The Good Ole Days
Posted by dan on June 9, 2008 under Marketing Integrity, Marketing Strategy, Netphobia, New Media, Story Telling, Work Ethic
Being a German workaholic, my father came to America in the late 60’s with a few hundred bucks (most of which disappeared into the pockets of his fellow immigrant taxi driver upon arrival in New York). Nevertheless, he retired a successful business man with a multi-million dollar company. As I was reminded daily as a child, he worked his butt off doing everything he could to succeed, and built a plastics company from the ground up. Nothing was given- everything was earned. It was this obsession with perpetual labor that convinced me that this was a man who would never retire. Nothing shy of death would stop the man who was impervious to the concept of “time off” from not clocking in 6 to 7 days a week. Needless to say, it came as a surprise when I got that late summer phone call telling me he was selling the company and calling it quits.
Dad was quick to allay my fears of terminal illness or dementia. Ultimately, it was marketing that got him in the end. Dad always took care of everything for himself, trusting none but his two giant, calloused hands to cover ever detail from turning the heat on in the morning to firing up the machinery, then into the front office donning a suit and tie to shake hands, wheel and deal, and watch the business boom. Then the playing field changed.
Popularity: 35%