more pieces ...

 see previous ; https://cser5.blogspot.com/2022/02/another-pieces-of-puzzle-see-previous-2.html

So ... I told Mike that I had this super offer to start and manage a new office for Pan-European with so many “extras & attractions’

Mike panicked , “ oh no, ChRiS, its working here so well with you , but I was bored without career challenge or of my driven desire for “progress:..

we talked and agreed to talk to 3 people working for “customers of Essel” as Mike wanted us to start a new service and I was considering the idea (but still a big difference, at that time from working for ourselves instead of for others...)

we had priate drinks with 3 in the evenings ...ALL three told us “NO, its a recession, bad time to start something new, when you both have secure careers?’

So, I told mike that I would accept the wonderful 5 year contract from Pan-European & then we should keep in touch and see how it is in 5 years, Mike reluctantly agreed. Then the next day;

I get a call from the Financial Director to come to his office ... he gave me my “cards” and salary to date & told me the co sec would accompany me whilst I cleared my desk of personal items & take me to the station..! I asked “dont you want to talk about this?” he said “NO, you know why!” ..and that was ir

MY desk was only a couple of metres from Mike, and he looked confused as I took out my personal things (under supervision) I motioned that I would call him, (no mobiles) and I dd from the local train station..

He said “ I know” (he had to meet the bosses in the afternoon) they fired him, THEIR first employee, general manager (it was still a relatively young business) ...

he was out , but had a young child and heaby house mortgage, and No JOB offer...that made ME angry,,,!

So I said “ lets GO FOR it “ I was motivated aginst Essel & all the rivals ..I knew I was GOOD at organising and negociating deals etc & mike was a good bureaucrat, he liked the afmin side, I could do it too but it bored me! ...

so...

I made some calls (we actually registered as unemployed for 1 week) thats all it took for me to agree a rental at the Stratford (Londond E15) container base (sharing their telex machine) and some “guarantees” from Henry harris forwarding to cover our first shipments) for a silent share.. (mistake?)

I made a list of the 6 biggest customers of our rivals...

I got them all within a few months ‘ I was “aggressive” unlike our rivals who waited for business to come to them , I visited the main wine buyers , told them our service is the best, and gave them a deal for 12 months (taking a risk on currency & other potential fluctuations) it worked in my favour... as did;

The operations... Mike was worried that he might not cope alone, (he thought we needed a secretary to answer the phone ...) At the start we just took turns to answer the one telephone on one desk that we shared in our small office above the container company... amazing that none , Inc “Marks & Spencers” cared where we were based or our “capital” (we had just invested 500 GBP in a start up company Ltd!)

I told mike , no... I informed the wine buyers that every friday they would get a “status report” (via telex!) every Friday... no need to phone for info...

So mike could concentrate on administration of the shipments... and we did everything via telex (still the only 100% secure legal form of communication)

I travelled , negociated international contracts, did the deals & mike ran the office admin (local/uk stuff)

I told mike to invoice WHEN we got the order from the client company, (not wait until shipped) as long as we quoted their order number on OUR invoice the big companies would pay virtually immediately... and I negociated up to 3 months credit with our suppliers, I also convinced mike to let the port agents make out our import papers at a small fee...because then we could send them a duty CHEQUE by port which took a few days to clear thus each 10,000 GBP duty /tax per shipment remained on our bank for a few days more..

after 6 months we had about 250,000 GBP on our bank account... I got a call from Barclays manager (Barry) “who are you? & can I buy you lunch?” ...

He told us we could also put all available monies on “special overnight deposit” at 15 % interest in our favour, (sheer profit)

Then we were shipping sometimes 20 container loads in a week, Jacqui, who worked for an insurance brokers in London, told me, “now you can go and get an arrangement direct with Lloyds of London (the wholesalers of insurance” with an open carnet , so we can just decare our shipment at the end of each month for insurance , AND slash our insurance fees by half..

so within the first year , we were making

*Profit on our basic service (as planned)

Plus

* extra profit on insurance saving

* extra profit on operations (negociating lower shipping rates)

&

* Extra profit on our money ..(high bank interest)

It was like a dream...

EVERYTHING went for us, including the “recession” we were warned about, as our service was Better and cost Less than our bigger rivals “ and I made some “ small is beautiful” adverts in the wine trade press! :)

We paid our seleves a “normal salary” similar to before, and apart from my travel/entertaining clients expenses (and a small office rent) had almost no overheads .... by that first Xmas we had cleared over half a million GBP profit, from Zero...

We even didnt buy NEW cars that xmas, we both got nearly new (2ns hand) big ford Granada cars (2.8) ..fairly cheap...

yet, on the first day after Xmas, I drove to the office in my Granada, Mike parked at the same time in the same old car he had borrowed (not his “new Grenada”) I asked him “ Hey Mike, wheres YOUR car?” he replied ; “ Pat (his wife) is using it today!”

and that was a clue to what would ruin the perfect partnership enterprise.....

(next “when stupidity become a betrayal!” )

See: below

https://cser5.blogspot.com/2022/02/another-pieces-of-puzzle-see-previous-2.html

“Freedom is never granted; it is won.

Justice is never given; it is exacted.”

(fREEDOM E union AIMS & OBJECTIVES ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5sFE8nBgSc

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