Week From Hell

[Mojo]

I do not want to re-live this week again. It started out great on Monday and went to hell from there.

Tuesday I get a phone call from the President of Miami Corp letting me know Miami Mike is no longer with the company. It was a huge shock as it came out of the blue and there was no warning. I cannot get into details but will simply say the departure was " a difference of opinion  ". Mike was a close friend and will remain one and I plan on talking with him next week. I am hoping he stays in the industry as he has so much to offer. I have been in touch with him but am giving him his space at the moment to gather his thoughts. Please do keep Mike and his family in your thoughts and /or prayers. He has been a major help to many of us here on this forum.

The parting of ways with Mike and Miami created a big void for many. I know Miami spent all week tying up loose ends and Mike and I were working on a couple projects together which required
Miami's President to step in, take over and take the lead on and work directly with me. This is an ongoing project so will require more time and energy in the near future.

In addition to the above stated issues I also had a warranty claim against Recacril and that ended up bringing a phone call and apology from their North American head honcho. The warranty claim was taken care of and an equitable solution arrived at. They stepped up and took care of things for me and pledged their support in the future. But it took alot of time to solve my problems and issues I had with Rec. I ended our conversation pleased though and look forward to working with all of them.

I also had an ordering / stock issue with Sattler. That brought a phone call directly from Sattlers North American Chief. Actually he is a good friend and Him and I ( who have done seminars together before ) got that problem rectified and onward we go. Steve, their Chief has been another one who has been a big supporter of ours and has worked hard behind the scenes directly with me on marketing and product planning. We have been blessed to have him in our corner.

To add even more craziness to our week a prospective buyer from Atlanta came into town with his wife to look our operation over. Yes, I put a few feelers out on selling the company and got a bite. Our conversation ended with no sale and no prospect for a future sale but some interesting conversations did take place over future ventures together. We broke bread and had some interesting conversation. It was actually a fun time.

All of these issues came at a very busy time for us and consumed a great deal of time. I am glad some things were handled and laid to rest but to be honest I still feel an unease and an empty feeling inside over not having Miami Mike there by my side anymore. He was instrumental in our growth and helped me plan the many moves we made in our market. I have pledged my support to him and Susan and hope he comes out of this fine. It surely was a shock to many across the industry. Everyone inside the fabric industry knew Mike well and when I talked to them this week they all seemed to be in shock over it.

I just want to forget this week ever happened. Some great things happened for us during our many phone calls with various individuals and while I gained a great deal of knowledge working through problems with these various people the one thing I did learn is that our company is not for sale. We are poised for even more growth and plan on making some gutsy and interesting moves in the near future. The honchos from the various companies have pledged their support and are going to help us move forward. I don't think we could make the moves we have planned without their help. support and leverage / contacts. I am very grateful to them. God knows what the future holds but we are moving towards it regardless and are hoping for the best. It will be interesting to say the least. :)

I hope all of you had a better week, made some money and are staying busy. Have a great weekend,

Chris

[Mike]

I was surprised also when you told me mike is out.  he just solved a shipping billing issue for me last week.  this week has been tuff and not over. I got a usualty last minute pair a rush jobs from a local dealer. doig some seats for a grand banks trawler for a neighbor turns out hes a pilot and will be gone after I finished it tomorrow. also a job turned into a deadline of wensday so im working all weekend again .

and on top of it my female pup was spayed Tuesday and ive had to keep her and her brother who twise her size now apart from playing no running and she had a head collar on not to lick her stitches so far so good but nights sleeping has been tuff separating the 2 of them

[JuneC]

Wow, Chris, that is a surprise.  Mike was a fixture around there, even though I didn't do a whole lot of business with them.   I hope he can find a new position with a good fit for his skills.  I know you really depend on those personal contacts to keep things running smoothly, but life has no guarantees, eh?  Sucks. 

There's one thing in life that IS guaranteed - change.  I'm not a fan - I like my ruts and the comfort they offer.

Hang in there dude.  More to come, I'm sure.

June

[Mojo]

Some weeks are better then others Mike. I was due for this kind of a week as things have gone relatively smooth for a while. It actually brought alot of things to the surface that I needed to deal with. Amazing how sometimes we set things to the side and say " I will deal with this BS later " and then let it fester and drag on.

I had alot of plans I have been hashing out inside my mind and was hoping to bounce things off Mike. Actually we just started working on an expansion project together and his input was a big help.
I got assigned my new sales rep yesterday and I told him point blank, you have some very big shoes to fill.

I will admit I am not an easy person to work with. I am a hard charger, a perfectionist with OCD and I have very little patience. I am respectful to everyone and treat all of the people I work with with respect and kindness. But I have very little appetite for slackers and Mike was never a slacker. He never let me down.

I have to smile when I think of how Mike and I used to get into disagreements and we would go at each other. We had a few bruising arguments  but always laughed at the end and carried on. I have a great deal of respect for him. He busted his guts out for us.

I am glad to see your busy. The nice thing about working with airline pilots is they are flush with cash, pay their bills and are fairly easy going to work with. I have done over a dozen airline Captains buses in the last 10 months or so and enjoyed working with all of them. But they can be a bit demanding at times since they are used to people always following their orders. :)

Hope next week is a good one for you Mike. BTW, how is John doing ?

Chris

[Mojo]

I think it hit me hard because Mike and I talked on the phone alot. Sometimes daily.

Just hit me like a ton of bricks.

Miami Corp is doing all they can to minimize the loss and interruption for us. It just came at a bad time
is all.

I started this company with Mike as my Rep and together we had a good run. I went from a few cut yards of fabric here and there to full roll orders and then last year things went nuts and I went from a tiny blip on Miami's radar to a large account. I believe I was Mikes number 2 account in terms of volume and net sales. No idea where I am on Miami's overall list.

I miss the days of those ruts June. But then I get antsy and come up with all these ideas and when they start working I get overwhelmed. I think I just can not turn off all those years as a marketing consultant. It is in my blood and I start getting bored with the status quo and go into high gear and stir things up.

Funny, I had a dream the other night of me sitting on a deserted beach in Aruba, sitting in a lounge chair, sipping an ice cold diet coke and listening to the waves coming into shore. Then I woke to the real life...........lol..........But that beach thing sounds good.

BTW, how are things in Boca / Mecca ? Interior marine work keeping you busy ?

Chris

[Mike]

Well sitting having coffe on the porch before i hit it agsin today.
I like that beach chair think chris!   I bought a used seadoo 2 weeks ago. End of this im getting a second. The a. It cor me and my bro to cride to the local beach with them. Cheaper then a new pool lol. That what i was foing going over the skyway to see last week

[Mike]

you were rite chris. I finished the trawler cushions today gave then to a neighbor also a pilot and friend of my customer he will store them until the guy comes home back to florida in a couple weeks. he lived in brazil but stays with my neighbor when hes here.  I email him that they were done at delivered to his friends garage and he just called me from Chili with a credit payment.

[Mojo]

I love my pilot customers. They are to the point, don't screw around, give you their order and leave you alone. Of course their quick payments are appreciated. :)

Chris