Skycap's Premium Enterprise

A story about how Haralabos Voulgaris turned a simple airport skycap job into a profitable business through hustle and premium services.

"I was a skycap at the Winnipeg International Airport. I realized the Saturday-Sunday shifts were very profitable because we had American fishing travelers coming on these boats. They'd have to take charter planes to go fishing somewhere in northern Canada. Those days you're making $400-500 in an eight-hour shift.

I went to the boss asking to work Saturday and Sunday shifts. He said no, we had to spread those around. The other workers weren't making much money, only about $80, so I started paying them $80 to work those shifts. The owner got wind of that, got upset, and started working the weekends himself but couldn't figure out why he wasn't making the money I was.

I was doing things like getting them limos to go to strip clubs, getting them Cuban cigars (which are illegal when they land), and charging three times the value. I was basically a concierge of the Winnipeg International Airport.

I ended up taking over the company from him. I went to him and said I already had Northwest Airlines agreeing to a contract, everyone wants to work for me. I offered him some money to move on, or I'd just undercut him. He said no, so I ended up undercutting him and taking over. I was 22-23 at the time, making about $50-60,000 a summer easily."