Morning folks!!
An Industry of Rookies Get Tested. The title says
it all. Some will earn their wings, more will crash and burn. These are facts.
We are a young industry made up of folks in which this is their very first
business. They are thrust into it and sometimes not prepared for the tough
realities of life. No domainer jumps up and says: “My house was just foreclosed
on.” However do you really doubt no domainer has met that fate or will soon?
This is when you earn your wings or you crash and
burn. Look at my earlier posts this year. Pull back on the throttle and your
days are numbered. You are crossing a GRAND canyon. Why would anyone pull back
on the throttle? Give it every ounce of thrust you can. It’s the only way to
make it to the other side.
I talk from experience as I have shared this story
many times. In 1992 or 1993 my back was up against the wall. The economy was
bad. My business was once again on the ropes. I had no safety net this time.
Would I charge $10,000 on my credit card? $10,000 that I did not have and add
to the debt I had already accumulated? Would I go half way around the world to
Seoul, Taiwan and Hong Kong? Would I stay in the best hotels that I had no way
of affording because if I stayed in a dump that I could afford, would anyone
take me seriously? I wrestled with that decision for weeks, maybe months. I
finally decided there was no other avenue and I had to go for broke.
I went for 10 days. I worked all day each day from
5AM to Midnight. From Midnight to 3am I would do the research and have faxes
sent. There was no email at that time. At least email used on a daily basis. I
would passout for 2 hours and then on again.
In Taiwan I met a man named Peter. I told him I was
on my way to Hong Kong to see somebody. He told me instead of seeing him, go
see “Ben”. So I took his advice and met with “Ben” in the hotel room I could
not afford for over 3 hours. We shared the exact same war story. We were a
kindred spirit a world away. We were born within days of each other. We were on
the same wave length. That conversation, Peter, that trip, that go for broker
deal changed my life and I have NEVER looked back other than to appreciate
where I came from and how hard it was to get here and how much fun I had doing
it.
Reach DEEP my friends. You would be amazed what you
can accomplish when your back is up against the wall. The opportunity you can
create. The fire you can make with SHEER WILL!
Truly amazing and that is what is so cool about
recessions and being challenged. Once you reach that deep just ONE TIME, then
you KNOW you can reach DEEEEEEP whenever you really need to.
Pull back on the throttle?? Are you kidding? No you
are not. Sadly you are not. You are a rookie. Rookies pull back, pros give it
all they got. Which one are YOU?
Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz
Dave Wrixon aka Rubber Duck
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gVWjsPEiqe1tEu2mhBIRaxxGi8owD9BDD6J80
Michael
That was really inspirational, thanks Rick. I especially liked this line:”I have NEVER looked back other than to appreciate where I came from and how hard it was to get here and how much fun I had doing it.”
ScottM
Rick that was really a great recount of those early days before e-mail … the only thing worse than dealing with faxes was that several years earlier all we had to work with was either overseas long distance at like $3 a minute or the dreaded Telex messages which was a very slight improvement over Morse code!
Many of us in the consumer electronics business in the 80’s and early 90’s also did the same Seoul-Hong Kong-Taipei drudge so I know just what you mean.
Time always seemed to speed up in Asia and everything happened at a breakneck pace. By the time you got back it wasn’t the jet lag that made you tired it was feeling like you had done a triathalon. Glad you are enjoying the well-deserved success in this industry from all the hard effort you put into the domain industry and guiding others, and all the learning and hard work you put in from the experience in your previous career too.
Have a great and successful T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference, hope you don’t fully retire, this industry now more than ever still needs leadership that only a veteran like you who is widely-respected can provide. ScottM
KD
Good words and I won’t stop,it’s too much fun!!!!
Danny Pryor
No challenge = boredom. Enough said!