July Fourth or July Fourth weekend back in 1988, my husband got a call to go in to help a patient out of pain. He was about 2 weeks into his official practice as new dentist. His Dad was out of town so it was us who went down to see the emergency. Since he would need an assistant, I went with him. I don’t remember the exact reason for the pain and discomfort but the usual protocol was to do what was needed to get the patient comfortable, and then have them come back in to the office for follow up care. The patient who came in was a local builder who had had a successful career in the auto industry as an engineer and then after retiring, he followed his desire to design and build homes. His home ,at the time, were some of the most detail and functional custom homes in the area. He was know as the guy to build a quality luxury home with outstanding customer service. When my husband completed the work and the patient was comfortable, he gave him instructions for follow up and he told him that he’d most likely need a crown and you will probably want Dr. Roger to do it. Since Brad was brand new to the practice and he was doing cleanings and basic dentistry as he got to “know the patients,” which was very customary at the time for a new dentist. “No, Brad, I’d like you to do any follow up work, crown or what ever is involved. I appreciate you coming in on a holiday. Thanks for taking care of me. Who knows, someday you may even want me to build a house for you.” He shook Brad’s hand and sure enough, he came in and he was my husband’s first crown patient out of school. Four years later, we did buy one of “Rob’s” houses. By then, he was building the larger custom luxury homes, but he had partnered with another local builder and he was building moderate priced homes in an established neighborhood. These were not the upscale homes he had started with, he still did those, but with a partner, these were homes with some custom features, good quality but in the 2,000-2,800 sq. Ft, not custom floor plan but nice ‘spec’ homes with some detailed woodwork, upper end appliances, reputable windows, a little step up from the basic house but not the over the top. We were out driving on a Saturday afternoon in May and went through the neighborhood where these moderate homes were being built. A few were open to walk through, so we stopped and with a 2 year old and a 2 month old in arms, we decided to take a look. It was nice and we thought, maybe down the road. There were others walking through and we saw Rob,
“Hi Doctor, take a look around, let me know what you think.”
“We were just driving through, we‘re aways away from a move. It’s really nice. You do very detailed work.”
We went home that Saturday afternoon and said little about the house. It was nice, but really, the timing was not right. We had a new baby, we really had just gotten settled into our starter home, but down the road it was most definitely an option to think about and Rob’s new line of homes that he partnered with another local builder on could give us an affordable way to have a nice somewhat custom home in a nicely established neighborhood.
On Monday, when the Hubby came home from work, he said, that he thought we needed to seriously think about the new home. He had had a patient who had put their house on the market, sold it in less than a day and now they need to find a place to move. “We found a house, I think with the improvements we have made to this house, I think we can afford the new home. Well, we did. Rob gave us a break on the house since there was no real estate commission and the sale of our house made for the deal to be in our price range…
Over the last couple of months, we have seen how the market place has been affected by corporations that have decided to make political and social statements. Look at Patagonia, Bud Light, Target and Kitchen Aid. I’m thinking that shareholders at Target are longing for the days of the Dog, customers associated them with and not the ‘tuck’ swim suits they now are known for (I had to think about that one a bit and I still am not sure I understand). Whether it’s “Go Woke, Go Broke” or that the consumers are just fed up with having social issues shoved down their throat when all they want to do is shop for the goods their families need or maybe when it comes to the influence on their kids and grandkids they have just decided to draw the line, but “The people have spoken” and I wonder if the sleeping tigers have been awoken. It seems as if most people have no objections to people living their lives as they wish, for people to love who they love, “just let me live my life’ appears to be consensus from what I have read and observed. People are People and every person deserves to be respected and to be free to live the life they were meant to, as long as their wishes don’t harm others. People’s private lives should be just that, PRIVATE. We don’t need to know what goes on behind closed doors in ANY relationship. Period.
Maybe that’s why it’s so interesting to see major companies weigh in on social issues. Just sell beer, clothes, tents, kitchen appliances and leave the activism alone. Who has advised these companies to do this, remains to be seen, but what is “a given” is that business schools around the country and maybe world wide will study the cases of how these companies have “TANKED” their stock. The case study could be called “How NOT to Succeed in Business-Pissing-Off Your Customer Base” As mentioned in a previous blog post, Michael Jordan had it right when asked about who he would market his shoes to. His response was “Republicans buy sneakers too.” And how right he was and interesting how so many people really liked/like Michael Jordan, one of the most respected and celebrated athletes of all times and quite a smart man as well.
“Money Talks and Bull-_ _ _ _ Walks” seemed to be so much of the world. “Show me the Money!” Maybe all you need to know in business or maybe not. Money has been called the lubricant of life, money can’t guarantee happiness but it can make some things easier and likewise, it can make some things more difficult.
