Having been in business 25+ years now, I can look back and realize we were always on the verge of something, I just didn’t exactly know what most of the time.
Well, there were a couple of times we were on the verge of bankruptcy, and I sure knew that. You know it when the wolves are constantly howling at the door.
The first time was just a few years in. A real estate crisis had caused our savings & loan to call our loan even though we were making payments, and then the bank we turned to ended up taken over by the Feds! Jeez Louise. Every day it was, “Is this the day we’re supposed to close the doors?”
My S.O. and I were watching a psychic on a call-in show one night about then. She called in and asked if we were going to get the money we needed. Yep, said the psychic, you will get it from a sort of celebrity who lives outside of town.
By golly, about a week later a fellow walked through our door who lived on the county line and had made a big name for himself in local restaurants. He invested in SouthStar! He was like a small-scale venture capitalist, and though it took years to pay him back, he saved our collective keester. So I learned: weather the storm.
He taught me another lesson about being on the verge from his time in the food biz: be ready for success, too. You better be adequately stocked and staffed to handle popularity, or customers will go away if they have to wait too long for dinner no matter how good your food is.
The bottom line is, if you’re in business you are always on the verge. You better be ready for whatever the winds of fortune send your way. If you’ve got the guts, it can be a great ride!
Happy new year, and thanks for your business!
John F. Rebrovick
service@southstarsupply.com
SouthStar’s new Bulletin #244 is now available. If you are a current customer or a recent addition to our mailing list, it should be showing up in a mailbox near you soon. If not, you can request a copy by writing us or click here to download a copy. Thank you!
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