[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by Verbiage

Dad! I'm okay.

I actually thought about you and jtodd_fl during this week; I am meeting tomorrow after work with the father of one of my good friends, he owns a lucrative flooring company that has been in his family for a few generations, and they are very well off. He's happily agreed to sit down and chat with me over sushi regarding some questions I had for him. I'm not sure if I want to enter the realm of true entrepreneurship or command a higher level of an existing organization (finance director, operations, etc.; not really into the customer aspect of things, much, although I do expect to encounter stakeholder interaction), but I wanted to pick his brains concerning some things that have piqued my interest during my current business coursework.

Let me know if these topics are okay, or what kinds of questions I should be asking:

1. Startup capital? (Sponsorship, investors, stakeholder influence)
2. Origin? (Hereditary succession or meritocracy?, company derivative, determination of market needs)
3. Hindrances? (Roadblocks, financial overhead, revenue-profit margins)
4. Maintenance? (Budget prioritization and adherence, land/labor/capital, weight of production factors when executing business duties on management scope)
5. Environments? What specifically? Environmental impact?
5.1 Economic and legal - international trade, government regulations
5.2 Technological - how this has changed scope of business over course of tenure, how has it increased/affected marketability and effectiveness
5.3 Competition - how is customer importance/satisfaction regarded, and how is it enforced; what are differentiating stakeholder characteristics, Market evolution. (Multigenerational business)
5.4 Social - promotion of diversity, level of importance and implementation of best ethics practices within corporate environment, Dynamic environment with opportunity for promotion or stagnant with little room for advancement?

It is always a good idea to speak to highly accomplished individuals, as long as they have achieved their success ethically.

I made a few comments in RED.

This is quite a bit of subject matter to cover and I would recommend either a singular focus on a single aspect for a deep dive or a more broad overview of his experience the business. Just my .02.

[Verbiage]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

It is always a good idea to speak to highly accomplished individuals, as long as they have achieved their success ethically.

I made a few comments in RED.

This is quite a bit of subject matter to cover and I would recommend either a singular focus on a single aspect for a deep dive or a more broad overview of his experience the business. Just my .02.

Those are great updates, thanks Dad!


Sorry for the "Environments" confusion. Lol, that's why I'd added the 5.1-5.4, they are encompassing for the "Environments" section.


Okay, so multiple sushi dinners, then?

[jtodd_fl]

Originally Posted by Verbiage

Those are great updates, thanks Dad!


Sorry for the "Environments" confusion. Lol, that's why I'd added the 5.1-5.4, they are encompassing for the "Environments" section.


Okay, so multiple sushi dinners, then?

I have a framing question. Is the context of this a potential interest to go work there or is this more of a "tell me about entrepreneurship" kind of meeting. Like, you looking at this in the context of one day starting your own business or joining his?

[bimmette]

Ugh I woke up too early for no reason. I think I'm still excited from the track.

[Verbiage]

Originally Posted by jtodd_fl

I have a framing question. Is the context of this a potential interest to go work there or is this more of a "tell me about entrepreneurship" kind of meeting. Like, you looking at this in the context of one day starting your own business or joining his?

Mostly to obtain business scope logistics. I'm not sure if it's something I really want to do, but I am leaning toward it. You know me, I'm getting old. I have to make some shit happen.


I wouldn't mind joining his though, doing some analytical work. Would certainly pay well, I'd hope. His son (my buddy) is definitely well off, apparently he handles the a large part of the sales aspect of things (dealing with clients, prospects, etc.).

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by Verbiage

Mostly to obtain business scope logistics. I'm not sure if it's something I really want to do, but I am leaning toward it. You know me, I'm getting old. I have to make some shit happen.


I wouldn't mind joining his though, doing some analytical work. Would certainly pay well, I'd hope. His son (my buddy) is definitely well off, apparently he handles the a large part of the sales aspect of things (dealing with clients, prospects, etc.).

I don't know if it is in your plans but spending some time in a customer facing position is always a boon for one's career. There is nothing like having the street cred from, 'Carrying the Bag'.

Just my .02.

