Email from Mike and my response

Sent: Mon, February 28, 2011 8:14:31 PM


Subject: Re: Mike read this before 10 pm EST

Listen I would love to make that kind of money staying home. But it just don't sound like it that easy I'm a full time business owner and always working to make a living and its hard too. So if it was that easy then I would do it. Nothing is for free today in this country and to make like you said that kind of money just seems like a bluff to me. Like I said I would love to but I prob have a better chance to win the lotto.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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My Response

Hello Mike,


I appreciate your response. You are right in that it is a business and all business require work. However, let me reference a brief story from my grandfather in late 2004. Just a few months after me starting with Coastal.

My grandfather had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and I knew that this could lead to his death. While he was still relatively healthy one Wednesday morning I was visiting him at his house. Now a little background on my grand father. He was a self made business man. He started out when he married my grandmother they had dirt floors. He was a manual laborer on a farm, eventually got an entry level position with Mayflower moving company. Moved his way up to clerk with Mayflower and always saved money. One day he saw a mom and pop moving company called Faircloth moving company and he bought it. He worked that company for several years until he retired in his fifties but then he started another business later.

On my visit I thought it was time to learn from my granfather's wisdom knowing he may not be able to share that with me much longer. Being a Cancer Nurse prior to my Coastal career I knew patients always had alot of wisdom to share if you asked and listened. So that is what I decided to do. Here is that conversation as best as I can remember.

Jackie:  Papa, if you would tell me anything about business that you feel I should know what would it be.


He contemplated as if he knew this was a serious question and he wanted to give a good response.

Papa:  I can tell you two things. First find a business that pays you the most for your efforts and don't feel guilty about how much money other people DON'T make.


Jackie:  What do you mean?


Papa:  Well let me give you an example. Jackie, you know me and your grandma started out very poor. I remember thinking life would never be any different for us. Back then I just wanted to land a decent job, so I got that job at Mayflower and I was proud of that. I learned that business inside and out. So one day I saw a moving company for sale in the paper and I decided to use my saving and buy it. That was in the 60s and we thought we really had something. We brought in gross revenues of $300,000 a year but would only profit about $30,000 which was still good money back then but it was incredibly hard work. I was never home and me and one of my sons were driving all over the country moving people and businesses. You were always paying out far more than you could ever keep. It felt crazy but it was all I knew and I just assumed that is how business was. Then when I was in my early fifties I told your grandma we had plenty of money in savings and I was out of the moving business so I retired. Now this is the lesson I want you to learn Jackie.

One day I was bored of being at home, I saw a small convience store for sale out in Dudley. I had never ran a convienent store and knew nothing about it but figured if I broke even at least it would give me something to do each day. It was cheap so I bought it. Jackie, I worked a lot of hours at that convienent store. I loved every minute of it. I had the men that would come in the morning and talk with me and then I had the men in the evening that would come in, it was like people were always visiting me. I worked alot of hours there but it was very easy work. Jackie, I was shocked at how much money you could make in the convienent store business. If I would have known how much money you could make for the effort that you put in, I would have owned a convienent store my entire life!


alittle nervous to ask what I was thinking but I had to know


Jackie:  Well Papa, how much money did you make?


Papa:  (with his eyebrows raised) Jackie in the late 70s and 80s I did an average net profit of $108,000 a year and never worked even close to what I did with the moving business. All businesses are NOT created equal. Find the one that will pay you the most and work it hard. This new thing you are doing from home it sounds like that could be a good business. (he was talking about Coastal, I had shared alittle of it with him and some of the money I was starting to make).


I had to go back to his second piece of advice

Jackie:  Papa you said, also something about never feel bad about how much money someone else is NOT making what did you mean by that?

Papa:  I'll give you a good example. In the convienent store business, I did put in long hours 60 sometimes 70 a week but I loved every minute of it. I was also beginning to feel like I was getting rich. I have always lived pretty modest and I had plenty of money. However, I started to feel guilty about my bookkeeper and my stock guy. I had only one main employee he was a great guy, and I only paid him $10,000 a year back then. I had a bookkeeper and I paid her about $7 an hour back then. I went through a time where I thought I should be paying them more. They had needs in their lives, I heard them complain about not having money and I was making plenty of it. Jackie, I thought more about that. I asked myself what would really change for them if I paid them more money. Would they work any harder? Would they be more efficient? Would that solve their financial problems?

Then I realized, both of the people were better off than I was when I started my young adult life. What is keeping them from doing more with what they got? How come my bookkeeper doesn't grow her business? Both of these people had options in their life that was better than me just giving them more money. More money would not solve their problems. Jackie, you can not feel guilty nor is it your responsibility to look out for the well being of people who make choices not to do more with what is already in front of them. But you need to find a business that will pay you the most for the effort that you put in.


All businesses are NOT created equal....

(My grandfather did eventually pass away full of dignity as an honorable patriach. I wish he could see me now. More importantly I wish he could see people like Stacy in NC, Rob and Meggan in Ontario, Andrea in TX, Tara and Gavin in Ontario, Stephen in FL, Selene in FL, Bob in WA, and so many more that have successful businesses today mainly because of the advice that he gave me and I have followed it whole heartedly. )


Mike, I wish you the best with your business. If you want to do some serious research and check us out feel free to give me a call I will be glad to schedule an interview with you. 1-888-309-5759.

All the best,
Jackie O'Quinn