Bob's Blog Archive June 2, 2009 I am from Detroit. If you ask me where I’m from, I always say Detroit, although I never lived in the city. The closest thing I can say is that I got educated in Detroit as I graduated from Wayne State University’s Business School. But, none the less, if you ask me where I am from, I answer Detroit. This is ground zero in our country’s recession. Our once proud auto industry is on its knees. And everyone has an opinion of why. In my travels, I’m often asked (because I’m from Detroit), what is going to happen to General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford. Like I should know - and I find that funny because it would be like me meeting someone from Florida and asking him about oranges. I sell hats to retail stores, ask me about that. Double digit unemployment, lowering property values, falling stock values, unstable credit market, plant closings, and mandatory shut downs are just some of the dreary headlines we read (if you can even get a newspaper) every day. Everyone I know has less money than they had a year ago, and much less than 3 years ago. So all this is definitely causing my “Blog Block”. General Motors filed bankruptcy yesterday and I am supposed to write something positive about business today? The bottom is near. I think we all can’t wait for the bottom. Then we know the only direction to go is up. We will reinvent ourselves. We will find new industries and new frontiers and people will find jobs there. It will be different and difficult, but we will go on. There is a line from the movie Animal House where the Dean says to the Student, “Fat Dumb, and Happy (or something like that) is no way to live!” I don’t know why, but I think that belongs in this blog some how. So, what does this all have to do with selling hats? Not much. One of our salesmen, Jeff went to New Orleans for Jazz Fest. He came back and said “Bob you can’t believe how many folks were wearing hats in New Orleans”. He is excited about the opportunity for us to sell more hats and grow our business. And I am too. I just took a phone call from another of our reps and he was in Vegas for the week end. He was so excited to tell me that the fedora is all over town – and he’s been selling them to the McCarran Airport. They are selling like hot cakes, he said. Wow, just writing those last two paragraphs has helped me break out of this Blog Block. I have our first spring 2010 appointment next week. It is with a large retailer who has not carried our line before. But, he is excited to see us. Now, that’s what I am talking about. So, the heck with all the doom and gloom. It is up to us to carry on. The Detroit Red Wings are back in the Stanley Cup Finals. Make room on the front pages for some good news. It sure feels better.
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