[Verbiage]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

I don't know if it is in your plans but spending some time in a customer facing position is always a boon for one's career. There is nothing like having the street cred from, 'Carrying the Bag'.

Just my .02.

I've always been people-centric, and I realize that yours and jtodd_fl's roles are customer interfacing and can prove to be lucrative due to the effects that they exude over the scope and acquiring of business.


I suppose the bulk of my customer "interactions" have not been on a level that I desired; i.e., lower-level customer service and retail. But with regard to a higher level of dealings, I would certainly jump at the opportunities.

[shoei]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

It is always a good idea to speak to highly accomplished individuals, as long as they have achieved their success ethically.

I made a few comments in RED.

This is quite a bit of subject matter to cover and I would recommend either a singular focus on a single aspect for a deep dive or a more broad overview of his experience the business. Just my .02.

Whoa... What do you mean, "ethically"??! Drug dealers and other unscrupulous individuals are people too... Don't discriminate, there are valuable lessons for verbiage to learn from them as well... How much weight is needed to move to make it worthwhile in paying off border patrol of other law enforcement... Which weapon is more efficient present day due to bullet shortages/cost of said ammo... What happens if you drop the soap in the prison showers... Lots of stuff to be learned here...

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by Verbiage

Dad! I'm okay.

I actually thought about you and jtodd_fl during this week; I am meeting tomorrow after work with the father of one of my good friends, he owns a lucrative flooring company that has been in his family for a few generations, and they are very well off. He's happily agreed to sit down and chat with me over sushi regarding some questions I had for him. I'm not sure if I want to enter the realm of true entrepreneurship or command a higher level of an existing organization (finance director, operations, etc.; not really into the customer aspect of things, much, although I do expect to encounter stakeholder interaction), but I wanted to pick his brains concerning some things that have piqued my interest during my current business coursework.

What's the name of the flooring company?

[Verbiage]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

What's the name of the flooring company?

Dude! George (my buddy) told me on Sunday and for the life of me I can't remember for shit.



I'll text him now and ask again.

[Verbiage]

Mr Tonka he wrote back man, it's Park Rug Co. & Interiors.

http://www.parkrug.com/index.html

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by shoei

Whoa... What do you mean, "ethically"??! Drug dealers and other unscrupulous individuals are people too... Don't discriminate, there are valuable lessons for verbiage to learn from them as well... How much weight is needed to move to make it worthwhile in paying off border patrol of other law enforcement... Which weapon is more efficient present day due to bullet shortages/cost of said ammo... What happens if you drop the soap in the prison showers... Lots of stuff to be learned here...

My apologies for ignoring this vibrant and important part of our economy. The ingenuity, resourcefulness, and sheer tenacity of those engaged in providing a highly demanded, bespoke, product in an environment of extreme regulation and negative public perception is nothing short of startling.

The global distribution networks involved in this enterprise are also a model worthy of further study. In most cases, the transportation network must overcome regulatory hurdles, natural barriers, and hostile competitors. Additionally, theft and diversion of the product from its intended markets can be a major factor which can have a negative impact on the bottom line.

The security networks and vetting process that these organizations employ are also a model worthy of additional study. In the realms of personal physical security, production facility security, transportation security and human capital management they are unparalleled.

With a well defined human resources pathway with almost no legacy retirement plans to manage, efficient production facilities and flexible logistics management, these organizations are on the cutting edge of efficient management and profitability which all should strive to emulate.

I apologize for missing this sector. Thanks for the correction.

[jtodd_fl]

Originally Posted by Verbiage

I've always been people-centric, and I realize that yours and jtodd_fl's roles are customer interfacing and can prove to be lucrative due to the effects that they exude over the scope and acquiring of business.


I suppose the bulk of my customer "interactions" have not been on a level that I desired; i.e., lower-level customer service and retail. But with regard to a higher level of dealings, I would certainly jump at the opportunities.

