| General Fiction posted November 27, 2022 |
  |
A young man invests in a new business.
What could go wrong?
by Terry Broxson
This happened back before the internet. Ronald Reagan had recently been elected President. The Iran hostages were released. Interest rates were twenty-two percent. Former President Carter was about to embark on his new adventure, building houses for the habitat known as humanity.
Mr. James Earl Porter (Jim, Jimmy to his wife) had recently spent twenty-five thousand dollars for a franchise-protected sales territory of East Texas where he would represent the Texas Skylight Company. His region started outside Dallas and went east to Louisiana, south to almost Houston, and north to the Red River.
Jim's franchise had approximately two hundred fifty-five thousand homes, give or take a few.
Jim had convinced himself and his family that the new company's double-pane high-temperature glass skylights would be a must-have for East Texas homeowners. One thing East Texas had was tall pine trees. Houses with tall trees needed more light. Skylights were the affordable answer.
The economics of the business was pretty simple.
Market size: 255,000 homes.
Year one goal: 1,000 skylights sold.
Gross income from sales: $895,000. Income from installations: $150,000.
Cost of skylights/shipping: $575,000.
Installation costs: $150,000.
Marketing expenses/operations costs: $50,000.
Net income: $270,000.
Jim's most significant challenges would be marketing and managing operating expenses. He would run ads in the local newspapers promoting the new skylight. The ad offered a free, no-obligation demonstration. Just call the number for an appointment.
Jim's wife, Carolyn, would supervise an answering service receiving the calls. Jim would personally call to set up the appointment. He would spend two weeks in each town making sales. A week later, his two-man team would follow him doing the installs. Their goal would be to work their way across East Texas.
What could go wrong?
Jim checked into the 5 1/2 Star Motel on Highway 69 just north of Tyler, Texas. The room was $13.50 a night. It was important to keep expenses down. Tyler was the first target of Jim's plan. There were 37,112 households in Tyler, each a candidate for a skylight.
What could go wrong?
Jim planned an early evening. The following day he would meet with the Tyler Reporter-Telegram. He would place the first of his daily advertisements for his skylights.
Jim went out in the late afternoon. He made two stops. He bought a bottle of Old Crow bourbon from the Grab and Go Liquor. The second stop was the Chicken Shack.
Back in his room, Jim sipped bourbon from one of the paper cups supplied by the motel and munched on fried chicken. He lay on his bed in his underwear. He kept the bourbon and chicken nearby. He thought about the last few months leading up to this monumental moment in his life.
***
Talk about a whirlwind ride. It started with an Austin, Texas News ad that read, "You can own your own business! Ground floor opportunity! Protected Franchise Territory. Construction Knowledge a Plus."
Jim had worked construction jobs since he had graduated high school in Taylor, Texas, his hometown north of Austin. Jim and Carolyn, his high school sweetheart, had married five years ago when they were twenty. Jim felt blessed they now had a son, Jason, and a daughter Bonnie.
Jim considered himself a hard worker. Most of his work was doing drywall installation for houses and strip shopping centers. He would bring home about six hundred dollars a week, but he wanted more. Jim called the ad about owning his own business.
Jim met with Craig Hall, President of the Texas Skylight Company. Jim spent time reviewing the skylight and even helped install one. He liked what he saw and what Craig had to say. There was only one problem. The East Texas franchise cost fifteen thousand dollars and required ten thousand dollars in working capital.
Jim had three hundred seventy-five dollars in a savings account.
Carolyn said, "Jimmy, I think it sounds pretty good. We should talk to Daddy."
"You think he would help?"
"I am his only child. I think he will. We can say it is an investment in his grandkids' future."
Carolyn's father, Wyndell, was a pharmacist and owned the Taylor City Pharmacy. Wyndell reviewed the business plan and checked the Better Business reports on Craig Hall and the Texas Skylight Company. Wyndell said he would invest twenty-five thousand dollars. In return, he would get twenty percent of the net profits. Jim and Carolyn agreed.
