Читать книгу Ageless Entrepreneur - Fred Dawkins - Страница 8

The Renewal of a Lifetime Allegiance

His return was my idea.

In his retirement Sam had reinvented himself yet again. Gary’s friend had lived the life of a serial entrepreneur grounded in self-determination. From the age of twenty-three he had been involved in a series of successful small businesses, more or less under the radar, but I had kept track. However, it was my nephew Mark, Gary’s son, who showed me a YouTube video of his uncle Sam giving a webinar on entrepreneurship focused on reaching, of all people, the millennial generation, kids like my grandchildren. How unlikely was that, for any old boy to be trying? Not to mention Sam. Next I discovered that he had published a book intended to encourage more people to consider entrepreneurship, offering shared experiences to better prepare those who tried. I decided that it was time for him to come home and share his story with the people who knew him first.

I had stayed put after attending the University of Guelph, taking a job with a local family-owned manufacturing firm, moving up to a senior management role in an organization that became my lifelong employer, all with the expectation of acquiring equity. I thought I was the owner’s succession plan. He found something better. Five years ago my revered boss, the architect of our long-term, two-way trust relationship announced the acquisition of our company by an American firm. Two years later the parent made an announcement of their own confirming our closure as they elected to consolidate operations. Their final act of kindness was the proverbial golden handshake. Equity was not to be mine. I dawdled around for the next two years doing some token consulting for them during the windup before electing to use my termination bonus as a down payment and buy a vacant 40,000 square foot industrial building, determined to control my own destiny.

It took me a lifetime to realize why Sam “just had to try” that little business when his father-in-law died. Self-determination, based on action, beats waiting for a promotion that might never come, hands down. I finally got the idea the hard way. Having control, even when burdened by total responsibility, beats the game of playing politics in an organization controlled by others. My experience offered quite a contrast from the diversity of Sam’s career, but ultimately I had seen the light. It was probably too late for me to achieve much, but better late than never.

My interest in his book went well beyond our old friendship. Sam was mentoring me again after all these years. He just didn’t know it. His target was a younger audience but there was unspent energy in many people my age along with a thirst for achievement, and in some cases an economic need to support a forced retirement.

I was to pick him up at the train station. Then we would head off to his presentation sponsored by the local chamber of commerce. Sam was speaking on “The New Era of Entrepreneurship,” one of his favourite topics. Afterward he would be signing books and mixing with old and new friends alike. About a hundred and fifty people were expected.

I had orchestrated the event with total confidence but now I was nervous. How well did Sam remember me? Was he just coming to sell books? What should I say to him? It had been so long. My emotions were raw as a siege of memories attacked my thoughts.

It started to rain, which somehow seemed appropriate, and then he was there walking down the platform toward me. It was reassuring to see the wide smile on the face of a man who still had the power to make me shake in the knees with the fear of disappointing him. Old habits die hard. Naturally, he spoke first.

“Well, Nick, I never would have thought that the kid Gary and I took out on Halloween fifty years ago and pushed over outhouses with would turn out to be such a respectable-looking dude.”

And with that offhand remark the ice was broken. There was a smile on my face matching the one on his as we shook hands and embraced with real feeling as only old friends could do.

“I’d almost forgotten that night. Gary made me promise never to tell a soul because if Mom and Dad found out he was in big trouble and I would be in worse. The two of you terrorized me that night. I was maybe seven and I was sure I was going to fall into one of those shithouses after you pushed it over, or worse, get caught by the owners.”

Sam was laughing out loud.

“Gary was furious that we had to take you but we made sure you didn’t cramp our style. We even collected some candy for you to keep you quiet.… I still miss him.”

There was an awkward silence, maybe the only one that happened over the next few weeks. Then I changed the subject.

“So welcome back, Sam. Are you all ready to give the big performance for the home crowd?”

That seemed to relax him.

“Actually I am. Some people can’t wait to grab a platform and speak to an audience. That’s definitely not me. Give me one-on-one or a small group anytime. I hated these bigger crowds at first. Too many people are easily impressed that you wrote a book regardless of what it’s about. I don’t like the attention, but I’m finally getting used to it. We should have a friendly audience today, don’t you think?”

We had fallen easily into a comfortable pattern of familiar conversation. While your body ages your mind refuses to recognize it. When you reconnect with someone like Sam, no matter how long it’s been, your mind jumps right back to where it once was. As we drove to the Legion building, where a welcoming crowd of admirers was waiting, we talked mainly about the problem at hand: his upcoming speech. But along the way Sam worked in enough penetrating questions to find out what I had done in my career and what my goals were now. He had a way of drawing people out with ease. It was painless.

Before I knew it we’d arrived, but not before having agreed to an early dinner together before Sam caught a later train back to the city. Then I handed him over to the emcee for the day, Jim Hammond, and moved to the back of the room to take in the whole event and watch my old friend perform. I had declined to introduce him. My goal was to observe, not to get wrapped up in participating. Besides, I had an idea for Sam that I wanted to bring up over supper. Part of it depended on what he had to say that day.