Great that you would jump at it. A wide range of experience is great. What I think makes someone with Sales experience unique is really the fact that it teaches a few key things:
- Working under pressure - in adverse or ambiguous circumstances
- Learning how to find value
- Communication - speaking the language of value
- Urgency

I now that other disciplines benefit from these traits, but the reality is that there is a component of "sales" in every leadership position. When you lead, you learn to find out what matters to people (employees, investors, customers, suppliers, anyone...), you communicate to them in their language of value (aligning them, motivating them, pushing them). These traits are universal and sales gives people a unique blend of all of these things at the same time. No one is taught the value of urgency or how to be comfortable with ambiguity. Engineers hate ambiguity by nature, their internal language of value is "rightness" or "efficiency" or some other scientifically correct thing. Financiers are black and white people, there are laws and regulations and standards that explain how to do most of it. The people that excel in ANY field are the ones that take the necessaries and add a whopping dose of the intangibles. Someone who is technically proficient, but also adept at communicating and works with a sense of urgency and can quickly take a problem apart and build a solution to it (whether it is a technical problem, a financial one, a marketing one, a cultural one, an organizational one... w/e) is priceless
Damn... that was going to be short...

[shoei]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

My apologies for ignoring this vibrant and important part of our economy. The ingenuity, resourcefulness, and sheer tenacity of those engaged in providing a highly demanded, bespoke, product in an environment of extreme regulation and negative public perception is nothing short of startling.

The global distribution networks involved in this enterprise are also a model worthy of further study. In most cases, the transportation network must overcome regulatory hurdles, natural barriers, and hostile competitors. Additionally, theft and diversion of the product from its intended markets can be a major factor which can have a negative impact on the bottom line.

The security networks and vetting process that these organizations employ are also a model worthy of additional study. In the realms of personal physical security, production facility security, transportation security and human capital management they are unparalleled.

With a well defined human resources pathway with almost no legacy retirement plans to manage, efficient production facilities and flexible logistics management, these organizations are on the cutting edge of efficient management and profitability which all should strive to emulate.

I apologize for missing this sector. Thank for the correction.

You are forgiven... This time... They brought back (not that it ever was a thing outside of hollywood movies) cement boots in NYC recently, I would hate for verbiage to inherit your m6 and i8 so soon...

It really is a model of efficiency though... Their HR is far for efficient... There's no right to hire, there is no annual reviews, you get out of line you uhmm, get terminated, lol...

Sure they they don't have 401K programs or medical, but they don't take out much in terms of taxes... Work from home, choose your hours, can move up quickly with tenacity, elbow grease and an unfortunate demise of the person above you...

And they're an international thing... Not just mom and pop rug company... I feel like verbiage might not be looking at all options here...

[jtodd_fl]

Originally Posted by shoei

You are forgiven... This time... They brought back (not that it ever was a thing outside of hollywood movies) cement boots in NYC recently, I would hate for verbiage to inherit your m6 and i8 so soon...

It really is a model of efficiency though... Their HR is far for efficient... There's no right to hire, there is no annual reviews, you get out of line you uhmm, get terminated, lol...

Sure they they don't have 401K programs or medical, but they don't take out much in terms of taxes... Work from home, choose your hours, can move up quickly with tenacity, elbow grease and an unfortunate demise of the person above you...

And they're an international thing... Not just mom and pop rug company... I feel like verbiage might not be looking at all options here...

Hey, even your dictators, despots and mob kingpins have floors... amirite?

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by shoei

You are forgiven... This time... They brought back (not that it ever was a thing outside of hollywood movies) cement boots in NYC recently, I would hate for verbiage to inherit your m6 and i8 so soon...

It really is a model of efficiency though... Their HR is far for efficient... There's no right to hire, there is no annual reviews, you get out of line you uhmm, get terminated, lol...

Sure they they don't have 401K programs or medical, but they don't take out much in terms of taxes... Work from home, choose your hours, can move up quickly with tenacity, elbow grease and an unfortunate demise of the person above you...

And they're an international thing... Not just mom and pop rug company... I feel like verbiage might not be looking at all options here...

Thanks for your forbearance. We all suffer from myopia at times. Not you, of course, other people.

One other advantage is the pure meritocracy employed in these organizations. Eat what you kill. Not literally. Well...not all the time. You know what I mean.

[shoei]

Originally Posted by jtodd_fl

Hey, even your dictators, despots and mob kingpins have floors... amirite?

