All I Needed to Know About Projects, I Learned as a Kid Shoveling Snow: Earning a Motorcycle

By Pete Thompson

[...] it didnt matter, because one word, sure in the context of motorcycle ownership, gave Pete permission to buy one. All he had to do now was earn the money. [...]

When Ms. Strickland answered the door she looked at the stoop and noticed that it had been shoveled. Since they were both holding shovels, the first thing she said in a rhetorical tone was Did you guys do that? Thank you! Before they could get a word out, she continued with I guess you are here to shovel my drive! Or did you do that too and now you want your money?

Without missing a beat, Mel replied, Yup! Twenty bucks!

In a scolding almost frantic tone she replied with, Well Im not paying. I have the lawn service under contract. Not very smart business boys. You cant just ask people to pay for a service they didnt request!

Pete just stood there in shock when Mel said, OK, well put it back.

She paused for a moment with a look of horror on her face until she realized Mel was joking and started laughing. She said Im sorry boys, but Im already committed.

Mel replied, Thats OK, we understand.

As they were walking toward the next house, they heard Ms. Stricklands door open and she started yelling, Boys!? Boys!? Wait! Mel and Pete exchanged glances wondering what now? Come back! I changed my mind! You can shovel my drive!

Pete jokingly said to Mel, It looks like were both gonna make $20 on this drive since our price just doubled!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 14, 2011
• ISBN: 9781449730468

Pete Thompson

Pete Thompson is one who insists on learning the hard way, his way. Trial and error may not seem productive, but learning from error and applying the experience is. This is Pete’s first book, which reflects upon his childhood goal, proving to him, the journey is more important than the destination.

Book preview

Contents

Dedication

Epigraph

Forward

Preface

The idea

The pitch

The beginning

The team

The customer

The pickup

The labor saving device

The technique

The service

The procrastinate

The conversation

The anticipation

The purchase

The end

Epilogue

Conclusion

About the author

Dedication

For my mother and father. Their steadfast decisions taught me that I may not always be given what I want, but I can always work towards obtaining whatever I desire.

Epigraph

You’ll shoot your eye out.¹

Forward

The eternal story: youthful dreams, undismayed by reality, followed by Herculean efforts to achieve the dreams, followed by… . reality.

Barry Flachsbart, Professor IST, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Preface

In Business 101, the professor liked to say, There are no problems in business, only opportunities. I used to think it was some happy hogwash overenthusiastic and naive business majors regurgitated to sound like innovative go getters. It may very well be just a cliche for some, but by the end of the semester I grokked what the professor meant; look at problems as business opportunities.

The following pages tell my story as a 12 year old discovering the fundamentals of virtually any project, a little business, and some customer relationship management. This aspect of my education took place when I was shoveling snow, trying to earn enough money to buy a motorcycle.

Thanks to the editors, Mrs. Bloomington and Dr. Flachsbart and especially my childhood friend and business partner, Mel R. Yenchak.

The idea

He walked along the dirt trail with his gaze a few feet ahead—taking stock of loose, unstable rocks and fallen or low hanging tree branches. He was envisioning himself riding a motorcycle and contemplating the split second decisions to route the fastest possible path. But all he could do was imagine and try to relate what his friends had told him about their riding excitement. Pete had never ridden a motorcycle, although he had occasionally ridden Mel’s ATC.

He didn’t really like the 3-wheeler because it seemed awkward and he had this fear of running over himself if a foot slipped off a peg. This almost happened once when he panicked and put his foot down to thwart a potential tip. He didn’t get pulled under the machine but got a painful ankle sprain when the back tire hit his heel. This instability is why his Mom thought ATC’s were so dangerous. Four-wheelers were more stable and safer from the tipping point of view, but the added weight was a crushing blow in the eyes of a Mom. Anyway, his friends thought 4-wheelers were lame and they were more expensive than 3-wheelers which complicated the situation further.

At this point he was getting desperate. He just wanted some sort of dirt bike so he could participate in the excitement his friends talked about while pointing to pictures in magazines and narrating the scene’s action as if they were part of it. He envied them and all the