I was 35 years old, selling memberships at International Fitness Centers in Tucson Arizona. Having been challenged in my earlier years of finding myself it was this three years that allowed me to discover the business world and evolve into what I believe of myself as a top flight journeyman marketer.
My mother did all she could to raise three boys on her own, holding down three jobs, was the role model that I believe to this day, is what drives me. I certainly did not want to work as hard as she did. I was determined to find my way, never quite knowing what way that was. With no guidance, my Mother did not make it through High School, it was great of me simply to graduate High School. My mother was proud, indeed.
I enlisted in the Army in 1968, half way into my 17th year…I would be just a month older than 18 years that found me in Vietnam. It was my first look at the outside world and the trouble 60's not withstanding, found myself lost and bewildered.
One day I found myself at the health club, working. I could always sell, never knowing really just the talent I had, I would always say I had great communication skills. I found my creativity and a niche for marketing and selling was something I could finally sink my teeth into and it not being work (you see, my definition of work is when you prefer to be doing something else. I don't work, I make money at what I have fun doing, yes there are responsibilities that “make” it work…but that is a small price to pay for “no one owes us a living.” This is what my mother really drove home to myself and my brothers.
I found creative ways in which to market the health club by putting out, a neighborhood flyer that businesses near the health club would participate with mel on. It was a simple concept and one that involved “cross marketing.” I simply found neighboring businesses that like me were tired of getting pitched to by advertising people so we created our own flyer with all ten of us equally sharing the total cost, divided by ten, the distribution, divided by ten, I put it all together, I didn't know it but I was getting into the publishing business.
One day, when what I was doing wasn't working I decided to go to Tucson's largest employer and see if they had something I could print at no cost to them and something that would contain advertising. I found they had a newsletter…well, that is how it really all BEGAN.
Working still at the health club, keeping this brochure flyer going to 9 months doing it every week before running into Hughes Aircraft it was time for me to make the decision based on the fact that I could no longer do both…I had to take a chance..form a 35k stable position to I don't know if I can pay my rent or car payment unless I MAKE it happen on my own..
I decided having reflected on how hard my mother worked for little reward I decided to go for it….I quit the fitness club.
Working out of my house, taking care of my mother, I made phone calls and sold advertising, still working with a printer, having to use them for my design and printing, I quickly became frustrated, always wondering over the first 9 months, wouldn't it be great If I could do my own printing…..well, that day was not far away, I didn't know it at the time is all.
I saw an ad in the paper one day for printing equipment for sale. I had no money to buy anything, I don't even know why I stopped by, something told me go see this equipment…I did…
It was old, I had no experience at what this stuff even looked like, except for my experience with my printer for almost a year…..I blew the dust off the press and smile at the guy (you know the salesman's smile)…I said, you are never going to sell this….” I'm sure it works great, right?...of course it does the man said….well, I do remember this…I said to him….what do you say I agree to your price….will you let me make payments….again, I took my finger, and let the dust hit the room as I brushed my finger over the press….he looked up at me and said sure….(he knew or feared, that I would walk) I then said….can I make the first payment next month, you see I have a print shop to do, I will pay you then, but I can't get paid for that job unless you allow me access to the press so I can make the money to pay you with…he looked up me and smiled, and said sure….well, I still had no where to put the equipment and no one that knows how to run it…so I said…”What would you say if I paid you a few hundred dollars a month to allow me to keep my press (see it is mine already) here and hire my own press man, but I will need to use your other equipment like your cutter, your folder…..etc…..well for $5,000 in payments to make after I start making money I was now in the printing business. I couldn't wait to sell printing to my advertisers and advertising to my print customers…it was a beautiful thing.
It was no time at all before I was printing and publishing all under one roof as Access Marketing Systems. I would specialize in guerrilla marketing tactics in a way most have not seen. I would sell logo's for as little as $99. I knew full well that they would have to put that logo on many things, the least of which is their business cards, letterheads, envelopes, the usual…not to mention brochures, and more….soon though I discovered a niche that propelled me forward. …that was newsletters.
