Don't Break before your Break!

Ok, this is by no means a "Whoa is me Post". It's just a post to help those who are taking this journey to wealth with me, understand why, when we get to our destination, and have millions, we won't feel guilty. We will have earned and deserved every last penny. The big car, the big house, big yard, & home theater will all be well deserved.


THE BEGINNING
So the saga begins.....I get a call from my operation’s manager about 10:00 AM on Wednesday. I'm at “Cubes ‘R Us” (how I affectionately refer to my day job) and he is out in the field working the small business. He knows that I am "in and out" of meetings all day, so if he calls, like E.F. Hutton – I listen. I know it's either really good news or really bad.

I step out the meeting and take the call.

ROD: "Yo J, the trucks are gone".
Me: "What the F@#$ you mean the trucks are gone".
ROD: "I rolled up to pick up the candy (for the vending machines - which he also manages) and the trucks were gone. Everything that was parked in the lot is gone!”





I couldn’t' believe it. Just 6 days ago, we broke the front axle on the big truck to the tune of $2100, and now all of our vehicles had been impounded.

WHY WERE THEY TOWED AWAY?
We’ve been parking our trucks in the same location for 2.5 years without issue. While we are generally neat, the truckers who shared the lot were not. They were throwing McDonald's and Arby's garbage in the lot after every truck run. There was a blown out 18 wheeler tire, a gas tank and even a charcoal grill. I have to admit, it was pretty bad. It was starting to look like a Junkyard. I could hear the Sanford & Son theme playing every time I looked at the lot.

The owner finally got fed up and towed everyone’s vehicles. Cars, trucks, vans, trailers, it didn’t matter.

I was pretty calm when the axle broke, but I wasn't prepared for any additional emergencies. Let alone one less then a week later. First we had to find the vehicles, then we had to get them out of impound.

JERK AND JERK-OFFS TOWING

After we finally locate the vehicles, I have to actually leave work and go and pick them up myself. In the middle of the day, I have to leave my job, which is on thin ice as is, and go pick up the trucks. Whooo-hooo am I pissed.

When I get to the first place I find out that “Jerks & Jerk-offs” towing doesn't take credit cards.

WTF! How can you not take credit cards. Cooter was kind enough to tell me where an ATM machine was.

NO shzit Sherlock, there is an ATM on every f#$kin’ corner Einstein. But you can only get $400 out. So I had to go to the bank.

Now time is running out. If I don’t' get to the vehicles by 4:00 PM then I incur another nights of storage fees.

After I get to the bank and explain to them 10 times that I'm the owner of the account and that's my F_ckin money, and I need my money now!! I hurry back to Jerk & Jerks. Cooter is back there making out with a jelly donut, half of which has found a home on his shirt next to the mustard I'm assuming from lunch. He doesn’t have a care in the world.

He looks up and says, “Can I help you”.

I almost had an out of body experience. I was just here 30 minutes ago MORON!!!

Finally Cooter calls Bubba and we get our truck released. 2:45, plenty of time to pick up my vans right? Wrong. We get the truck and it doesn't go into Park. The shifting gear feels like spaghetti. None of the gears are taking. OMG! – I’m going to freak!!

I'm so pissed. I’m Jack Nicholas in A few Good Men Pissed, I’m like Gary Busey insane. I’m Kanye not getting an award pissed.

We get the gear in neutral, start the truck and drive it right to the transmission shop. I'm writing checks like a drunken sailor at this point. We fill out the paper work and the transmission guy says he needs the truck overnight. That's the first good thing all day because at this point we have no idea where we're going to park it anyway.

Off to get the Vans. When we get to the other impound yard. Ms. Doubtfire behind the counter is super cheerful. I felt like slappin the smile off her fat face.
My van just got towed, how about dialing the “Cheer” down a notch or two sweetie.

We pay our fine and fees and go in the yard to get the vans. Guess What....the battery is dead in the old van. It can’t be jumped. It’s dead!

Cut another check and get a battery. But we better hurry because it's 3:50.

After I get all the vehicles out of the impound drop of my guy, and get home. I'm toast. I had $3000 set aside for business emergencies all winter and I was at $3150 and it was November 14th.

FEELING GOOD AGAIN!!

That was OK because I had a sales meeting before work the next day with a potential customer that could get us on track for profits. He agreed to meet me at 6:15 AM so I can still get to work by 7:30 AM for my conference call.

Every cloud has a silver lining. I was able to get myself out of my mood, and I'm feeling good again. You can’t keep a good man down.

I wake up early (3:00 AM) preparing and reviewing the information for my sales pitch. I read it over 10 times (because you have about a 10 second window to make your first impression), it has to go flawless. I'm going to sell this guy like Giovanni Ribisi in Boiler Room. I look in the mirror before I leave, tighten the tie – and I am Boiler Room. I’m Ari Gold about to close this deal!

I rush outside to the Bat Mobile precisely at 5:45 AM.. I hit the car alarm….guess what……….

All I could do at that point was laugh, turn on the TV, pop in Entourage Season 2 and zone out for an hour before I regrouped got my tire fixed and headed to Cubes R Us. Sales meeting postponed, tire fixed, I'm recharged ready to kick ass.

So as I write these details and remember the events from that day; it fuels me. I'm fired up all over again. One more emergency and my business is wiped out' but I feel more confident then ever.

I can't be stopped. Am I crazy, F&$%K yeah! But the potential is there.

No regrets. All I need is one small break, and Wash and Roll will survive.....I just have to hang in long enough for the break.

Don’t break, before the break; and I have no plans to do so.

-MJL


Small Business
towing
Nuff Said Outfitters
Millionaire
Rich