What could go wrong?
***
Jim finished the chicken. The bottle of Old Crow slowly went down. Jim's brain drifted and pondered, What could go wrong?
Jim considered the marketing:
1. The ad might have the wrong number by mistake, and I get no calls.
2. What if I don't get any calls and the number in the ad is right?
3. What if the answering service writes the caller's number wrong?
4. I have never been a salesman; suppose I can't sell.
5. What if no one wants a skylight?
6. What if the price is too high and sales are bad?
A little more Old Crow, and Jim started to think about delivery and cash flow:
7. When I make a sale, I have to pay $575 to Craig before the skylight is shipped. What if he can't ship?
8. I get a $500 downpayment for each order, but if he doesn't ship. I have to do a refund.
9. I will not have the money for the refund. I might owe a bunch of people money I can never get.
10. How will I support Carolyn and the kids?
11. Will I be sued or arrested for fraud?
The bourbon bottle was now three-quarters down. Jim put a quarter in the magic fingers next to the bed, which made it vibrate for thirty minutes. Installation crossed his mind:
12. I have known the Rodriguez Brothers since the eighth grade. They are good reliable workers. At $150 per skylighted installed, the boys will make good money. They could do two and maybe three installs a day. But what if they don't show up?
13. If I only make a couple of sales a week, they will quit or want more money.
14. Where would I find more installers?
15. I could be a salesman and an installer.
16. If I were the salesman and installer, I would never see Carolyn. She will divorce me.
As Jim finished off the bourbon, the magic fingers rattling his brain, his last thoughts:
17. My father-in-law will think of me as a failure.
18. I will lose his investment.
19. Carolyn will divorce me.
***
Slow to get up and go, Jim's hangover made him five minutes late for his meeting with the Tyler Newspaper. He proofread the ad twice. Satisfied, he writes a check for two hundred twelve dollars for seven days.
Jim returns to the 5 1/2 Star Motel at noon with another bag of chicken without the Old Crow. He says out loud, "Well, at least the phone number is okay."
Jim calls Carolyn and says, "Honey, I placed the first ad. It looks good. We are off and running!"
"Jimmy, I'm pregnant!"
What could go wrong?
***
It has been two years since Jim stayed in the 5 1/2 Star Motel. Today he will be training the ten new franchise holders for the American Skylight company. Craig Hall said the name Texas doesn't work for a national company.
Jim started his training session by welcoming the nine men and one woman in attendance.
"I want each of you to know you have success in the palm of your hand. The only thing stopping you from succeeding is you. Two years ago, I was in your place. But we didn't have a training program. We do now because of my on-the-job experience. Call it a school of hard knocks, if you will.
"The first day of operations for me as a franchise holder, I made a list of all the things that I thought could go wrong and I would fail. I think I had nineteen items before I passed out from too much bourbon. The following day my wife told me she was pregnant with our third child.
"At the end of the first twelve months of operations, my franchise had installed more than two thousand skylights. Our results were more than twice our goal.
"My accomplishments were due to fear, fear of failure. I was afraid of all the things that could go wrong. Fear motivated me to make sure nothing went wrong, and when it did, I fixed it.
"Today, I will teach all the things that will go right. I will teach you how to manage your new business. I will teach you success. Let me be very clear. I do not teach or accept failure."
***
Carolyn asks, "Jimmy, how did your first training day go for you and the new franchise holders?"
"It was good. They are a motivated group of people. I think I made the right decision to join Craig as the Vice President of Operations."
"Jimmy, we still own the East Texas franchise, and last year we added Houston and South Texas to the portfolio. You have the Rodriguez brothers to run those operations. With the salary, bonus, and stock options for the new job, you will be a millionaire by year-end. And Daddy can retire anytime he wants."
"Well, what could go wrong?"
"Nothing, I hope. I am pregnant."
