Yesterday, I amended my intention not to go to the movies during this time of introspection. I devoted the day to take my mom out, and she requested to see the movie: “American Gangster.”
The protagonists' characters were both amazing. It was uncanny the affinity I felt with the character of the gangster (Denzel Washington). It was as if I could get into his mind and follow how it operated.
His vision, his independent and enterprising spirit, his faculty for thinking outside the box, as well as his motto: “To offer a better quality product for less then the competition,” resonated with me.
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When his luck runs out - as expected, someone adviced him that there is a difference in quitting, and quitting while still ahead.
When his luck runs out - as expected, someone adviced him that there is a difference in quitting, and quitting while still ahead.
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I quit when it was necessary to stop the hemorrhaging of my savings. The steep lease, along with employee salaries and what not, coupled with homeowners’ struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments, in a volatile economy, did not combine to make this an auspicious time for business.
I quit when it was necessary to stop the hemorrhaging of my savings. The steep lease, along with employee salaries and what not, coupled with homeowners’ struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments, in a volatile economy, did not combine to make this an auspicious time for business.
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Like the gangster’s character, though obviously in a miniscule scale, I also traveled long and far to obscure places and investigated the direct source of manufacturers.
The gangster’s character had a dual nature. He was perceived as an upstanding member of his community, as well as having a sinister side.
Like the gangster’s character, though obviously in a miniscule scale, I also traveled long and far to obscure places and investigated the direct source of manufacturers.
The gangster’s character had a dual nature. He was perceived as an upstanding member of his community, as well as having a sinister side.
The drive to succeed changed the person I saw in front of the mirror. The genuine sweetness which characterizes me, was eroding. My sweetness was drying up, like water sprinkled on the pavement of the California desert.
I worked 70 to 80 hours per week, in order to juggle three commitments. I was the buyer, owner, and also held my day gig. I coordinated every single minute of the day. I allocated 20 minutes to eat lunch at my desk, as I juggled my three gigs.
I allocate premium value to goodness in people and adhering to ethical standards, yet, in my fervent quest to stay competitive, I was oblivious to that which I held in esteem.
I dealt with vendors in a no-nonsense, don’t waste my time attitude. If I sensed desperation to sell, I bargained down their profit to a pittance, with the incentive of volume purchase. This to old women with backs hunched from long hours of hand embroidering their clothing, their eyesight probably faulty from hours of labor to meet their quotas.
I worked 70 to 80 hours per week, in order to juggle three commitments. I was the buyer, owner, and also held my day gig. I coordinated every single minute of the day. I allocated 20 minutes to eat lunch at my desk, as I juggled my three gigs.
I allocate premium value to goodness in people and adhering to ethical standards, yet, in my fervent quest to stay competitive, I was oblivious to that which I held in esteem.
I dealt with vendors in a no-nonsense, don’t waste my time attitude. If I sensed desperation to sell, I bargained down their profit to a pittance, with the incentive of volume purchase. This to old women with backs hunched from long hours of hand embroidering their clothing, their eyesight probably faulty from hours of labor to meet their quotas.
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I didn't stop to enjoy the colonial Plaza in Oaxaca, nor was I tempted by the brimming basquets of roasted grasshoppers (hmm…no thanks). Time is money, and I didn't waste it. I simply arrived there to transit to a remote village where the artisans produced their intricate embroideries.
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I didn't stop to enjoy the colonial Plaza in Oaxaca, nor was I tempted by the brimming basquets of roasted grasshoppers (hmm…no thanks). Time is money, and I didn't waste it. I simply arrived there to transit to a remote village where the artisans produced their intricate embroideries.
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I had little time for my beloved books, instead I browsed through gossip magazines, to research the latest fashion trends.
I browsed Target's and Wal-Mart's web sites to compare listed prices, and offer it for less or same. I could do that, as I had almost no middle man.
My industry contacts offered me the wholesale price, that which department stores are privy to.
I was not only becoming a robotized person with a dollar sign tattooed between her eyebrows, but an insidious ailment what corroding my spirit.
My industry contacts offered me the wholesale price, that which department stores are privy to.
I was not only becoming a robotized person with a dollar sign tattooed between her eyebrows, but an insidious ailment what corroding my spirit.
Once on my frequent shopping expeditions to the garment district in Los Angeles, I was witness to an injustice and I did not say anything about it. A handbag importer was telling his employee to translate to the new hire, that he would be paid $50 a day, for a ten hour shift. This just as the minimun wage in California had incremented by seventy-five cents per hour.
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Up to that moment I had never shied away from speaking up, not even to taggers in the process of defacing public property. This time I figured, it was not my business and the guy needed the work anyway. That was a bald lie; I bought cheap handbags, and the owner drove away in his Mercedes Benz at the end of the day. Misery is deplorable, of the spirit - despicable.
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So I quit. I have to bid my time when the economy is in an upsweep, rather than in a spiral downhill. I have the experience, know who I don't want to become; and I have strong faith in my vision, impeccable taste, and abilities.
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The next time I will couple the retail sector with cable segments, which are surprisingly cheap. Sort of like a homemade version of QVC. I would actually film the artisans in Oaxaca embroidering, or those in remote villages of Peru, constructing of Alpaca wool, plush sweaters, or the jewelers in Northern Peru which create intricate ethnic jewelry in 18K gold, or silver, for a reasonable price.
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I plan to use my nieces (cheap labor), as models to create an Avon type mini brochure and create a cluster of micro distributors to sell to their friends my stuff. Things look promising down the line. Last week I read that The House of Representatives approved a free trade agreement with Peru.
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Yes, I did eat a portion of humble pie, seasoned with defeat, this served with a steaming hot cup of vile. I touched rock bottom, and lost myself in the process. Yet, from the bottom there is only one way to go…up!
I plan to use my nieces (cheap labor), as models to create an Avon type mini brochure and create a cluster of micro distributors to sell to their friends my stuff. Things look promising down the line. Last week I read that The House of Representatives approved a free trade agreement with Peru.
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Yes, I did eat a portion of humble pie, seasoned with defeat, this served with a steaming hot cup of vile. I touched rock bottom, and lost myself in the process. Yet, from the bottom there is only one way to go…up!
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I will reconstruct anew, and in the process, I will buy “The stairway to heaven.”
