I was disgusted with myself after losing close to a half a million dollars of the two million my uncle Henry left me.
It wasn't because I was a stupid man but only because I was picking the wrong businesses to go into.
On the advice of a close friend I went to a business broker whose experience spanned over twenty five years.
He was a man in the mid- sixties with the look of wisdom painted on his face.
After filling out an application which asked me about my business experience and assets he carefully studied it.
Tears began flowing down his cheeks and he said that he was going to help me.
He said that my problem of becoming a business success was based on my fear of investing a large sum of money.
Then he reached into his desk and showed me a colorful brochure, it was about a new TV Plasma franchise.
It had photos of their flagship store in a large western city.
The store was beautiful and so was its merchandise.
I asked him to tell me more about it.
He said that it must be seen and the company would pay my airfare and atwo day stay at a luxury hotel.
I soon was on an Airjet and shortly afterward I bought a TV Plasma franchise for seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
The TV Plasma franchise store was opened in the center of my cities business district.
After the opening ceremony in which the national anthem was sung I cut the ribbon and was in business.
I had a fully trained staff of three employees and all I had to do was to watch over them.
We sold four flat screened 40 inch plasma television sets with a price tag of eighteen hundred dollars on our opening day.
After closing time I took my staff out to dinner for a celebration.
The second week in business we sold only two thirty inch plasma flat screens and one forty inch one.
It was a bad week and hopefully we would do better in the future.
Sales never got better and with a rent of ten thousand dollars a month I was going into my personal funds to keep the store open.
After nine months of almost no business I threw in the towel and declared bankruptcy.
I sold out my inventory to pay the creditors.
My losses were over a million dollars and a broken spirit.
After losing most of the money my uncle Henry left me in his will I came to the conclusion that I was not born to be a businessman.
I asked my old boss for my handyman job back.
He hired me on the condition that I would never discuss my business failures with him.
Since he was in business himself he needed to have a positive attitude.
I agreed and became a successful employee.
Melpol