take much longer and be much harder than you think. If you build a better mousetrap Nobody will beat a path to your door. Want proof? I said mousetrap and you're thinking of the spring type trap stuck to a piece of wood, right? There are like fifty better mousetraps around but you still thought of the hundred-year-old one that has been surpassed in a zillion different ways.

I had an idea for an invention once- a clearly labor-saving device for road construction. An engineer friend and I worked on it for years. Then the Patent Office put their database online and I searched it. A half-dozen people had patents for devices doing what I wanted to do. Yet nobody was making money from them and it was obvious that it was needed.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Wow. I can't think of a favorite app. I like my own blog- my website www.BrainChampagne.com has over fifty THOUSAND words worth of jokes on it. How much is that? An average novel is a hundred thousand words. Book? For business? I'd say "Never Split The Difference" by former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss. It goes against almost everything people and books tell you about how to negotiate, and it all makes sense. Plus every chapter starts with an entertaining story.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Gosh, the internet has changed business like nothing since maybe the telephone or central currency.

Who is your business role model? Why? 

I don't know that I have a business role model and it may make me the least cool guy in the room but I admire Jay Leno. His worth ethic is amazing. He once said he doesn't want to sit on a beach because while he's doing that, other comedians are getting funnier. After a week of hosting The Tonight Show (back then) he'd get on a plane and go perform all weekend.

How do you balance work and life? 

I have a fun job, so that helps. But when you run your own business it's never M-F 9-5. I get emails (and even phone calls) sometimes at 2 or 3 AM from people who want to ask about shows. And performing- my rule is that if I can't be back at my house by 1 AM I want a hotel room. But sometimes I get home at 1 AM, let's say from a late show at a comedy club or a show 150 miles from my house- and I'm still wound up. So I may not get to sleep until 3 AM. Fortunately, I rarely have to wake up at any given time unless I have an early flight. I also work out regularly (I row, run or bike pretty much every day). And pizza. Lots and lots of pizza.

What's your favorite way to decompress? 

Fortunately, though the business side of my job can be stressful, I get to stand on stage and make people laugh. And before and after that I get to hang around with the funniest people in the world.

What do you have planned for the next six months? 

I'm writing this in July 2020 during the pandemic. So I may not have any shows in the next six months except on the internet or outdoors. I am working on other projects. We shot a TV special "The Ivy League of Comedy from The Emelin Theatre" that we're editing. I started a podcast on the business of comedy with Tom Capone from the NY Distance Learning Association. And I've been working to make all my websites fully accessible for the vision and hearing impaired. It's a lot of work and I doubt it'll pay for itself but it's the right thing to do.

How can our readers connect with you?

www.BrainChampagne.com is my stand-up comedian website. My company's website is www.IvyStandup.com. I'd say "or come ring my doorbell with a bottle of wine in your hand" but I'm not letting you within six feet during a pandemic.