NAHBS here we come!

So the groovy thing is that I get to reconnect with my bike industry (one-time) brethren. I also get to hang with a good pal while doing so to help defer some costs. The best news of all is probably the unexpected funding that made it's way to my mailbox which could finance the whole trip for me. :)

But hopefully more good will come of it. Hopefully, I can start making headway back into the bike business as a marketing consultant. I'm definitely not holding my breath on this, but it's the first chance I'll have to put myself out there in person in the industry. So maybe that will hold some value and something good might happen as a result.

Apparently it will be a good show (almost sold out from what I read) and I recently saw that both Seven and Twin Six will be attending so I'm very happy to get to meet and greet them in person. Fingers crossed we can hook up for some fun times and good stories.

Is there anything better than fresh kits?

Maybe fresh kits you designed yourself. :)

Strangeness

It is a very weird experience to check up on your old employer. I haven't done so directly, but rather just by getting bits and pieces of information from former co-workers and also checking out the old sites we used to sponsor and inhabit (or inhibit as one case might be).

It is also strange to see things finally coming to fruition which were discussed to the point of boredom during a two-year span. Seeing new products come to light that you helped inspire (or flat out created on a sketch pad) is weird in its own right as well. The place that no longer wanted to keep you is profiting from your ideas. Granted, there can't be much profit in this climate, but still.

There is some satisfaction in seeing what you believed would be a good idea simply existing. Yet, there is pain in knowing you will probably never receive any mention for the genesis or development of the idea. I guess this shouldn't matter. But it also makes one wonder why some things can take so long to transpire where others are enacted in almost a blink.

Oh well...onward and most definitely upward. I do know that if I were still where I was at this time last year, I'd have been hospitalized for massive and repetitive concussions.

And Here We Are

Seven months and three days ago I lost my job. Honestly, I figured I would find a new gig by August at the latest. Clearly I was wrong.

In that vein, I hope to prove myself wrong once again. For months I have considered and avoided launching my own business. I have a background in advertising and marketing and keep on discovering more and more marketing agencies already out in the market. I have used that as an excuse not to pursue my own company and put my skills and experience to use.

That all changes in just over two weeks time.

An Opportunity

Oh my. So apparently making money out the wazoo, dominating your supposed life's passion and pursuit for as long as people can remember, and having absolutely everything could possibly want at your beckon call/disposal/in your garage just doesn't keep you entertained. The pristine brand that was Tiger Woods is no more.

Methinks the folks in Austin, TX are probably about to drown in their own drool.

Could it be that Nike's premier spokesperson will soon be Lance Armstrong? Provided he can avoid any similar gaffes that everyone and their mother thought Mr. Woods was above, I bet he's right up there. Between Livestrong, the now third attempt at professional cycling, and his singular name status...I bet it's more likely than not.

Nike will want a feel good story. It won't matter how many times you've heard it before. That only strengthens the argument in Armstrong's favor. He can fill the gap between Tiger's PR downfall and his future resumption of his throne.

It will happen. The public forgets this stuff - just ask Kobe Bryant. Will it take as long for Tiger as it has for Kobe? Only time will tell. But I would guarantee that thanks to our culture's 20-second attention span and adoration of all things sports, he will be back. He may make only $50 million a year in endorsements, but he will be back.

Aside from Lance though, I bet the Mickelson camp can't believe their luck right now either. Go Phil!!!!

It's a Harsh World Out Here

I generally try to avoid making negative statements about the world or my current lack of employment a central focus of the blog. At times I fail, but generally, I believe I succeed in keeping a positive if not humorous tone about it all. Today is a different matter. Today I learned a lesson in how not to do your job.

Today (yes, today is Saturday) at 3:00 p.m., I received a call from somebody named Justin (whose last name I can't recall but for some reason I think he said Combs). He made no mention of his company but was specifically calling to see if I was interested in a sales and marketing position with his company (or whichever one he was representing). When I asked if there was a title for the position Justin replied, "There is pretty much whatever you may want to do."

When I asked if there was a job description, Justin curtly informed me the company provides mortgage protection services. "What are mortgage protection services?" you might ask. I'm glad you ask because I didn't know either.

Apparently if you subscribe to or buy these services, when you die, your mortgage is paid for according to Justin. There are a few other services along these lines which apparently the company offers, but I really can't remember what they are. After abruptly describing these offerings, he told me that the company receives letters from individuals which require somebody from the company to call (I guess to confirm the consumer really wants to buy the service).

"Are you capable of calling people?" Justin asked. "Well, yes," I reasoned.

But that's all beside the point. What Justin really wanted to know was if I was available to meet someone on Monday to discuss the matter further. When I didn't respond directly to this question, he shuffled it back into the conversation a few moments later by asking, "So are you able to meet in the afternoon?"

To which I responded, "You know, I appreciate the call but I think I'm going to pass."

"You're passing?" Justin retorted. "You make business decisions based on a 10-second conversation!" he stymied.

"I do this time," I replied and hung up the phone. Did I mention I was in the process of toweling off when Justin called? You know you're dealing with class when the interested party (I can't bring myself to call Mr. Justin a recruiter):

1. Can't tell you the name of the company he works for or represents when he calls you
2. Is trolling resumes on Monster.com on a Saturday afternoon
3. Calls you to schedule a Monday "business" meeting/interview on a Saturday afternoon
4. Refers to "business decisions" as if they are more important than breathing on a Saturday afternoon

Hey Justin, you are a complete ass. It may just be the company you work for, but deep inside, we ALL know it's just you shining through.

Nice Uptick

Hopefully it results in something positive (and a paycheck), but this week has provided some very nice mojo for both the job search and life in general. And none of it has anything to do with a bike.

I got to meet some really nice people at the Kentucky Poverty Law Center and will be helping both the Center and one of their programs (CKEEP) with some marketing efforts. Of course, this meant I finally had to bite the bullet and buy some pricey software for myself. But the deed is done and we're moving forward. :)

With that software also comes the potential for truly starting my own company. Though it wouldn't be filling a niche, it can provide some random income to help get us back to where we used to be financially.

Finally there is some unexpected progress in the job hunt. Nothing bike related (wake up please industry) but two positions that would keep us in Lexington both called to conduct or schedule phone screens. Hopefully I have spoken (or will speak) well enough to proceed. I'm even boning up before 6:00 am on a Saturday morning to try and finally get this monkey off our back. Hopefully he'll find some bananas soon because my credit card is starting to wear out.

Get out and do something fun!