This happened back before the internet. Ronald Reagan had recently been elected President. The Iran hostages were released. Interest rates were twenty-two percent. Former President Carter was about to embark on his new adventure, building houses for the habitat known as humanity.
Mr. James Earl Porter (Jim, Jimmy to his wife) had recently spent twenty-five thousand dollars for a franchise-protected sales territory of East Texas where he would represent the Texas Skylight Company. His region started outside Dallas and went east to Louisiana, south to almost Houston, and north to the Red River.
Jim's franchise had approximately two hundred fifty-five thousand homes, give or take a few.
Jim had convinced himself and his family that the new company's double-pane high-temperature glass skylights would be a must-have for East Texas homeowners. One thing East Texas had was tall pine trees. Houses with tall trees needed more light. Skylights were the affordable answer.
The economics of the business was pretty simple.
Market size: 255,000 homes.
Year one goal: 1,000 skylights sold.
Gross income from sales: $895,000. Income from installations: $150,000.
Cost of skylights/shipping: $575,000.
Installation costs: $150,000.
Marketing expenses/operations costs: $50,000.
Net income: $270,000.
Jim's most significant challenges would be marketing and managing operating expenses. He would run ads in the local newspapers promoting the new skylight. The ad offered a free, no-obligation demonstration. Just call the number for an appointment.
Jim's wife, Carolyn, would supervise an answering service receiving the calls. Jim would personally call to set up the appointment. He would spend two weeks in each town making sales. A week later, his two-man team would follow him doing the installs. Their goal would be to work their way across East Texas.
What could go wrong?
Jim checked into the 5 1/2 Star Motel on Highway 69 just north of Tyler, Texas. The room was $13.50 a night. It was important to keep expenses down. Tyler was the first target of Jim's plan. There were 37,112 households in Tyler, each a candidate for a skylight.
What could go wrong?
Jim planned an early evening. The following day he would meet with the Tyler Reporter-Telegram. He would place the first of his daily advertisements for his skylights.
Jim went out in the late afternoon. He made two stops. He bought a bottle of Old Crow bourbon from the Grab and Go Liquor. The second stop was the Chicken Shack.
Back in his room, Jim sipped bourbon from one of the paper cups supplied by the motel and munched on fried chicken. He lay on his bed in his underwear. He kept the bourbon and chicken nearby. He thought about the last few months leading up to this monumental moment in his life.
***
Talk about a whirlwind ride. It started with an Austin, Texas News ad that read, "You can own your own business! Ground floor opportunity! Protected Franchise Territory. Construction Knowledge a Plus."
Jim had worked construction jobs since he had graduated high school in Taylor, Texas, his hometown north of Austin. Jim and Carolyn, his high school sweetheart, had married five years ago when they were twenty. Jim felt blessed they now had a son, Jason, and a daughter Bonnie.
Jim considered himself a hard worker. Most of his work was doing drywall installation for houses and strip shopping centers. He would bring home about six hundred dollars a week, but he wanted more. Jim called the ad about owning his own business.
Jim met with Craig Hall, President of the Texas Skylight Company. Jim spent time reviewing the skylight and even helped install one. He liked what he saw and what Craig had to say. There was only one problem. The East Texas franchise cost fifteen thousand dollars and required ten thousand dollars in working capital.
Jim had three hundred seventy-five dollars in a savings account.
Carolyn said, "Jimmy, I think it sounds pretty good. We should talk to Daddy."
"You think he would help?"
"I am his only child. I think he will. We can say it is an investment in his grandkids' future."
Carolyn's father, Wyndell, was a pharmacist and owned the Taylor City Pharmacy. Wyndell reviewed the business plan and checked the Better Business reports on Craig Hall and the Texas Skylight Company. Wyndell said he would invest twenty-five thousand dollars. In return, he would get twenty percent of the net profits. Jim and Carolyn agreed.
What could go wrong?
