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[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Don Alm

Hey Cornell...goodto see you're alive & well.

Re: starting conversations;

When I got out of Engineering School at Northwestern U.....I was a "Lab Rat" and terribly shy. My first job was with General Electric in downtown Chgo and....2 wks after starting I went to an office luncheon where a secretary came up to me and told me I had replaced a man who was just about to retire when GE fired him and replaced him with me at half-price.

So....I went home that eve and asked me young wife; Let's see....if I spend the next 30 or so yrs and just before I'm ready to retire and collect my "vested retirement goodies".....they Fire me?

I don't think so. So....I spent the next few mos looking for a business I could start and "write my own checks" and NOT have to worry about anyone paying me.

I saw an ad for a new type of Home Burglar Alarm.....went to see the company and bought a dealership for the North Suburbs of Chgo....started up my biz and read EVERY "How To Sell" book I could find.

I remember my dad telling me: Don't spend too much time trying to figure out all the details. Get a SALE....then....you can figure out all the other stuff.

So....went out every evening and weekend for the next 3 wks giving presentations to home owners. THEN.....after striking out on 18 presentations....a dentist said; "OK Don! Let's do it! When can you start?"

That was a Weds eve. I spent the next 2 days rounding up the stuff needed for the installation AND....hunting for an "installer" who could help me on Sat.

Found one and he met me on the job Sat morn. whlile we we working 3 Neighbors came by and asked to give them and estimate for their homes.

Well ....I sold all 3 and the next Mon morn I walked into the boss's office and gave my 2 wks notice.

Well...my boss....my friends....my parents....my wife's parents ALL tried to dissuade me BUT....I would NOT be stopped. I was bound and determined to get my biz started and make it successful.

So.....with $500 in a new bank account and an attorney friend doing the paperwork I set up a corporation (SECURITRONICS CORP) and went on to have 17 employees.

Then...when I sold it a few yrs later I vowed I would never do 2 things;
1) I'd never again have an employee
and
2) I'd never again wear a TIE (unless for a wedding or funeral)

So....I've seen MANY many people get a great idea and fart around trying to get every detail in place until starting.....when they should have done what my dad told me...."GET A SALE OR 2 FIRST"...."NOTHING MOVES UNTIL SOMETHING IS SOLD!" (Thank again Dad)

If you can't get sales....you don't have a business!

Thanks for reading,

Don Alm

Thanks, Don!

I may not have ever said it in public (until now), but... As I go through life, every now and then, something happens and I think... I first learned about that from Don Alm.

(Not kidding.)

There's a lot of wisdom in your posts... I for one have benefited a lot from them! So thanks, Don!

Thanks also for the above story... Probably seeing what happened to the predecessor in your job could have been one of the best things that ever happened to you.

In my case, I intend to never, ever be an employee again. I see how others have "suffered" - because, as an employee, you are so dependent on your job, people can control you, harass you, intimidate you, and basicallly beat the life out of you (not physically, but psychologically)...

Now, some people have great jobs, so it doesn't hold true for everyone. But it seems to hold true for a lot of people...

Thank you for helping to shine a light on the doorway to freedom...!

Best wishes,

Dien