Let me introduce myself

[thelerner]

I am a 27 year old Brazilian woman currently doing time in the San Quentin Womans correctional facility. I have a penchant for writing bad checks and lying.

 

Actually I'm lying about the lying(wrap your minds around That). I am just michael. A simple house husband. I am leading such a domesticated life that that the thing I've gotten most excited about lately was a minimalist oat meal cookie recipie I found on the back of McClellns Oatmeal.

 

I entered the rat race, won and quit. Now I have a bit more time to figure things out. In college I got way too top heavy, too much reading, too much philosophy. It was important to get into the martial arts where philosphy is nice, but punch is a punch and must be avoided.

 

I've always meditated. I got involved in the Healing Tao, because it seemed very proactive. I like its beginning practices, the smile, orbit, chi gung routines. I'm just getting into Winns Kan & Li tapes. I think I'll stick w/ it a while longer. See whats ahead of the bend. I think the pre Kan & Li stuff is grade school, Kan & Li gets you into 'high school'. maybe

 

This is a great board, and many kudos to the people I've met here and to Sean who has put a great deal of work into this site.

 

Yours

 

Michael

[sean]

Your posts always make me smile and think and often laugh. I'm happy to be here with you.

 

And I swear I will get those mp3's up soon.

 

 

Sean.

[hagar]

How to win the rat race? Please elaborate, master.

 

h

[thelerner]

Winning the rat race. Hmmn, my families success was in finding value in other peoples garbage.

 

My grandfather, a russian immigrant in the 20's, found corrugated boxes, would tie them up and resell them. He started out in alleys, finding them, tying them up w/ twine and reselling them to stores. Later he found companies that would throw them out.

 

Ultimately he rented the first floor of a warehouse, he'd send a small pick up truck around to local factories to pick up the boxes they'd emptied. As time went on he bought bigger trucks, hired people to sort the good from the bad and reselling them. The boxes weren't new or perfect, but held what you needed and shipped the same.

 

As decades went on, he rented the whole building, and ultimately bought the three story warehouse in the 50's. Thus my grandfather coming to the U.S. w/ no language or money become a successful business man in the tiny nitch industry of selling used boxes. After a succession of heart attacks, my dad who had worked at the business since high school took over.

 

My dad was a master sales person, finding sources for boxes, offering more then scrap rates and finding newer larger corporate sources to sell to. Instead of wrapping boxes in 25's w/ twine, he introduced pallets and banding wire selling them by 225's. He found new markets in obsolete boxes that were misprints that companies would otherwise throw out.

 

How good a sales person was he? He once flew from Chicago to Florida and met without an appointment buyers from a Dollar Store corporation and sold them trailor loads of boxes. Right on the spot. What made him more successful then his dad was his ability to find really Big clients and find ways to get more cheap boxes. Essentially we would buy used boxes by the ton, sell them by the box.

 

After his two heart attacks I took over the business. My dad is thankfully still around, happily retired(though currently evacuated) in florida.

 

I computerized the business, didn't really expand it much. We had 12 to 14 employees. Like my parents I did everything, buying, selling, managing. Selling would still mean, walking the beat. Going to Industrial parks, walking miles through them, passing out business cards and fliers, calling them back later to solicit orders. Finding sources was similar. No particular magic, just walking and phoning, hours each day. Dealing w/ dozens of no's for every yes.

 

As management you dealt w/ everything from equiptment failure to employee conflicts, problems with each other, there families etc. There were dozens of govenrment taxes and insurance needs etc. eating up lots of time.

 

Ya da yada. Last year, I sold the business to a competitor, sold the building to a developer. The time was right, the offers were good. I've been playing house husband to the 3 kids this year. My wife works 3 days a week.

 

I'm happy, but I'll need to find some challenges.

 

short answer to leaving the rat race:

 

Own a business where you can find value in other peoples garbage(very taoish). Find the Big customers. Live well but cheaply.

 

Best business advice, The best business deal is not the one that gets you the most. Its the one where both parties leave happy. Thats the way to long term deals and relationships.

 

Best Sales advice. Candy, keep halloween type candy in your pockets. Hand it out liberally to secretaries as well as decision makers. Accepting food has much deeper connotations then you might assume. Decision makers will buy from friends all things being equal or slightly inequal, be friendly.

 

Best Management, be lavish w/ the little things, buying lunches, snacks, extra time off, while keeping the big things (salary & benefits) under control. No one will ever think they are being paid enough, but they will remember the lunches provided, free small loans, ability to come and leave early when needed.

 

Michael

[farooq]

Winning the rat race.  Hmmn, my families success was in finding value in other peoples garbage. 

 

My grandfather, a russian immigrant in the 20's, found corrugated boxes, would tie them up and resell them.  He started out in alleys, finding them, tying them up w/ twine and reselling them to stores.  Later he found companies that would throw them out.

