Jim Torino
Jim Torino is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than 24 years of experience creating, managing, directing and growing new businesses within the financial services and retail industries.
His first entrepreneurial venture came in the summer of 74 at age 9. While waiting in a long gas line with his father, he remembers hearing his dad say that someone would make a fortune if they were out there selling coffee. Those words sparked an idea that brought Jim out each morning selling coffee and donuts to the long line of waiting motorists. “People were genuinely happy to see me AND I made money! My dad, being a CPA, helped me design a budget. It was a great lesson in how business works.”
After graduating from New York’s Saint John’s University in 1987 with a computer science degree, Jim found his way to Wall Street. “My knowledge of computers seemed to be a perfect fit within the financial services world. I was able to apply my education in a way that was beneficial to other people. It was very rewarding.”
After spending 14 years in the investment business, Jim sold his investment management company and radio show to pursue other opportunities. “I entered into a phase of my life where I wanted to do something more.” That philosophy ultimately kept him at home for 10 years raising his young children. “That period of time was unquestionably the most challenging and rewarding experience of my life!”
While at home, Jim continued to find ways to keep himself engrained in the financial world with several business ventures. In 2008 he partnered with Bethany with the foresight of taking The Cocoa Tree to the next level. “I found something that encompassed both my love for chocolate and my entrepreneurial spirit!” Now, managing the business full time, he says about his partnership with Bethany, “She creates it, and I find a way to put it in the hands of grateful chocolate lovers.” It’s the perfect pairing…
His first entrepreneurial venture came in the summer of 74 at age 9. While waiting in a long gas line with his father, he remembers hearing his dad say that someone would make a fortune if they were out there selling coffee. Those words sparked an idea that brought Jim out each morning selling coffee and donuts to the long line of waiting motorists. “People were genuinely happy to see me AND I made money! My dad, being a CPA, helped me design a budget. It was a great lesson in how business works.”
After graduating from New York’s Saint John’s University in 1987 with a computer science degree, Jim found his way to Wall Street. “My knowledge of computers seemed to be a perfect fit within the financial services world. I was able to apply my education in a way that was beneficial to other people. It was very rewarding.”
After spending 14 years in the investment business, Jim sold his investment management company and radio show to pursue other opportunities. “I entered into a phase of my life where I wanted to do something more.” That philosophy ultimately kept him at home for 10 years raising his young children. “That period of time was unquestionably the most challenging and rewarding experience of my life!”
While at home, Jim continued to find ways to keep himself engrained in the financial world with several business ventures. In 2008 he partnered with Bethany with the foresight of taking The Cocoa Tree to the next level. “I found something that encompassed both my love for chocolate and my entrepreneurial spirit!” Now, managing the business full time, he says about his partnership with Bethany, “She creates it, and I find a way to put it in the hands of grateful chocolate lovers.” It’s the perfect pairing…
