Desperate Circumstances -- And Yet a Lot to Be Thankful For
2008 has been the hardest year of my life.
As an entrepreneur business owner I've invested my families future and savings into my business. I'm pursuing a dream that I know is going to work out, but that any rational person would have abandoned a while back. Like so many others you see on the news these days, I'm walking a tightrope without a safety net. Each day is a precarious balancing act, on the edge of financial disaster.
What I've come to realize is that I've slipped and fallen off the tightrope many times this past year, but each time there has been someone there to catch me before I hit the ground.
Daryl Shapiro - My dear friend Da has had a six sense to know when he needed to insert himself into my life. Sometimes he would take me out and just make me smile at the times I needed it most. Other times, he'd call in favors at his company to bring the vast resources of his firm to my aid, for deferred compensation. Giving me the help I needed without having to come up with them money to pay for those services, when I didn't have the funds.
Grandpop Paul - Who, without me asking, would send us checks that arrived at the times I was most desperate and without other possibilities. An angel on earth.
My In-Laws - They care for me as much as if I was their own flesh and blood. Their support, encouragement and vow to "be there so nothing terrible happens" has been like wind beneath my wings.
David Krone - My successful college fraternity brother, who stepped in, without hesitation (or written agreement or collateral) to help me make ends meet when I couldn't on my own.
Lenny Fuchs - My right hand man and business partner, who has deferred compensation for a year so we could keep expenses low and give ourselves the chance to get our business to the promise land.
Dr. Alan Glazier- Gave me consulting work when I really needed the money and agreed to pay up front. And then when I was behind schedule (because of my other business interests taking precedence over his project) didn't enforce the "claw back" that would have required me to repay a portion of the money received (which I didn't have) because I missed our agreed upon deadlines.
Jay Abraham - Famed marketing guru who advanced me money when, unbeknowst to him I was having trouble making my mortgage. In his words "I giving you this check because I know were going to do something together and I know you can use this. We'll figure out the details later. "
Spike Humer - A kind soul, brilliant business man and now business partner who has moved mountains to open doors and create great opportunities for me.
Bill Bartmann - A tough yet compassionate self-made billionaire. Bill cancelled one project we had been working on for 6 months, but didn't ask for any of his money back. Who expresses their dissatisfaction, cancels, and then doesn't want their money back? It would have put us under.
My Daughter Zoe - Pure sunshine. Sent by God to make me smile and stay positive regardless of what difficulty I was straining to overcome or deal with on any given day.
My Wife Lisa - Who never wanted the crazy life of being an entrepreneurs wife. She has battled through more than she had strenth to endure and is still standing by my side. She's the love of my life, without her with me, any success I have achieved would be completely void of meaning.
My Father - Hard for me to say anything about him without getting choked up. He's risked his retirement and financial future to support me and our business. I'll never be able to fully express how much I love and appreciate him. Every day it motivates me to be successful to replenish his bank account so he and my mom can retire and do whatever they want.
No one is successful on their own. If you look closely, even in the most dire of circumstances, we're all being helped so we don't fall. Our job, as basketball coach Jimmy Valvano famously said is to "Don't give up. Don't ever give up."
As an entrepreneur business owner I've invested my families future and savings into my business. I'm pursuing a dream that I know is going to work out, but that any rational person would have abandoned a while back. Like so many others you see on the news these days, I'm walking a tightrope without a safety net. Each day is a precarious balancing act, on the edge of financial disaster.
What I've come to realize is that I've slipped and fallen off the tightrope many times this past year, but each time there has been someone there to catch me before I hit the ground.
Daryl Shapiro - My dear friend Da has had a six sense to know when he needed to insert himself into my life. Sometimes he would take me out and just make me smile at the times I needed it most. Other times, he'd call in favors at his company to bring the vast resources of his firm to my aid, for deferred compensation. Giving me the help I needed without having to come up with them money to pay for those services, when I didn't have the funds.
Grandpop Paul - Who, without me asking, would send us checks that arrived at the times I was most desperate and without other possibilities. An angel on earth.