Think about Target. Think about the employees who don’t give two hoots about the social issues of the day, they are just there to get a paycheck. If sales drop, will they still have a job? Think of the partnerships some have with Target, like Chip and JoAnna Gaines and Starbucks. All those employed by their interest, who have understandably remained silent in all of the controversy. They may have a lot at stake. How will they fare in this situation? Look at Bud Light. Think of the drivers, the distributors. If consumers decide to look at all brands associated with Bud Light, many stand to loose if customers switch to brands like Modelo, Coors Light or a variety of smaller breweries….Money Talks and Bull-_ _ _ _ Walks, experience a faux pas and yes, someone will be there to fill the void. As humans, we ourselves are like no other and we each hold a special place in the hearts of those we love, no doubt. However, if we don’t do our job or run out business well, the job we do or our business can and will very easily be replaced. Just this week when I stopped into Walmart, a new look is very clearly visible, a new “dollar” section at the front of the store, very much like the look of Target’s front section of $1, $3 and $5 buys. Walmart is upping their design game by designated areas, new eye catching displays and attractive updates to the grocery store. Yes, Money Talks and Bull-_ _ _ _ Walks.
Law enforcement and our judicial system too is not immune to the “Money Talks and Bull-_ _ _ _ Walks. These issues we thought were common in third work countries or in lands where our adversaries preside or circumstances throughout history that let to revolutions in countries like France, or Russia where the nobility got too powerful and the rules of the common person were not the same set of rules for those in power, “Rules for Thee but Not for Me,” but no, just look at Biden Family. Our President even bragged about withholding 1 billion dollars in U.S. loan guarantees to the Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko, if he didn’t fire prosecutor General Vicktor Shokin, who was investigating his son, Hunter. Biden quoted in his own words…
“ I said you’re not getting the billion I’m going to be leaving here in, I think, it was about six hours. I looked at them and said I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money. Well son of a b_ _ _ _, he got fired.”
Yes, Money Talks and Bull-_ _ _ _ Walks. Avoid taxes, employ prostitutes, obtain illegal drugs, you don’t want to acknowledge your own child, or avoid paying the correct amount of child support, no problem, yes, Money Talks and
Bull-_ _ _ _ walks. Interestingly, there are somethings that money CANNOT buy. Credibility and honor do not have a price tag. Cheat a business partner or treat a collaborator unfairly and one may gain monetarily, initially, that extra percentage or a little more in the bank account after the sale of a company may make your smile a little bigger, but the bad feelings and loss of respect by someone, once a trusted advisor or friend, is not easily gained back and may never be restored. People don’t forget being cheated or taken advantage and it’s a lesson once learned is never forgotten. We once paid a painter the final payment for painting our house, before the last details were completed. The painter asked for final payment on a Friday and promised to come back to finish on Monday. He never did and never returned our phone calls to complete the job. That was on us, as we never should have paid him the balance until the job was done. I saw his truck in the neighborhood just earlier this week. How tempted I was to drive up to the home he was working at, but resisted. Once this happens, one can vow to never let it happen to them again, decide that they will NEVER treat someone like that or hopefully not, get even-never a good solution, as “…Vengeance is mine says the Lord… ” Romans 12:19. On the other hand, when someone behaves in the opposite way in a business venture, and they go out of their way to make a transaction fair for both parties, well that sticks with us as well. Those are the people who are smart with their money yet have not let the money change their ability to know what is right and what is wrong. Yes, people LOVE their money, but when money gets in the way with their relationships and they become a ‘slave’ to their money, well that’s when money is evil as in “Money is the root of all evil,” I Timothy 6:10. Money can be used for good and money can be used for evil or cause one to make a poor or bad decision.
…As we were moving in to our new home back in 1992, built by Rob and part of his collaboration with “Hans," a neighbor came over to introduce herself. We had a short conversation and I told her how we had come to know Rob as a very trustworthy man and how happy we were with our new home. She told me that they had had the opposite experience with his partner, Hans. They had moved into a house that he had built. When they asked him to fix some drywall in their bedroom that had been poorly done, his comment to them was to “just put a piece of furniture in front of it.” As we finished up our conversations and decided to get our kids together after we got settled a lawn mowing service came up and they started on our lawn. We cut our own lawn back then, I ran to tell them that they must have made a mistake before they went any further, I didn’t want them to waste their time. The guy said to me, “No, we were sent here by Rob, he wanted us to cut your lawn, he thought it would help you out as you get settled this week.” Thirty-one years later and I still remember that story…”For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” Matthew 6:21. Money, Money Money. There are some things, money just can’t buy…It’s a Great Day 🏡