I was publishing upwards to 30 monthly newsletter, we would turn these around in 72 hours from raw copy to printed word. The interesting thing is how I marketing. I would publish these newsletters totally free of charge (sort of what I'm doing with the GPCC now)….and I would retain their advertising rights, of course I would always explain that their interests are my only interests as I would never sell to anyone that would be conflicting….Of the 30 newsletters only half dozen or so I did simply for the advertising revenue…I would work the other accounts as a print job…Necessity has been the mother of invention through the history of man, and through the history of Access Communications Team Innovation is how I often handled the needs due to lack of resources. I learned how to work smart.
We use and have been using for the past 10 years, our own “Bizgenerator” Data base management system. This data base developed by myself is 10 years old and simply started out as a more evolved way to handle my tickler file. Most publishing house have to dictate to their sales people a territory or a category that is theirs specifically. They do this for one reason really…that is so people don't step on others toes. A data base, not just for customers but for prospects allow you to capture information and utilize it well beyond the time that the salesman who entered the information left…the information stays with us…It helps us work smart. Because of this data base I have developed a 10,000 name list of relationship related businesses broken into 40 address books. When my sales
Ridicule of neighbors, dads reputation in neighborhood growing up in Brockton, Mass7 times readmitted to Foxboro Hospital
My brothers and I, by my Father...1963 Kidnapping, NY...All point Bulletin gone for 5 days,
stealing from cookie jar...construction materials, playing 5-12 shoplifting,...
car theft juvenile, and 17 in the army first time in jail. Agusta, Ga
Army,
theft from MP headquarters
Rape,
Vietnam, investigation of transport of
Returned,
3 times arrested in Fayetville, Ft. Bragg
The start of Heroin Use from Vietnam
Petty crimes, selling, distributing,..a few B&E’s, armed robbery, bank theft,...
Honorably Discharged, negating a likly dishonarble discharge from on going investigations that I manipulated investigators taking me into my release...cooperating while not giving real info
Sept 71 release from Army
Dec. 71 Indicted and held for Armed Roberry.
Sentenced to 5-7 years in Walpole State Prison
Riots, Boston Strangler, transferred to Norfolk State,
and ultimately Concord State prison.
Represented myself to reduce my sentence and was eligible for release
within 90 Days, for a total of just under two years served while being on parole, this an other crimes, via 24/7 drug use, made me committed to life on the installment plan...
1972- during the time I was part of a State funded program for inmates to participate with the court system. I interview and was accepted to work with the Stoughton Court House (name of county escapes me) working with Judge Sullivan as a Bailiff. I would do the hear ye, thing, and transport prisoners to county and state prisons. The trusted position was part of Judge Sullivans desire to protect the dignity of the inmates. his thought that one who Òhas been there, done that would be able to relate to the yet to be found guilty detainee in a more humane way.
1972, still working at the courthouse, this one year position was interrupted when my brother and I broke into a drug store. We were busted on site,
all downhill from there, until 1985. During the split in time there were countless of city jails, county prisons, state prsions (Nebraska State, Walpole State, Norfolk State, Concord State-Massachusetts. Honolu, county jail, Yuma Terriorial county jail, Phoenix County Jail, La County Jail, Fayetville, NC county Jail, Columbus Ga, county jail, Portland County Jail.
Federal Prisons included Williamsburg Pa, Telladega, Al, Tucson Wilmot, NewYork Detention,
and more that I cannot recall.
With work experiences on the run that included, Creating and performng in Male Exotic Dancers on my own shows in over 3 clubs weekly, including Female wrestling, performed in Porn, worked in the the seedy side of sex trade...while in LA.....over a 5 year period with breaks to go back to jail for one reason or the other, most of which parole violations from constant and ongoing drug use. Heroin primarily, or opiates in general, cocaine, and virtually EVERYthing else, this all done mainlining...I was addicted to the needle as much or if not more than the drugs.
This is rough, but does give a glimpse that contrasts greatly my new reality, and thus...who can say what I’m saying without having anyone “put me on trial.” I have done what few have...it is that simple and NO ONE...wishes to tell my story, or give me credit for what I have done...all that I have earned...has been throught sheer preservation, perserverance, and a determined will to get out of life what it has to offer, if you just WORK for IT!
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