The Karmic Path to Sales: Stan Gwizdak on Trust, Transformation, and Authenticity

The Forbes Books Podcast with Joe Pardavila

In this episode, Joe sits down with Stan Gwizdak, CEO of the Kormac Group management consulting firm and author of the bestselling book "Karmic Selling: Earning Business by Earning Trust." Stan shares his unconventional path to selling, which began at age 8 by going door-to-door peddling seeds to earn money for a BB gun. Despite his early entrepreneurial knack, Stan initially resisted a career in sales, instead pursuing engineering and corporate operations roles. It took a life-altering car accident in 2004 for Stan to finally embrace his calling as a consultant, helping businesses drive transformational change. He opened up about the pivotal moment that made him ditch traditional manipulative sales tactics in favor of an authentic "seek to help, not sell" approach. The two explore Stan's philosophy that we are all "selling" in life, whether to spouses, kids, customers, or employers. He provides insights from "Karmic Selling" on building trust, delivering value first, and overcoming the fear of saying "no" to the wrong opportunities. Throughout the conversation, Stan emphasizes the power of staying true to one's authentic self rather than cloaking intentions behind empty sales tactics. His inspiring story shows how "giving away" value and putting people over profits can paradoxically lead to even greater business success.