the man with the prettiest eyes in the world...
forget-me-not...
Another busy day on the floor…this time, the New York Stationery Fair.
My entry into that show was a bit of a long-shot and a gamble. I went on instinct…and hope.
I had left my bookselling life in New York City and moved my fledgling fragrance business to what was billed as an ‘abandoned farm’ in northeast Pennsylvania.
True to form (translation: I just couldn’t help turning everything I touched into a business), I set up another store in the small town upon my arrival…although that move made absolutely no good business sense.
During the transition, I had been reading the weekly local newspaper. It seemed that nearly every issue had a story of a factory shutting down without notice, leaving people suddenly out of long-held jobs.
It was often quite cruel. The most memorable story was of a Monday morning when workers arrived to find heavy chains blocking the entrance. No sign, no warning, no explanation. The owners had pulled out, leaving worthless paychecks in their wake. They also ran off with their employee’s pensions after 20 years!
I was stunned to see that people were capable of treating others this way…
The community needed jobs. That much was clear. I felt a growing internal pressure to do something about it.
The only problems were that I didn’t have the means…and I was rather strongly disinclined to disturb my quiet, well-ordered nest.
I had always worked alone…
In fact, I was perfectly happy working alone. The thought of involving others was far too troublesome and messy. Add to that, I wasn’t always easy to budge.
But the feeling grew stronger over those months. I began to muse about ways to revamp my company and product line to make it more labor-intensive. And, though I got off to a crude start, sales were increasing. I added some trade shows in hopes of attracting more business.
Then I asked my landlord if I could rent the lower level of the building... ‘just in case’.
Just in case ‘what,' I did not know.
My first employee was a young man who was considered mentally handicapped. He was eager for something to do. We tidied up and painted the lower level. With his uncle’s help, we built shelving and work tables.
With a little encouragement and guidance, he soon turned out to be a very capable young man. I didn’t think he was handicapped at all, but everyone else in town, family included, labored under that assumption.
Over the course of a year, I watched the whole community shift their view of him. He went on to take his full place in society!
Meanwhile, I asked my landlord if he could recommend prospective employees…. perhaps 3-5.
And then it was time to go to New York for the Stationery Fair. This was a very different crowd. There was much to learn and experience. Though there was a lot of interest shown, business cards exchanged, and promises made, not a lot of business was written.
There was one man that stood out from the crowd…a tall, very gentle man with the most startling blue eyes…
Later, I thought to myself… He has the prettiest eyes I have ever seen!
He made a few inquiries, took my card and left for his next destination. I didn’t recognize the company name on his badge. It read simply, “Forget-Me-Not.” And then he dissolved back into the crowd.
But there was something in his demeanor…a kind gentleness, unexpected in such a towering figure…all but forgotten in the rush of things.
The show ended. I packed up and drove 100 miles back to Pennsylvania. I had made expenses, so the gamble was not in vain.
The next day I got a phone call. It was from American Greetings…an industry giant. They asked me to come to their headquarters in Ohio to give a product demonstration and answer some questions…in 2 days.
A what? Where? Who?!
It came out of the blue.
There wasn’t enough time to drive. I had never flown before, nor did I have the spare cash for such things. In my haste, I nearly booked my flight for the wrong city! The company would have a driver pick me up from the airport and return me a few hours later.
Feeling very small and lowly, I was ushered into a meeting room at corporate headquarters. There were about a dozen people assembled (though in my addled state, that is only a guesstimate). I answered questions in the blind, not knowing what their thoughts were. And then, the meeting ended and my driver took me back to the airport.
I had no idea if I had answered well or adequately. It was a strange kind of limbo.
Two days later, they called and announced that they would be arriving on Monday to tour my facility as the next step in the process. They gave me their arrival and departure information, so I could pick them up at the airport.
Horrors! What facility?!
This was Thursday…AND I would be leaving for another trade show in Philadelphia on Friday morning. I wouldn’t even BE there to put a facility together!!!
I knew what I was capable of, but I just barely had a mock-up of a factory!!
I called my landlord in a panic, quickly assembled some raw product, boxes, barrels and work trays and left it to the poor man to assemble a work crew…and a factory for Monday morning.
I was as poised as I could manage as I drove our visitors around back to the ‘factory’. As I opened the overhead doors, I was having my first look, as well!
The shelves were filled to the brim with boxes (all empty), there was a hum of activity as a dozen smiling workers (all strangers) wearing aprons and hairnets looked up from their work and greeted us amiably.
Our guests lingered a bit longer than anticipated. I realized that the ladies would soon be out of product to assemble, so I guided the guests to a corner, while giving emergency gestures for the ladies to empty the bags they had been filling and start over! We pulled it off somehow! I brought the guests back to the airport…and waited.
Their response came a few days later. They were going to issue a preliminary (meaning small) purchase order for custom-made product. Their only concern was that we might not have enough storage space for their order since all our shelves were full.
We had overshot the mark! I assured them that the storage issue was easily remedied!
Over the next breathless months, we fulfilled more and larger orders. I put up a real factory on the farm in the middle of winter and hired, not only our first crew, but everyone who walked through the door! Before long, I was the largest employer in the area…
You may be wondering about the ‘man with the prettiest eyes in the world’ at this point.
He was the head buyer for American Greetings…travelling incognito and wearing a badge that read simply ‘Forget-Me-Not’…a smaller subsidiary of their company.
They were the most honorable and upright company I have ever worked with in every respect. Wonderful Russ Berrie and a few others followed…
We had a great 10 year run with their company. We grew from a small one-person cottage industry to being an international supplier.
As I got to know them over time, the buyer explained their rationale…
“We choose small well-run companies and we grow them into like-minded partnerships.”
‘Like-minded’ meant treating our customers and our employees well in all the ways that matter.
Our partnership was tested in significant ways…like when Chernobyl wiped out entire crops we were dependent on…or when the company called to say they had lost a trademark case the same hour that we had shipped 9 months worth of work (on double shifts). I had to sprint up the hill to recall all the trucks laden with product.
In every challenge, we..and they...did the most honorable thing. It was a chapter marked with warmth, tremendous growth and stability. And a new-found respect…
In these days of non-stop news of corporate abuses leading to negativity and ill-will, it is good to know that unsung corporates are operating successfully with human values uppermost.
This chapter brought healing and financial stability to a battered community, as well…
I went from being a reluctant employer…a personal story worth telling…to learning how to do business in a distinctly human way…by scrapping the American business model for something far better.
An inside look in my next post…”Operating Outside the Paradigm...Heart’s Content'“
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The Man in the Polyester SuitDebra Robinson·Jan 19Read full story
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