Floors yes but I don't think North Koreans even know what carpet feels like on their feet...

[Verbiage]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

My apologies for ignoring this vibrant and important part of our economy. The ingenuity, resourcefulness, and sheer tenacity of those engaged in providing a highly demanded, bespoke, product in an environment of extreme regulation and negative public perception is nothing short of startling.

The global distribution networks involved in this enterprise are also a model worthy of further study. In most cases, the transportation network must overcome regulatory hurdles, natural barriers, and hostile competitors. Additionally, theft and diversion of the product from its intended markets can be a major factor which can have a negative impact on the bottom line.

The security networks and vetting process that these organizations employ are also a model worthy of additional study. In the realms of personal physical security, production facility security, transportation security and human capital management they are unparalleled.

With a well defined human resources pathway with almost no legacy retirement plans to manage, efficient production facilities and flexible logistics management, these organizations are on the cutting edge of efficient management and profitability which all should strive to emulate.

I apologize for missing this sector. Thank for the correction.

Shit, this was good. LOLOL.

I especially liked the portion concerning efficient "production facilities" and "flexible" logistics management.

Originally Posted by jtodd_fl

Great that you would jump at it. A wide range of experience is great. What I think makes someone with Sales experience unique is really the fact that it teaches a few key things:
- Working under pressure - in adverse or ambiguous circumstances
- Learning how to find value
- Communication - speaking the language of value
- Urgency

I now that other disciplines benefit from these traits, but the reality is that there is a component of "sales" in every leadership position. When you lead, you learn to find out what matters to people (employees, investors, customers, suppliers, anyone...), you communicate to them in their language of value (aligning them, motivating them, pushing them). These traits are universal and sales gives people a unique blend of all of these things at the same time. No one is taught the value of urgency or how to be comfortable with ambiguity. Engineers hate ambiguity by nature, their internal language of value is "rightness" or "efficiency" or some other scientifically correct thing. Financiers are black and white people, there are laws and regulations and standards that explain how to do most of it. The people that excel in ANY field are the ones that take the necessaries and add a whopping dose of the intangibles. Someone who is technically proficient, but also adept at communicating and works with a sense of urgency and can quickly take a problem apart and build a solution to it (whether it is a technical problem, a financial one, a marketing one, a cultural one, an organizational one... w/e) is priceless
Damn... that was going to be short...

I really enjoyed this, thank you! I definitely feel as though I exude characteristics of ambiguity tolerance as the majority of my life has involved work in sales or customer service; combined with my keenness and forced scrutiny of business practices and data manipulation, determining of outliers, and anomaly corrections, it's turned me into a real machine, of sorts, at a young age.

Pressure, value, and urgency. Almost like the Holy Trinity of sales, no? Although, I suppose based upon context, urgency and pressure can be interchanged based upon circumstantial conditions and direction.

I absolutely agree with the notion of leadership encompassing varying qualities, having (I think I communicated this with you all) led a team at my healthcare analytics organization. I learned more there than I ever had concerning the workings of management and stakeholder-driven decisions, as well as decisions driven by fear and self-sustenance.

[Verbiage]

Originally Posted by shoei

You are forgiven... This time... They brought back (not that it ever was a thing outside of hollywood movies) cement boots in NYC recently, I would hate for verbiage to inherit your m6 and i8 so soon...

It really is a model of efficiency though... Their HR is far for efficient... There's no right to hire, there is no annual reviews, you get out of line you uhmm, get terminated, lol...

Sure they they don't have 401K programs or medical, but they don't take out much in terms of taxes... Work from home, choose your hours, can move up quickly with tenacity, elbow grease and an unfortunate demise of the person above you...

And they're an international thing... Not just mom and pop rug company... I feel like verbiage might not be looking at all options here...

Troll level = master.