My In-Laws - They care for me as much as if I was their own flesh and blood. Their support, encouragement and vow to "be there so nothing terrible happens" has been like wind beneath my wings.
David Krone - My successful college fraternity brother, who stepped in, without hesitation (or written agreement or collateral) to help me make ends meet when I couldn't on my own.
Lenny Fuchs - My right hand man and business partner, who has deferred compensation for a year so we could keep expenses low and give ourselves the chance to get our business to the promise land.
Dr. Alan Glazier- Gave me consulting work when I really needed the money and agreed to pay up front. And then when I was behind schedule (because of my other business interests taking precedence over his project) didn't enforce the "claw back" that would have required me to repay a portion of the money received (which I didn't have) because I missed our agreed upon deadlines.
Jay Abraham - Famed marketing guru who advanced me money when, unbeknowst to him I was having trouble making my mortgage. In his words "I giving you this check because I know were going to do something together and I know you can use this. We'll figure out the details later. "
Spike Humer - A kind soul, brilliant business man and now business partner who has moved mountains to open doors and create great opportunities for me.
Bill Bartmann - A tough yet compassionate self-made billionaire. Bill cancelled one project we had been working on for 6 months, but didn't ask for any of his money back. Who expresses their dissatisfaction, cancels, and then doesn't want their money back? It would have put us under.
My Daughter Zoe - Pure sunshine. Sent by God to make me smile and stay positive regardless of what difficulty I was straining to overcome or deal with on any given day.
My Wife Lisa - Who never wanted the crazy life of being an entrepreneurs wife. She has battled through more than she had strenth to endure and is still standing by my side. She's the love of my life, without her with me, any success I have achieved would be completely void of meaning.
My Father - Hard for me to say anything about him without getting choked up. He's risked his retirement and financial future to support me and our business. I'll never be able to fully express how much I love and appreciate him. Every day it motivates me to be successful to replenish his bank account so he and my mom can retire and do whatever they want.
No one is successful on their own. If you look closely, even in the most dire of circumstances, we're all being helped so we don't fall. Our job, as basketball coach Jimmy Valvano famously said is to "Don't give up. Don't ever give up."
When extraordinary people have extraordinary ideas to approach a new frontier, it take intelligence, determination, enthusiasm, grit, plain hard work and lots and lot of funding, to bring life a new business entity. As an investor, employee or parent there are always hard choices to weigh. I feel no parent in their right mind could turn away from assisting in the future success of a child.
Larry, parents do not always act in rational manner, but given the same situation and if the tables were turned your decision would be virtually the same as mine.
When our children are in their formative years, we do everything in our power to help them grow to be independent, level headed, with a sense of love and compassionate for all those close to them . As a parent, I believe I’ve learn more from my children than I’ve taught. I say this because, at a relative young age, our kids have a much better grasp on business, technology and communication and the world itself, than the prior generation. My real education has come as I watch and work with my kids and see their minds work like well oiled machines, and I would not trade this opportunity for all the riches in the world.
To all others who have played a part in Larry’s vision and offered their resources, assistance, funds, support and most important your “True Friendship” it is very much appreciate by not only Larry, but by me. From the bottom of my heart –Thank you…
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No matter how bad things look, you cannot go by how things look. Just because it looks like the blessing is not there, it does not mean that it's not there. Walk by faith and not by sight. Believe in your dream and keep building no matter what. Keep working on Blogger and Pod caster. I do not care what they say about the economy, if it is God's will that you will make it, you will make it. You have a lot of earth angels in your life helping you. God sent them. Keep building. Keep praying.
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I'm sure you other other daughter and mother refused to consent to be publicly thanked, otherwise they'd be here too, right?
no good deed goes unpunished?
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You're a good guy Sir. I think this universe is pleased to help a man like you.
Hey, that's including me from Indonesia. I'll try my best to bring "all" Indonesian bloggers in this network. Wait for me will you
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Good evening. I have a simple philosophy. Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches.
I am from Palestinian and also now'm speaking English, give true I wrote the following sentence: "More articles about sweating problem skin irritation due to excessive sweating."
Thank
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