Dreams Can Come True

Dreams come true, but not through wishful thinking, says John Berglund, author of the new memoir, A Beach Less Traveled: From Corporate Chaos to Flip-Flop Perfumer (www.abeachlesstraveled.com).  

After successful careers as an attorney, lobbyist, trade-association executive and bowling industry executive, Berglund says he tired of the corporate rat race. He notes he was also tired of winters bundled in layers of long johns, shoveling snow.  

Everybody has their own version of paradise, he says. Whether it's New York City, the Great Smokey Mountains or my personal favorite, the French-Caribbean island of St. Martin, paradise is within reach with a little planning.

But Berglund says an essential part of his planning was figuring out what he would do for a living once he arrived in "paradise." His decision was to embark on a new career path as a perfumer with his wife of more than 30 years. In A Beach Less Traveled, he shares the steps and missteps he took as he and his wife crafted an idyllic new life for themselves.

His candid, humorous tale has won glowing reviews.

My wife and I met the Berglunds when we visited their perfumery on Saint Martin and we were amazed by their adventurous energy and passion, writes Amazon.com reviewer Tito Francona, a Major League Baseball Player from 1956 to 1970. A Beach Less Traveled sizzles with the same enthusiasm the driving force behind their incredible business venture in the tropics.

Lisa Burnett of Saint Martin's The Daily Herald enjoyed Berglund's stories about meeting and interacting with the other residents of the 37-square-mile island saying, the book, "Takes the reader through every challenge, every victory, and every touching encounter with the people. She adds, (It's) a must-read for anyone seeking to make a Caribbean island their home, but also instructive from a business point of view."

John Berglund began his career as a chief county prosecutor at age 24 and then transitioned into a lobbyist and trade-association executive. Another career shift led him to being voted the bowling industry's most influential person for a decade. He followed his passion for chemistry, which he'd studied in college, and left the rat race for his Caribbean perfumery in St. Martin. Berglund lives with his wife of more than 30 years, Cyndi, who has significantly contributed to his dream job in paradise. The couple has two grown children.