I laughed really hard at this. This is another awesome way to look at this entire situation, conversely. Surprisingly, I've also had a lot of things put into perspective from these last couple posts concerning the un-legitimized means of street capitalism.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by jtodd_fl

Great that you would jump at it. A wide range of experience is great. What I think makes someone with Sales experience unique is really the fact that it teaches a few key things:
- Working under pressure - in adverse or ambiguous circumstances
- Learning how to find value
- Communication - speaking the language of value
- Urgency

I now that other disciplines benefit from these traits, but the reality is that there is a component of "sales" in every leadership position. When you lead, you learn to find out what matters to people (employees, investors, customers, suppliers, anyone...), you communicate to them in their language of value (aligning them, motivating them, pushing them). These traits are universal and sales gives people a unique blend of all of these things at the same time. No one is taught the value of urgency or how to be comfortable with ambiguity. Engineers hate ambiguity by nature, their internal language of value is "rightness" or "efficiency" or some other scientifically correct thing. Financiers are black and white people, there are laws and regulations and standards that explain how to do most of it. The people that excel in ANY field are the ones that take the necessaries and add a whopping dose of the intangibles. Someone who is technically proficient, but also adept at communicating and works with a sense of urgency and can quickly take a problem apart and build a solution to it (whether it is a technical problem, a financial one, a marketing one, a cultural one, an organizational one... w/e) is priceless
Damn... that was going to be short...

I think everyone should be in a direct sales position early on in their lives. Working face to face with a decision maker, trying to get them to make a decision that benefits you, while showing them how the same decision benefits them is something everyone does almost on a daily basis.

Doing it to make money forces you to analyze what your saying and the different results from the minor changes you make. It enlightens you to what people really want to hear, what they really value, what makes them feel important, (which is more often than not, a buyer's highest need) what gets them to trust you, etc... Doing all that without lying or bullying is an art form.

Verbiage take note of all your friends who "hate selling" and check out where they are in 10 years. If they are employed, i'd bet the lion's share are in retail or a cube farm. The smaller percentage may be in a professional position; Dr, Accounting, Engineer, etc...

We sell our selves every day, whether it be our occupation, to advance ourselves within our occupation, to get better service from the wait staff, to get an upgrade on a flight seat, to get out of a ticket, etc.... every day. Those who excel at direct face to face sales have a fierce arrow in their quiver that can offer them piece of mind. The ability to go anywhere in the world and sell anything is a very reassuring quality to have as a core personalty trait.

I can still hear my father saying... "if you can do that, you can control your own destiny."

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by Verbiage

Mr Tonka he wrote back man, it's Park Rug Co. & Interiors.

http://www.parkrug.com/index.html

Don't know them, but for some reason there are a hand full of MD/DC area flooring companies that are a big deal. Like $20m to $100m in annual revenue. My guess is they make a killing.

We're small potatoes compared to those guys.

[Mywifes335]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

I think everyone should be in a direct sales position early on in their lives. Working face to face with a decision maker, trying to get them to make a decision that benefits you, while showing them how the same decision benefits them is something everyone does almost on a daily basis.

Doing it to make money forces you to analyze what your saying and the different results from the minor changes you make. It enlightens you to what people really want to hear, what they really value, what makes them feel important, (which is more often than not, a buyer's highest need) what gets them to trust you, etc... Doing all that without lying or bullying is an art form.

Verbiage take note of all your friends who "hate selling" and check out where they are in 10 years. If they are employed, i'd bet the lion's share are in retail or a cube farm. The smaller percentage may be in a professional position; Dr, Accounting, Engineer, etc...

We sell our selves every day, whether it be our occupation, to advance ourselves within our occupation, to get better service from the wait staff, to get an upgrade on a flight seat, to get out of a ticket, etc.... every day. Those who excel at direct face to face sales have a fierce arrow in their quiver that can offer them piece of mind. The ability to go anywhere in the world and sell anything is a very reassuring quality to have as a core personalty trait.

I can still hear my father saying... "if you can do that, you can control your own destiny."

This is very true. Learning sales is an important skill everyone should experience, especially at an early adult age. In many instances, if you're successful selling one thing, you can sell just about anything. The hurdle is to adapt.

Like the marathoning Cookie Monster said, sales experience teaches you a lot about yourself and how to deal with a wide array of people. It's not always an "honest" profession, haha. However, it is "honest" work. You don't produce. You don't get paid. Can't get any more honest than that.

Sometimes I wish I stayed in professional sales after college, I was really good at it.