Day 2We have to hand it to the folks that have been at this awhile . . . They're doing GREAT. Our day attests to the challenges of being a World Changer Reality Boot Camper. Kudos to all the participants and alternates!
We agreed with each other that we could get up earlier and out the door earlier, and meet people before school . . . It's on our list ;-).
After Big Z got to school and settled into his group, I took off with my invitation cards and notepad in my pocket. I keep wondering . . . Where to go to talk with the most people in a casual way? Haggens? The Mall? Freddies?
I decided to head to Sunset Square. I'd had a nutrition store that I'd queried a few times about carrying kombucha drinks, so, maybe they have it in stock now . . . I can go see. And, my blender is broken, so, Good Will has been on my list to see what they have.
When I arrived and parked, I found the nutrition store not open yet . . . wow. Sunset Square opens late. So, off to Good Will.
As I walked by the stores, I was surprised to see so many empty store fronts. The new Wrap place is inspiring, considering the one in Fairhaven years' ago just didn't make it. Two people were in prepping food for the day. I walked past a sandwich shop, and in the past, we got a lot of sammies there, and I'd had some conversations with the owners throughout the years. That's a place to stop.
I went to Good Will. I looked around and found it with a lot more people than I thought there would be. As I took note of the customers, I made my way to the section where the small appliances were. There was a nice old, old Sears blender, solid looking and seemingly little used--- good price, too! I took a look at it and found it's as broken as mine: it didn't have the blades to blend a good smoothie with! So, it stayed on the shelf.
I perused the aisles for a bit, deciding if I was nervous or not, or, who I'd talk with or not. Eventually, I thought I'd look for sports jerseys--- something Big Z and one of his friends, especially, are collecting. They DO sell them on our mall, we've been there checking them out ;-).
As I was doing this, I saw a mom and her child in a stroller. She seemed like a nice woman to talk with. But, I passed her by. I later found her again, in the book section. I walked by again. Dang it. I didn't think it would happen, but I WAS getting nervous. Why, I don't know . . . except maybe about striking up conversation.
So, I back I went to another sport rack. That calmed my innards. I chanced a stroll back towards the books and the woman, and found her child unhappy. I paused at the books and eventually went to talk to the child, and got permission from the mom. A book was in front of the little girl, so, I offered to read the story to her. She was glad for some attention, and didn't seem to mind.
However, when it came time to ask for help, to tell about TWCCTW and the Boot Camp and asking the 3 questions, I didn't. I just didn't feel right, and, I got nervous, thinking that by then she'd thought I'd only talked to her kid just to talk with her.
I left and went to check out. Talk with the checker? Nah. I left. I chalked it up to, O.K. Well, so I got scared . . . Next.
I looked at the owner in the sammy shop. He was also prepping. I got up my nerve and went in there. I talked with him about business, how the economy was affecting his shop (he's doing good), about where he gets his supplies, etc., etc. He shops a lot at Costco, usually once per quarter. The rest comes from the local supplier, or what his franchise sends him. I asked him if he shopped online. Nope. Rarely.
I asked if he liked the idea of using an AMEX Gift Card to gain a rebate on almost anything he bought--- Nah, he felt his return wouldn't be worth it--- Costco has one of those, too. I let him know my son has a business where people can shop and get rebates on all their purchases, and that they offer the American Express Gift Card, but he thought he'd talked to someone else about that sort of thing in Ferndale and he wasn't interested.
I asked if he ever gave to charities. Yes. In the past, but it created an issue with his contract with the Franchise, so, he's stopped donating food, etc. The franchise is really strict.
By now, I figured, this isn't the guy to invite. I thanked him for the visit, enjoyed the aromas of his freshly baked bread, and went on my way. The nutrition guy HAD to be open by now.
He was. I walked in and asked about kombucha. Not yet. It slipped through the cracks, and as he spoke about it, he figured that he wouldn't carry much of it since the mark-up wasn't very good with his supplier. And, therefore, he likely wouldn't be able to provide a competition with the other local shops in town on price. It would still be about $3.
The owner proceeded to share a lot of his aggravations about the world, and ultimately, I politely went upon my way, into the beautiful sunshine . . .
Later in the day, I gave a follow-up call to one of my people from yesterday. He hadn't had time to look at it yet, so, he asked to have time to view info over the weekend. We'll talk again on Monday.
A friend came over for a few minutes, and she's one who cannot stand anything that smells like network marketing (her Mom has tried many under the sun to no real success), but she enjoyed listening to how Big Z talked to folks last night. She also liked the story about the Foundation Ginny wants to put into place as seed money for kids with ideas to grow a business that gives back to the world. My friend is passionate about supporting causes that she believes in, so we touched upon the vision of Ginny, and how this is a great part of the company she would like. In spite of that, she still didn't want to peek; instead, it is her sister that is able to do this with balance to decide if it's something that works as an affiliate partner for their business ideas. So, a no is a not right now. She did say that she would shop on BigZ's mall for items she would buy, to support him.
After school, Big Z gathered his notebook and pen, and we headed to a busy spot: The Mall. NOT. There really wasn't much happening at the Mall. It was pretty quiet. I don't go there often, but I've been there a few times at this time of year . . . It reminded me of the times I've got to the Skagit Mall . . . a lot of stores, but a quiet crowd milling about.
