Your memo of September 28 jogged my memory.
You’ll notice that I’m not responding directly to what you asked.

I have been blessed with an agile mind but cursed with a very short attention span, or at least I thought so.

I started a construction company in college and started buying houses and flipping them. At 23 had enough rental income that I did not have to work anymore. Not rich but economically free. Bored, sold it all, went to Minneapolis to become a stockbroker. It was the early 70’s, market went down every day, Dow at 600. Starting to make it work, became bored, did a private placement and started an educational toy company. Designed and built educational toys. One of the toys picked by Womans Day magazine as one of Ten Best of the Year. Gerber Baby Foods wanted to buy the company, basically to get me. I turned them down. Basically lost it all. 

Started lawn and garden planter business with partner/finance person. Learned the golden rule, he who has the gold, rules. Bored and thwarted, joined a multilevel marketing business. Built the fastest growing region in 1 year, made me vice president, company went broke.

Now in Texas, broke, called the president of the stock brokerage I started at. Gave me a job at at local office. Read a financial planning magazine and found an article on my old college professor, called him, met with him, went to work as a financial consultant to wealthy people. Very successful. Tax reform act stopped the tax-driven real estate investing we were doing. 

Started buying businesses in trouble and turning them around. Very successful. Bought a data supply business, then office supply, made it the fastest growing office products business in the southwest. Trained salespeople, was growing 20% per month, compounded. I spent most of my time chasing money. Bought a commercial printing business, 4 color press, computerized typesetting. Criminal fraud involved the conveyance to me including a dirty federal ID number. I ended up owing the IRS $500,000. Non dischargeable. 

Went broke, went through a divorce. Sold my frequent flyer miles for $10,000 and started a resumé writing business. Ran it for 8 months and made money. Listed it with a business broker and sold it for $27,000. Moved to California and worked as an executive recruiter. Went to the sales manager and got him to admit that no one there made $100,000 or more. I quit. Needed to make $5000 per month net to pay child support and IRS.

Found a job on Bay Area Rapid Transit line, did not have a car, found a job selling cars. Started September 9 and was salesman of the month 8 months in a row. Nine sales people, I generated 30% of the gross and 20% of the sales. Made assistant manager, salesmanager, general sales manager, got bored, left to do training for Ford Motor Company. Recruited back. Left again, bored, became General Manager of a Ford store that was under a termination action by FMC., fixed it, recruited back to first store as General Manager. This was the most profitable Ford store in northern Ca.

My wife was from Texas and wanted to go home. Once again, I left the dream job, financially, emotionally, all around. We sold our house in Ca and moved to The Woodlands, Texas. Once again accepted a real challenge, lowest customer satisfaction in the 4 state region, selling 60% of assigned objective and losing just shy of 1 million a year. My old Ca owner called my every month asking when I was coming back. 

18 months later, 128% of Ford objective, highest customer satisfaction in the region and on track to make 1 million. My old boss calling every two weeks now. Finally said the magic words, “What is it going to take?” I faxed him my request which was the moon, he faxed it back in 60 seconds, signed and asking when can you be here.

I commuted to Ca. weekly for two years and trained my replacement.
Back in Texas I was recruited by Ford to go to Gulf Coast Autopark where you and I met. The complex lost 4.6 million the year before I started.  They had 3 years Ford inventory on the ground. The first week Ford Motor Credit showed up to pull the floor plan credit line.

I worked through that with them and salvaged the relationship after they called Ca to verify my reputation. Fixed low, low, low customer  satisfaction, repaired Ford Credit relationship, got inventory in line and when you add back owner’s take-out it was operating at breakeven. This is 2008 and the financial world is crashing. Went on to fix 2 other stores. 

Planned on working to 70, I love the job. Heart stopped in 2014, Mark Twain said it best, “Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans”.

The car business taught me ethics.
I made phenomenal money.
Ford sent me all over the world.
Had a forced and totally unprepared retirement but we managed to land ok. I was always good at figuring things out.

I paid the IRS 500,000 and collected a lot of art. The curse I mentioned earlier, I finally realized was my blessing and part of my purpose. I have met, taught, trained, mentored and at times was Father Confessor to hundreds of people. Changed many lives for the better, many went on to high level management positions. 

Sorry this went so long, you can just delete it if you get bored.
Boredom is something I understand.

Thanks for listening.
JR Shaw