The Story of the "Great Gratz" and how 7 Words Changed my Life at 29

Morning Folks!!

"Follow a Leader or Follow an Asshole" is an expression I learned from the GREAT Bill Gratz. While other folks sold furniture for a living he moved mountains full of furniture. He was better than those that he sold to or sold against. They were not in his league. Nor was I for that matter. But I was learning from a master. He once told me something that absolutey changed my life. He said, “I can follow a leader, but I can’t follow an asshole.”  That one line changed the trojectery of my entire life.

A few months later a 52 year old pipe smoking veteran of the furniture industry that had never held ajob for more than 2 years but had a resume that included every big boy there was became my new boss. See while I tripled their sales in the preceeding year I was a renegade that did not play politics the way they thought they were entitled to at this stage. So they opted to an “Insider” to bring them to the goal line. Even tho I had brought them from $1 or $2 million to $10 or $12 million under my leadership, it was not
good enough. See I was just too young. Even tho I worked for 4 years with the competition, 5 years with them, I was still only 29. So they opted for a new path.   



Well I flew out to Los Angeles to start my new assignment on Sunday night. I got to LA at 11:30PM. I had time to think on that flight. I thought what the GREAT Gratz told me. I decided this guy was an asshole and I was not going to go along with the plan. I arrived in LA. I went to the ticket counter. I booked the same plane back to Miami. I arrived at 6AM. I went to the factory. I waited on the steps until the owners arrived at 7AM. They were flabbergasted to see me there as they know I was in LA at 11:30. They were in disbelief. I went in and stated my case. A week or two later I was on the street. First time in my life with no job. The worst days I ever remember. But that was the day and the moment that my life changed. Where I stood up and said NO FUCKING WAY! I won’t sell my soul. I will always tell it like it is. There is performance and everything else. I performed. I did what was asked. I opened accounts and made the company I worked for famous inside the industry. I increased their market share. I made them a FORCE.

To make a long story short, that event put me in business and I never worked for another ungrateful employer again. Never dealt with that nonsense ever again. As far as the company I worked for and that pipe smoking phony. Well he lasted just under 2 years when the company collapsed and went out of business. On one hand it was sad to see something I built up destroyed. On the other, well that’s what happens when you make a bad decision and fuck with success.  You don’t screw with success. I guess that is why I wanted to see the Dodgers and Yankees in the World Series. I want Joe Torre to stick it to them!

I think as domainers we are amazing people doing amazing things and just because we have yet to be recognized for it does not make it any less real. Any less important. Like scientists, we are unlocking secret after secret. Fact after fact. Result after result. Discovery after discovery.

 Have a GREAT Day!

 Rick Schwartz