Go For It; Only You Can Make it Happen

By Eirc M. Meyer, Lessons Learned as a Young Entrepreneur

As the boat pulled closer the sun peered through a few clouds in the sky.  The water showed its true color as it turned a vibrant aqua-blue and became clearer than a swimming pool.  The island of Jost Van Dyke was the most beautiful place I had ever experienced, and the people who lived there made it truly majestic.  My time there was short, but I decided immediately that I would come back to this special place, somehow someway. 

My family and I spent a few hours on the island while on a vacation to St. Thomas that we had been saving up for for years.  I knew it would not be possible for my parents to return there the following year and would never have been so selfish to ask as they struggled to put their kids through college, pay off a mortgage, save for retirement and make ends meet at the end of the day.  But I was not going to let that stop me; there had to be another solution other than secretly auctioning off my mother’s useless collection of antiques.  And there was.

The first thing I did after arriving back in the States was log on to Google and search for “Sandcastle Hotel, Jost Van Dyke.”  This was the quaint beachfront hotel that caught my eye on the island.  It wasn’t much, but situated 10 steps from the world’s most beautiful beach, the location was in a league of its own.

284-495-9888. I dialed the numbers into my phone and waited.  A woman answered and a shot of adrenaline was sent rushing through my body; this was my chance and I didn’t want to blow it.  I introduced myself to her and explained that I had visited the island a week ago and had noticed her hotel.  I then proceeded to inform there that I owned a video company (this coming from someone who sounded like a 12-year old girl couldn’t have been too reassuring, but somehow she stayed on the line).  I presented her with my plan; a barter of a promotional video for her hotel in exchange for accommodations at the Sandcastle Hotel for a week.  She said she was very interested, so I offered to send her an e-mail with additional information, samples of my work and a link to my web site.

A few days later I had a new message in my inbox; it was from Sandy at Sandcastle (yes, that is her real name).  She had said yes!  I was going back to the place I loved most, and couldn’t have been happier.  Now I just had to inform her that I was a sixteen year-old kid who couldn’t drive after 9:00pm.

Next June spirits were high as we journeyed back to Jost Van Dyke.  I met Sandy on the beach who was surprised at my age but also very impressed.  Throughout the week I captured the beauty of the island while enjoying its charm and beauty.  When I returned to New York I produced a 4-minute video showcasing the hotel.  They loved the product and spread the word throughout the islands.

Today I have produced promotional videos for a variety of business in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, North Carolina, etc. and it all stemmed from that phone call I made when I was 16.  I had nothing to lose and I went for it.  I realized that I had gotten so much more out of this deal than just a vacation; I now understood the importance and the value of being the catalyst for achieving what it is you are after.  I didn’t sell a video to Sandy, I sold her an idea.

She could have rejected me, and we both would have probably been just fine; but if you never ask, you never know.  As the famous basketball saying goes, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”  Go for it.  You are the only one who can make it happen, whether you want to start a business, expand your business, or take a tropical vacation.  You have the power to realize your dreams; you just have to have a positive attitude.  Often times, our biggest obstacle is ourselves.  Get of your own way, take a risk and go for it.  

With Passion & Perseverance, You Can Even Sell a Rock

By Eric M. Meyer, Lessons Learned as a Young Entrepreneur

Most kids played soccer, danced to the Backstreet Boys, or spent hours with the newest and greatest video gaming platform – SEGA Genesis. But I had a different interest and it didn’t make me popular; in fact, it made me a complete nerd. But I was a passionate and proud nerd.

When I was nine years old, I had a love for rocks – fossils more specifically. My grandmother first got me hooked; she would show me a couple of fossils she had found throughout her life each time I came over to visit. I loved the thrill of going out to local creeks with my Dad on the weekends and finding pieces of history; things that used to be real living organisms that been neatly preserved by nature and were now ‘frozen’ in time. My mother saw them as invading her home.

