Thinking About Steve
Lately I have been reading a lot of blogs saying members have been here 1 month, 2 months, even 3 months and are not earning yet. They are asking Why? Some other blogs stating the benefits of helping others. One blog in particular, by big daddy Fred, on live to give, stuck in my mind.
Stick with me I am trying to make a point.
All of this got me thinking about a dear friend of mine, and his approach to business. When I met Steve he was working for a man who owned a hardware store. It wasn't much of a store, and stocked very little hardware. Steve was happy working there, and we became instant friends.After working there a few years, the old man decided to retire and Steve was able to work out a deal to take ownership of the store.
Each week after new management, I started noticing new stock on the shelves. Even though he was making very little income, and still covering debt from the previous owner, he always put a little back to add something new to the store. I was an electrical contractor at the time, and he started stocking some of the electrical hardware I needed.
Every week he would ask me questions like what is this used for, why would someone use this for, and so on.About this time Steve found out that I sold pocket knives, hunting knives,and cutlery. He decided we should work out a deal to bring that product into the store. And again the questions, what makes this knife better than this one, why would I buy this knife? I worked with Steve off and on for about 10 years, and watched him knock down walls and expand the store to the store you wanted to go into to find everything.
Steve was always reading every label, product catalogs that everyone throws away, and always the questions.Everyday his advice to me was, do not sell, learn enough about every product to help them know what to buy. I have watched him give enough information, and just walk away. For the next week or so several customers would walk in looking for info on that product, and they would buy.
That sounds a lot like the advice Kyle and Jay give on building your Business here at WA. Does it work?
We lost Steve a short while back, and the store went under new management. I could not work with the new management. She wanted me to supply $2.00 knives that she could sell for $100.00. She only stocked high profit items, an tried to hard sell every customer. She had little or no knowledge of the products and could not help the customers.
Week by Week the shelves became empty, and in less than 1 year she was forced to sell the store to cover her debt. For the first time in over 50 years the doors were closed.
Steve would have loved it here at WA, and applying his helping others way of approaching business, he would have done well here.
To quote Big Daddy Fred " Live To Give"
If you still want to know how long success will take. It took Steve about 15 years to become very successful.You have everything you need here to do it in a lot less time.
Recent Comments
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don't be sorry for my loss, I am very happy to have known him, and consider myself very fortunate to have learned so much from him. I can still hear his advice when I am about to make a mistake, I will regret. It doesn't feel like I have lost him.
This is loyalty as it should be. Great friends and great souls. Glad to meet you both. Thank you.
Great blog. Your friend sounds like he was a very special person and would indeed have fit right into WA. Your blog will help me remember to keep my content ever green.
Thanks for sharing this, it really hits the nail on the head about something I strongly believe in, which is that "you must learn to serve others before you can receive".
Awesome post!!!!
You are right Jon. That is something Steve reminded me of every day for 10 years. Thanks for reading.
Successful people are always looking for opportunities
to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking,
'What in it for me?' - Brian Tracy
This is a great post! We have to always remember to serve...it's very easy to get carried away with numbers and see when we will start making money. I know this is a lesson I have to keep learning to imbibe. Of late i have been just reading on how some blogs became successful and started getting good traffic. The key observation from all of it was that you needed to provide good quality unique content. Give as though you really want to help someone out.
Great story on Steve, pity he is no longer around...I am sure he would have been a good inspiration.
Awesome analogy! Sounds like Steve totally deserved his success. If we only equate success with reaching a profit it will feel like forever to get there. But if the commitment is to truly benefit others (as WA teaches) success will flow by the natural laws of the universe. It's my motivator to be at this for at least a year as Kyle and Carson suggest to start reaping the benefits. But my mentality is for the long haul period :)
Oh you said it waayyy better my friend, plus you were there and nothing is better than that ;) Thank you for sharing the wonderful inspiration.
Thank you for that warm sentiment. You have a way with words, that I can only envy. Have a great day Jess
Steve was a rich man just in the friends he had and the lives he influenced. He was happy in life and I am sure he is happy now. Maybe not poor Steve.
Thanks Violet.
I've no doubt you're right, but there's always a wee part of me gets sad when a story contains someone passing away......
Great post! And if I had anything to do with inspiring it, then my little blog was worth it.
I understand about hardware stores, and their owners. My band always needed flat black paint, duct tape and wood screws for each weekly road trip. The owner of Amesbury Hardware store to make sure we could buy it each week,
He also had things on his shelves that must have been there for 40+ years. I once bought a door-lock set for $5 that I didn't need just because it was built with quality many years before.
Now hardware stores are more like appliance stores, houseware goods stores........
Thanks for sharing!
Yea Fred you helped inspire it. You help more than you know. The more I get to know about you the more it sound like we are a lot alike. We should get together and go fishing, swap some tall tales.
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What a beautiful and heartfelt story to share....his legacy lives on...I'm sure, for those who read this .... the story will resonate through WA and beyond.
Thanks for paying, Big Daddy's "Live and Give" forward and expanding on the lesson of Steve's life and character (and Big Daddy...who says "Bull" ....private to Big Daddy......)
Lola
Very kind words. Thank you
Very provoking and special story. You and Steve and Big Daddy make me want to be a better person....in many ways.
Bless you.
Lola
Looks like Steve is still inspiring, and as for Big Daddy Fred, he is a hard act to follow. He sets a great example, and I have learned a lot from him. We would all be better off by following his example.
I so agree....Big Daddy has a true perspective on life. YOU shared the story of Steve and tied everything together. Big Daddy is an addition to the philosophy Steve lived a curious and generous life for and by. ...we all benefit when we hear these stories of clarity and trueness of life. We must take these things to heart.......the true life examples and lessons right at our fingertips. We must listen.....and ACT.
Lola