Shout out to Blog Reader Deuce

This is the best ever....Previously I wrote about the dealership that I was calling and trying to convince them to let us do their detailing for their used cars.

Here’s a quick recap: I called the head of the Used Car department. His name is "Ricco". I knew I was in for a rough time with a name like Ricco. He gets on the phone, and shuts me down like a Nun to a thong salesman. I try my best but to no avail. He just doesn't want to use us, we are "too small of an outfit" he says; not to mention T-mobile dropping the call like it's HOT! Twice. After each call back, Ricco sounds like he wants to choke me out, to get me off the phone.

A week goes by and I can't get any other calls lined up. I'm feeling positive, but I feel like I need to do something really aggressive. I watch Boiler Room for the 245th time and double dose on “A" type personalities by watching Entourage. I'm ready to take on the world now. I have to do something that normal people don't do, otherwise I will be normal. Get it? Easy. Normal acts get you normal, Extraordinary acts gets you Extraordinary people.


So I call Ricco back. After they finally connect me, and I explain who I am, Ricco says, "Oh you; call me back in 15". Then he abruptly hangs up the phone. WTF!! 15 minutes later, I call back. He wasn't going to get rid of me that easy! I have no idea what I'm going to say different, but just that I want to here him tell me NO! I'm either going to piss him off for sure, or close this deal. After 10 minutes of back and forth, Ricco says, "Where are you guys going to be located?".
I got him! So I started closing him. Then he says, "Do you have insurance?".
Then he says, "OK" sounding like Scarface, "Come see me tomorrow after 2:30".

Ahhhhhh Yeeeeaahhh Boyyyeeee!!

Here's where it gets good.

So the next day, after a super crappy morning at work, I'm trying to focus for the sales meeting with Ricco. My Blackberry goes off, and it's an email. It's from blog reader/writer Deuce Carter, fellow hustler and author of blog: Hustle Basics. He says, "Like I told you before homie, "keep going".

That's What's UP. Now I'm pumped. Somebody truly understands my plight. I put in some Jay-Z "Show me what you Got". Then top that off with the old Special Ed CD, "I've got it Made".



Just as I pull up to the dealer ship, my blackberrry goes off again. It's Deuce Carter - I swear this really happened. His next comment says, "You’re making power moves".

It's like he was in my head!!! Yes, son. I’m making power moves. That’s just what I was thinking at the time I was thinking it!!

I walk into Ricco's office and throw him a good handshake. I got my only authentic Kenneth Cole watch on, that I’ve only wore twice. The handshake is firm and my hands aren’t clammy for once.

Now here is when being physically fit really helps the confidence. Ricco was a little shorter then me, and kind of out of shape. I am now a newly trimmed 182 - down from 207 a year ago, and feeling confident.

After about an hour of real talk, I close the deal. 16 cars per month. That's What's UP!!! That cuts my loss almost in half. One Sales Call, one meeting and my losses are cut in half.

GOOD LOOKIN' OUT DEUCE.
When the cash flow is right we need to hook up and make some money together.
We are definitely on the same wave length.

The celebration is only for a minute because more moves need to be made, and more hustles need to happen. But for a few hours I'm feeling good.

Cheers to the blog, my readers and my man Deuce!!

Holla
-MJL

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

One leg of the Empire.....Still losing $$$

Dang, Dang, Dang! (I'm trying to watch my language). Jim Rohn says, I can alienate potential readers by using foul language and I don't want to do that.

However, I'm pissed! My mobile Wash Company (www.washandroll.com) is still losing money at a steady clip. Thank God, gas is cheap. I can't tell you how happy I was to see $1.99 on the sign of my local gas station. I was so happy - well here's a clip of how happy I was:




Ok, seriously....the gas prices being cut in half is equivalent to me getting a new account. Just enough to keep me alive.

So what has the Self Proclaimed Hard Worker, Future Millionaire, Mogul in training done about the situation?

Not nearly enough. If I had, I would be writing a happier post.

Listed below are the 5 actions I have taken so far:

1st – WORKERS COMP INSURANCE
I got my workers compensation insurance. This was a big deal because we could not perform any subcontracting truck washing work without it. That was a huge effort because it involved an audit, and getting tax returns from the IRS. It’s hard as heck, to call the IRS while you are at work. Especially when you are at work in a cube 

2nd – SALES LITERATURE
I produced a top notch company description booklet. It’s a little more then a brochure with policies, insurance documents, customer referrals and pictures of work we’ve done.

3rd – MEET WITH UNITED MOBILE (The company we wish to sub-contract for).
I blasted out of work 2 Thursdays ago and met with one of the company heads. He was impressed with the information booklet I prepared. YES! – I was pumped! Our personalities gelled and I left feeling good. I didn't leave with work, or an account, but I left with a good feeling. I will take what I can get.


4th – FIND AN INDOOR FACILITY TO DO AUTO DETAILING
After months and months of building a relationship with the attendant (who’s uncle owns the gas station), I get gas from every day. I made a deal with him, to use his garage bay to let us detail cars. I worked out a percentage deal, from each car we detail versus a monthly rental fee. This was key, because right now, "I ain't got no cars".


5th – PURSUE DEALERSHIP ACCOUNTS FOR DETAILING
Here is my weakness. Your boy doesn't feel confident selling. Everyone I meet thinks I'm a great salesman, or would make a great salesman but I'm not. The good part is, I have no choice. There is nothing like desperation for motivation. So Friday, I put it down. I had a sales call with the guy in charge of a huge dealership. I was Nervous Nellie! There were hundreds of dollars per week vested in this call. This call was three weeks in the making; and it all came down to one 4 minute call.

After the first 10 seconds, it was like one used car guy talking to another. We were both trying to sell ourselves. I fell into my swag, and was trying my hardest to close the deal without sounding desperate.

At the end of the call he concluded that we were not big enough to handle him.
DAMN! It did not help that I dropped the call twice on my handy dandy T-mobile. Thanks to my job for switching service for cost savings. Imagine one of the biggest most intense phone calls of the month and you realize that the last 2 minutes of conversation that no one was on the other end of the phone. Not to mention your potential customer feels like an idiot. After the second drop, I knew it was a no deal, but I kept trying.


Now that I'm over the hump, I’m ready to try again. I mean really, if I’m trying to be a millionaire, and eventually a billionaire, a thousand dollar call should be routine. I have given presentations before in front of 100 of people in 4 differnt countries. It's time to pull up my skirt, grab my balls, and make it happen.

I will promise my readers that I will make at least one sales presentation per week. I know that seems light, but it took me three weeks to set up Friday's call! It's hard to get to the guy who makes the decisions anyone else you talk to is a waste of time. That's true for most sales call.

WHEN WILL I STOP?

When will I cut my loses? Hmmmm.....Not sure if I ever will. I believe in this business and I have put a lot of heart, soul and money. It might be stupid to keep losing money, but if that’s the case I was a Big Dummy years ago.

I don't really know the meaning of quit. No, I take that back. I do when it doesn't make sense. For instance: I-Garage. Didn't make sense. The concept was great but it didn't make sense to continue and it was clear. I had no problem scrapping the idea and writing off the financial loss. Wash and Roll still makes sense! The upside potential is huge, and until I think otherwise, or can't afford it - I will be a fool.

-Nothing can resist a man who will place even his existence on his purpose.
Translation (Rich or Nothing or “Insert Goal here” or Nothing)

Workaholic
Routine
Nuff Said Outfitters
Millionaire
Rich


-MJL