On graduation from university my father and a number of other fathers rented out the top floor of our favourite pub, Das Fas, for our graduation party. Dinner finished at a nice hotel in town, the dads sent the moms back to their respective rooms and took the boys out for a beer - the imparting of wisdom from one generation to the next.
Bob Kirkhart, father of my roommate Tom had the best advice of the entire evening as I remember.
"The secret to being a successful businessman is simple", he told us. Mr. Kirkhart had sold industrial pipe his entire career and had been extremely successful as a pipe salesman.
"For the first twenty years of your career", he said, "Do people favours. And for the second twenty?", he continued, "Collect em'".
"For the first twenty years of your career", he said, "Do people favours. And for the second twenty?", he continued, "Collect em'".
I'm a few years or so over the first 20 year period of my career, and wondering if somehow I had forgotten to do enough favours for people on my way up the ladder. I don't have people chasing me on Facebook or any of the other places I can be found by people I might have screwed over. But I've decided for sure, that I am definitely in the second have of that 40 year career Mr. Kirkhart spoke about - and would like to start living the way he described.
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