Castrated Bulls

When I arrived in the United States in 1984 and finally began finding my footing, three television commercials left a deep impression on me.

The first was Colonel Sanders doing his own KFC ads. I must have eaten more two-piece Original Recipe meals than I care to admit. The second was Mario Perillo — “Mr. Italy” — selling dream vacations with effortless confidence and charm.

Mario Perillo lived in Saddle River, New Jersey, the same town where I would later spend decades of my life. He was a local celebrity. Everyone knew him from television.

The last time I saw him was at The Park Steakhouse in Park Ridge. He was dining quietly with his family. I stopped to pay my respects. He looked fragile.

Not long after that, we heard the news of his passing.

* * *

Years later, in one of life’s small coincidences, I became a tenant of his son, Steve Perillo, at the Perillo Tours Plaza building — where I remained for nearly ten years. SYS-CON Media and Cloud Expo, Inc. were headquartered at 577 Chestnut Ridge Road in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

But the commercial that stayed with me most was different. It was the man who liked a shaving machine so much, he bought the company. That man was Victor Kiam.

* * *

While browsing the business section at Barnes & Noble, I picked up two of his books and read them with genuine pleasure.

He spoke plainly, without pretense, and his confidence felt earned. One line especially stayed with me:

“I don’t like to hire consultants. They’re like castrated bulls — all they can do is advise.”

* * *

Victor Kiam was one of those larger-than-life business figures everyone seemed to know in the 1980s. His famous line — “I liked it so much, I bought the company” — wasn’t marketing fluff. It was exactly how he lived.

After trying a Remington electric razor, he purchased the struggling company in 1979 and turned it around completely. What made the story unforgettable was that he didn’t hide behind agencies or actors — he became the spokesman himself. He looked straight into the camera and sold the product like a real businessman, not a performer.

It worked.

Remington went from losing money to becoming a global brand.

* * *

Kiam became a celebrity not because he chased fame, but because he believed in what he was selling. He even delivered commercials in multiple languages overseas. For a time, he was everywhere.

Later, he bought the New England Patriots — a move that didn’t end well — but that never changed how I saw him. To me, Victor Kiam represented something rare: conviction.

When he believed in something, he went all in — publicly, personally, and without apology.

He wasn’t perfect.

But he was real.

And in business, that kind of authenticity is harder to find than talent.

* * *

Two of his memoirs I read more than once. His books became a subliminal guide during my own business journey.