Get off your ass
March 13, 2008 //
Coming out of a restaurant yesterday I noticed a guy selling a Big Issue magazine. In case you don’t know, The Big Issue is a magazine published especially for homeless people trying to get back on their feet. They get a percentage of each one sold.
So this guy, Carlos, grabbed my attention as he flipped one of the magazines up and down his arm with a beaming smile on his face. I couldn’t help but smile and stop to watch him. We could all take a leaf out of this guy’s book. He didn’t jump in my way to ask for money. Nor did he try to sell it in the same way that the rest of his pals do; by shouting out ‘Biiiig Isssue’. He, like the few companies that get the ‘art of conversation’, managed to get my attention by demonstrating how much he enjoyed selling his product. It’s not about ‘telling’ people why ‘you’ think you’re the best.
I don’t buy the Big Issue often. Actually, I think I’ve bought it twice in the past. However, I was so compelled to buy it this time that I went into a shop and bought a bar of chocolate that I didn’t want, in order to get change. He wouldn’t take the chocolate without paying for it either, which I admired.
This guy, who is likely to be starting from a much lower point than most of us, is getting himself out there. He’s determined to make it by doing jobs which may be beneath others, so he can put money into his new business idea. Check out his exhibition.
Check out my video of Carlos that I streamed live to the Web yesterday. He did end up on camera but for some reason it’s cut short.
On that note
- Never expect things to happen… struggle and make them happen
- Never expect your business to be given a high value, create a high value propisition
- A drop of water that falls in a lake has no identity. But if it falls on a leaf of lotus it shines like a pearl. So choose the best place where you would shine. Network and connect like crazy.
- Falling down is not defeat… defeat is when you refuse to get up
- A ship is always safe at shore… but it wasn’t built for it. Take calculated risks
- Even the word ‘IMPOSSIBLE’ says ‘I M POSSIBLE’
The funniest and most cringe-worthy job I ever did was advertising a woman’s clothes shop by sporting a sexy sandwich board on the middle of the high street where I come from. I don’t know how I plucked up the courage because I was a young teenager at the time. So, never believe your mother when she says “I’ve got a great ‘opportunity’ for you son”. Thanks mother, it’s your fault I’ve turned out this way. It’s no wonder you ended up as a brilliant physiotherapist, psychotherapist - I was your experiment 
What’s the one job that you did which makes you cringe?
marco goldschmied says 
jamesq says 
Sharon Crossley says 
Grant Bannister says 
So you’re gonna make "The Secret Millionaire!" on QIK instead? very clever (and far more entertaining!).
Did you mean "physiotherapist" or "Psychologist"?
March 13th, 2008
For some reason, my eyes got all watery over Carlos!
Most cringeworthy job was my first at legal age. I’d done loads of babysitting and pitching it at my dad’s office on reception but the day I turned 16 and could legally work, I had an interview at the truck stop down the road from my house. No, it’s not what you’re thinking: I got a highly prized job as a dishwasher. It was mostly loading and unloading a boil/steam washer, which was especially ace in the humid, 100+ degree Ohio summer. Eight hour stretches on my feet - also a blast. Mopping the floors was the highlight of my shift.
Wish I’d appreciated then the luxury of being able to leave work at work…
March 13th, 2008
@Robin - I knew by spelling was crap, but I didn’t realise my attention to the spell checker was equally bad.
@Jackie - I did the whole dish washing thing in an Indian restaurant. I think my sandwich board moment beats that. At least you’re hidden inside a kitchen
March 13th, 2008
Really nice post Paul. I’ve only ever been, er,.. confronted by a Big Issues seller a handful of times but each time I walked quickly past… not because I don’t care but because I found each seller had an aggressive attitude (that’s why I say ‘confronted). Wish I’d met the likes of Carlos.
March 13th, 2008
@James - I wanted to talk to this guy on camera so much that I sat in a put drinking coffee waiting for my N95 to charge. He was great. Shame I didn’t catch him doing his little act.
March 13th, 2008