Sooner or later I had a basement full of fossils - trilobites, horn coral, sea sponge, brachiopods - the list goes on and on for many square feet of damp basement carpet. I brought them in to my class for a presentation one day and was surprised to find that my classmates along with my teachers shared my interest in fossils. This realization came at the perfect time; for my mother was ready to throw them all back into the creeks they came from in an effort to reclaim her storage space. If people are interested in these fossils that I spent months collecting from all over the region, perhaps they would consider buying them. “Yard sale,” I thought. So I researched them but didn’t see how I was going to be able to get enough customers to make it worth my while. I decided instead to sell my fossils in another way.

I contacted a local shop on Main Street Geneseo that sold some books, toys, cards, presents, and natural goods. I asked to speak with the store owner. We sat down and I explained my love of rocks and my idea to sell them. I told her why a yard sale wouldn’t work – I needed more traffic. I put myself in her shoes and thought “what am I getting out of this?” So I formed an argument explaining how it would benefit her business, and convinced her that having my booth set up outside her shop would draw attention to her store and would make it look like something unique like a sale was going on. She agreed then and there, and I was on my way to making my first buck.

My mother was willing to drive me down every Thursday and drop me off with my old fold-up table, boxes of rocks, and lawn chair (it was the least she could do – after all, she was the one who wanted them gone!). I began selling the fossils and people loved them. Unfortunately, I wasn’t selling them as fast as I would have liked. That’s when the Geneseo Summer Festival caught my eye.

The Geneseo Summer Festival was an event in July where people from all around the county converged in our historic community, and more importantly on Main Street, to celebrate the town. If I could find a way to be on Main Street for that weekend, I knew I could increase my sales tenfold. The current store I was using had its own elaborate summer festival display on the sidewalk, forcing me to find a new alternative. I wanted a good location that every single family had to walk past on their way to the main events in the park. I rode my bike up and down the street and noticed a small parking lot next to the local newspaper building. I didn’t recall any festival booths there in prior years. I found out who owned the lot – a man by the name of Mike Bishop who was an entrepreneur himself. He welcomed the idea and granted me the space for my fossil booth.

Now I had to get serious; this was my big opportunity. I had the location, I had the product, and I had thousands of potential customers who would be walking right past me. Obviously at the age of nine I hadn’t a clue about marketing techniques, but I did know that I needed to do something to draw people to my table. I purchased large bouquets of balloons, made a big poster teaching the history of fossils, and posted colorful signs around the street informing people about the booth. I also used this as an opportunity to expand my product line. Understanding my new main market for this weekend would end up being families, I introduced a series of dinosaur-themed toys to my booth such as Yo-Yo’s, tattoos, and figurines. I also hired one of my friends to help man the booth with me, anticipating increased business. As a final touch, we both sported new home-made “Eric Meyer’s Fossils” shirts.

While I did anticipate new business, I was never prepared for just how large the crowds actually became. The day came and people began buying fossils and dino-toys left and right. Parents bought them for kids, others bought them for themselves and teachers bought them for their classrooms. People were listening intently as I told them about the piece of history they were purchasing; it wasn’t just a rock. I told them about the region the fossils came from, explained the process of fossilization, and elaborated on how these fossilized organisms functioned when they were living.

After speaking with a customer about a piece of coral, I looked up and saw that fifty others had gathered around my small booth to learn about fossils. Who would have ever thought rocks could be so interesting? Certainly not my mother.

I ended up generating hundreds of dollars of revenue on that day alone – and of course, being a nine year old, that felt like a million bucks. What made it feel even better was the fact that I earned every dollar of it out of my own hard work. My first experience with the thrill of success on the main street of my hometown would forever shape my life and taught me the true value of a dollar. Understanding from a real-life experience that I was in control of my ability to succeed and make a buck was liberating and life-changing.

The unlikely path of a kid who loved rocks to becoming a salesman at the local summer festival was not realized out of apathy or waiting for opportunities to come my way. Instead, even as demonstrated in this small story, it took a plan, goals, dedication, and passion; characteristics that I soon learned were critical to success in business and in life.