We went into the Mall and went into a store. There we talked with two nice women and they gave us time and attention, and were glad to answer our 3 questions. We got their contact information. One is a mother and would like to pay off medical bills, buy gifts for her family, not work as much, and give time and money to charities. The other woman is used to saving, as her parents taught her young to do this. She would also like to go on more mission trips. Both were quite taken aback at the thought of having an extra $2000/month. We are, too!
We went out into the mall and spoke with a man at a kiosk. He was willing to answer our questions. He was a no, not interested in something like that. He's a college graduate, with bills to pay, and working 2 jobs.
We spoke with another Mom at the old toys my son used to ride on as a tot. She was willing and she decided, no, she wouldn't give her information.
We went into Target. As was the case with all the Mall, my son was feasting his eyes upon the goodies . . . and so it was here, too. Video games that he's not gotten yet, but his cousins and friends have them . . . Standing next to us was a nice woman who was picking up one of the games. I asked her if her kids played them a lot? No, they didn't. She was like me, and doing her best to keep them away as long as possible. An Uncle, though, wanted to change that this year. Her daughter is 8.
Since we were there, we asked if she would be willing to visit with us a few more minutes. She was, and she was willing to answer our questions. This woman is in school to be a medical assistant, and she works 2 jobs part-time, each only a few hours. She would like to pay of bills and pay for her college training.
We met up with two other women in Target. I have to say it wasn't pleasant, but we stayed Graceful under Fire. We asked two women to assist us in getting our 5. O.K. They were willing, but the first one looked hesitant. In a short while, I asked if they were mother and daughter.
Major faux pas.
I got blades of steel from the hesitant one, and the other laughed, thinking it was most funny for me to ask such a question. They looked so much alike, and that's why I asked, and it was also because of the way the younger looking of the two stood behind the one I'd offended greatly like I've seen daughter do with their moms on many occasions.
It got worse when the younger friend asked me who was the mother and who was the daughter? I guess you can imagine that the dagger blades from the eyes of the one were pushed further into me as I pointed who I thought was Mom and who I thought was Daughter. I should have just apologized and left them, but instead, I kept asking our questions. The one who laughed was still humored; the one I'd offended was doing all she could do not to strangle me. She'd given me her word to answer her questions, so, she was determined to do it, with or without daggers in her eyes.
I admit that I'm foggy on their answers, except for the last: NO, we will not give you our information.
I thanked them, and I apologized for offending them with my question and said that I really thought they were related. She made a very rude remark and the jovial one added, "We're the same age."
Big Z was oblivious to the nuances of our communication, and he chattered as if nothing had happened as we walked away . . . I finally had to stop him and explain that the one woman was very angry with me, and that I needed a moment to keep collected after my blunder. I followed him to the aisle that had his attention, and did my best to let it go, knowing, that I intended a compliment. I know now to be more careful . . . ;-).
On our way out of the Mall, we decided to head into a shoe store where three guys working there were visiting since the store didn't have customers. The three of them were very kind and didn't seem to mind that we interrupted their conversation. We found out they are college students, and that they would use $2000 mostly to pay for college. Tuition is upwards of $17K per year. One would like to save half of it, pay for college, and also buy a gift for his long-time girlfriend. They are considering marriage, so, he liked the idea of being able to save for the occasion. We got their contact information.
Upon our arrival home, we've followed up with our neighbors. One was unreachable, so left a VM and will call again tomorrow. One hadn't looked at the website, so, we've also rescheduled for tomorrow.
The friend of our neighbor did look at the website. He felt that the business looked too much like a scam, like a pyramid scheme. I asked if he'd known anyone in a pyramid scheme. No. I asked if he was confusing the term with a legitimate industry, known as network marketing or MLM? He said yes, that was it. I asked if he knew anyone in network marketing? No. I asked what it was about network marketing that didn't sit well with him. He responded that it was one of those things where people spend a lot of money and give a lot of attention to, that it's one of those ways people try to make money a lot these days. I explained to him about pyramids, vs. legitamate corporate businesses. He said this wasn't for him, and he couldn't see himself spending any more time with it. I sent him a thank you e-card with 101 Ways to Change the World E-Book for taking time to look at the business, and I invited him to keep track of the progress of the Boot Campers by visiting the Blogs.
An e-card was sent to both of our neighbors, as we didn't get a chance to send one last night.
E-cards were sent to all 6 of our people we met today.
What did we learn today?
We learned that we must have better signals between us when we are talking with people. Big Z was distracted by all there was to see (we rarely go to the Mall, like I said), and, he'd asked me to lead originally. We took turns talking the best we could, but he let me know there were times that he tried to interject, and I didn't see it. He likes handing out his invitation cards. I told him we would get better working together, and we'd give each other better signals. We both were satisfied with our results.
We checked in about having more time for Big Z's business, and less time to play, vs. Mom at a job and us not being together. Big Z chose to have Mom home and working on his business instead of me being at a job. I don't know how many 8 year olds would be out talking to people about business, but my guy wants to. I find his willingness commendable, too. More on that in another post, in his own words.
Big Z's Mom
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