***
Jim finished the chicken. The bottle of Old Crow slowly went down. Jim's brain drifted and pondered, What could go wrong?
Jim considered the marketing:
1. The ad might have the wrong number by mistake, and I get no calls.
2. What if I don't get any calls and the number in the ad is right?
3. What if the answering service writes the caller's number wrong?
4. I have never been a salesman; suppose I can't sell.
5. What if no one wants a skylight?
6. What if the price is too high and sales are bad?
A little more Old Crow, and Jim started to think about delivery and cash flow:
7. When I make a sale, I have to pay $575 to Craig before the skylight is shipped. What if he can't ship?
8. I get a $500 downpayment for each order, but if he doesn't ship. I have to do a refund.
9. I will not have the money for the refund. I might owe a bunch of people money I can never get.
10. How will I support Carolyn and the kids?
11. Will I be sued or arrested for fraud?
The bourbon bottle was now three-quarters down. Jim put a quarter in the magic fingers next to the bed, which made it vibrate for thirty minutes. Installation crossed his mind:
12. I have known the Rodriguez Brothers since the eighth grade. They are good reliable workers. At $150 per skylighted installed, the boys will make good money. They could do two and maybe three installs a day. But what if they don't show up?
13. If I only make a couple of sales a week, they will quit or want more money.
14. Where would I find more installers?
15. I could be a salesman and an installer.
16. If I were the salesman and installer, I would never see Carolyn. She will divorce me.
As Jim finished off the bourbon, the magic fingers rattling his brain, his last thoughts:
17. My father-in-law will think of me as a failure.
18. I will lose his investment.
19. Carolyn will divorce me.
***
Slow to get up and go, Jim's hangover made him five minutes late for his meeting with the Tyler Newspaper. He proofread the ad twice. Satisfied, he writes a check for two hundred twelve dollars for seven days.
Jim returns to the 5 1/2 Star Motel at noon with another bag of chicken without the Old Crow. He says out loud, "Well, at least the phone number is okay."
Jim calls Carolyn and says, "Honey, I placed the first ad. It looks good. We are off and running!"
"Jimmy, I'm pregnant!"
What could go wrong?
***
It has been two years since Jim stayed in the 5 1/2 Star Motel. Today he will be training the ten new franchise holders for the American Skylight company. Craig Hall said the name Texas doesn't work for a national company.
Jim started his training session by welcoming the nine men and one woman in attendance.
"I want each of you to know you have success in the palm of your hand. The only thing stopping you from succeeding is you. Two years ago, I was in your place. But we didn't have a training program. We do now because of my on-the-job experience. Call it a school of hard knocks, if you will.
"The first day of operations for me as a franchise holder, I made a list of all the things that I thought could go wrong and I would fail. I think I had nineteen items before I passed out from too much bourbon. The following day my wife told me she was pregnant with our third child.
"At the end of the first twelve months of operations, my franchise had installed more than two thousand skylights. Our results were more than twice our goal.
"My accomplishments were due to fear, fear of failure. I was afraid of all the things that could go wrong. Fear motivated me to make sure nothing went wrong, and when it did, I fixed it.
"Today, I will teach all the things that will go right. I will teach you how to manage your new business. I will teach you success. Let me be very clear. I do not teach or accept failure."
***
Carolyn asks, "Jimmy, how did your first training day go for you and the new franchise holders?"
"It was good. They are a motivated group of people. I think I made the right decision to join Craig as the Vice President of Operations."
"Jimmy, we still own the East Texas franchise, and last year we added Houston and South Texas to the portfolio. You have the Rodriguez brothers to run those operations. With the salary, bonus, and stock options for the new job, you will be a millionaire by year-end. And Daddy can retire anytime he wants."
"Well, what could go wrong?"
"Nothing, I hope. I am pregnant."
 Recognized |
#12 November 2022 |
Artwork by Renate-Bertodi at FanArtReview.com
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