 

Ultimately he rented the first floor of a warehouse, he'd send a small pick up truck around to local factories to pick up the boxes they'd emptied.  As time went on he bought bigger trucks, hired people to sort the good  from the bad and reselling them.  The boxes weren't new or perfect, but held what you needed and shipped the same.

 

As decades went on, he rented the whole building, and ultimately bought the three story warehouse in the 50's.  Thus my grandfather coming to the U.S. w/ no language or money become a successful business man in the tiny nitch industry of selling used boxes.  After a succession of heart attacks, my dad who had worked at the business since high school took over.

 

My dad was a master sales person, finding sources for boxes, offering more then scrap rates and finding newer larger corporate sources to sell to.  Instead of wrapping boxes in 25's w/ twine, he introduced pallets and banding wire selling them by 225's.  He found new markets in obsolete boxes that were misprints that companies would otherwise throw out.

 

How good a sales person was he?  He once flew from Chicago to Florida and met without an appointment buyers from a Dollar Store corporation and sold them trailor loads of boxes.  Right on the spot.  What made him more successful then his dad was his ability to find really Big clients and find ways to get more cheap boxes.  Essentially we would buy used boxes by the ton, sell them by the box.

 

After his two heart attacks I took over the business.  My dad is thankfully still around, happily retired(though currently evacuated) in florida. 

 

I computerized the business, didn't really expand it much.  We had 12 to 14 employees.  Like my parents I did everything, buying, selling, managing.  Selling would still mean, walking the beat.  Going to Industrial parks, walking miles through them, passing out business cards and fliers, calling them back later to solicit orders.  Finding sources was similar.  No particular magic, just walking and phoning, hours each day.  Dealing w/ dozens of no's for every yes.

 

As management you dealt w/ everything from equiptment failure to employee conflicts, problems with each other, there families etc.  There were dozens of govenrment taxes and insurance needs etc. eating up lots of time.

 

Ya da yada.  Last year, I sold the business to a competitor, sold the building to a developer.  The time was right, the offers were good.  I've been playing house husband to the 3 kids this year.  My wife works 3 days a week. 

 

I'm happy, but I'll need to find some challenges. 

 

short answer to leaving the rat race:

 

Own a business where you can find value in other peoples garbage(very taoish).  Find the Big customers.  Live well but cheaply. 

 

Best business advice, The best business deal is not the one that gets you the most.  Its the one where both parties leave happy.  Thats the way to long term deals and relationships.

 

Best Sales advice.  Candy, keep halloween type candy in your pockets.  Hand it out liberally to secretaries as well as decision makers.  Accepting food has much deeper connotations then you might assume.    Decision makers will buy from friends all things being equal or slightly inequal, be friendly.

 

Best Management, be lavish w/ the little things, buying lunches, snacks, extra time off, while keeping the big things (salary & benefits) under control.  No one will ever think they are being paid enough, but they will remember the lunches provided, free small loans, ability to come and leave early when needed.

 

Michael

8387[/snapback]

 

There are some real gems of business advice in the above.

 

Awesome

 

Thanks for sharing Michael

[Yoda]

Killer post!!!! All rats listen up!

[hagar]

One of the more insightful posts for years!

 

I will try to implement these principles into my own businesses...

 

Thanks.

 

h

[retrochronyx]

Thanks for replying to my post in "Meditation is not a good way for practising".

 

You've been with this board for a good while.

 

I read your introductory post, and it really goes <> that-a-way.

 

Learning some of the terminology used on this board will take less time than putting methods into practice. (For me anyway)

 

I'd like to thank you again for sharing your knowledge and insight with me.

 

-Retro

[Protector]

Welcome thelearner :lol:

[GrandmasterP]

As a Trades Union official one's instinct is ever to counsel members...

Beware managers bearing candy .

That said I reckon you were a fine chap to work for, and anyone who has successfully escaped the workaday treadmill immediately commands respect.

I enjoy reading your posts on the board Michael.

Edited December 9, 2012 by GrandmasterP

[thelerner]

Wow, its cool rereading my introduction. Well boys I'll be out of the San Quentin's Womans correction facility in two more years. Then I'll be able to tell you what I really think .

 

 

I've enjoyed the Tao Bums and the individuals that make it worthwhile. My gratitude to its often absent creator Sean. There's good people and good learning here; humor and depth<at times>. People here from the same planet but different world. Its worthwhile to learn from them and try to see through there eyes.

 

Love, love, love might be too grandiose an idea for this world, but connection, connection connection is our unconscious thirst. I'd love to see more Live Chat's going on, its a step more intimate then the usual topic post. I'd like to see people taking advantage of 30 day Mentoring where you connect and learn from someone who's willing to teach (I've done 2, thank you TaoMeow and Templetao). Finally I'd like to see bums meet each other. If you live near a bum and they don't seem too strange, make contact, say hello, have tea or coffee. Have'em visit your mediation group, coven or what not. Connect connect connect.

 

The introduction post wasn't my first, I predate its creation. How long have I been here? Long enough to know better.

 

Mostly Sincere

 

Michael

Edited December 11, 2012 by thelerner