What does Everybody do?

[Mordante]

Not sure if I already replied in this thread but here we go (again?)

I finshed my MBO education (associate’s degree?) when I was about 22. Started working for a pharmaceutical company. From there I went into construction, to car refinishes, to pharmaceutical again. So now I’m at myth 6[SUP]th[/SUP] company in about 22 years. Yes I’m 44 now.

My current job is maintenance planning (PM, CM, & calibration), purchasing, and lots of other things. Hopefully in about 26 years I’ll retire.

In 2001 I met my girlfriend, no plans to get ever married and neither of us wants to have children. About 10 years ago we bought a house in the Dutch city of Suffering.

Other hobbies include riding my motorbike, a 2009 KTM Superduke 990R. Going to concerts and festivals (mainly metal). This years I’ve been to Graspop Metal Meeting (Be), Werfpop (NL) and Metal Days (SLO), coming weekend Into the Grave (NL) is on the calendar and later this year Into the Void (NL).

Also I play a little bit of squash but in the summer not so much. I have a go at indoor bouldering. I sometimes go to the gym. I like playing computer games and tabletop roleplaying games (D&D 3.5).

So that’s about it.

 

[Jim Smith]

From 1966-69, I was a First Class Engineman in the Coast Guard, in charge of the engine rooms & fuel supplies. We patrolled off Cuba, helping refugees escape, as well as performing as a always-ready rescue vessel.

Went back to college and worked part-time at a high-end hi-fi shop in Norfolk, VA. In a few years, I became the mgr.

One day in 1975, Bill Johnson walked into the store, unannounced (I had never met him), and offered me a job at ARC - Sales & Customer Service. After working at ARC for a year or so, Jim Winey offered me the job as Natl. Sales Manager for Magnepan. Taking him up on the offer, I wrote the owner's manuals, as well as taking the dealer network from 80 erstwhile dealers to 40 who were dedicated, training them on set-up and such, while doubling the sales (no doubt that the introduction of the MG-1 helped that).

Left there in late '79 to open my own shop (Audition) in Birmingham, AL. It went on to receive all sorts of awards, especially as to the quality of the demos. The staff was required to help their clients with set-up. I was often especially pleased when a client would come in & ask for one of the staff to help them - thinking that he or she was the owner.

Closed the store in '91 and joined some of my former employees as a partner in a high-end custom installation & home theater company. Was a certified Lucas Film Home Theater Designer. Left that operation when I finally realized that I was bored out of my head with the business, especially very high-end home theaters.

Two years later, I started a telecommunications company built around an idea that popped in my head while out running track. The scariest thing was when I had to call on Qwest Communications in Denver to sell them on being our main carrier, and to handle my invention. I was in a large room full of knowledgeable industry vets. Somehow, they thought I knew what I was doing... . I really knew NOTHING about telecommunications, and here I was in a room full of experts in the field. But they loved my product, and it all worked out.

Went on to received several attractive offers to buy the company, and finally accepted an offer from an Atlanta based group.

Moved to Atlanta to help the new owners, but that didn't work out so well. So I took some offered money & left.

Personally worked with & helped my former audio clients until Avantgarde Acoustics offered me the North American distributorship in 1998. Dragged my feet for 18 months or so, waiting for an upgrade to the UNO & DUO subs, as well as the intro of the Solo.

That went very well, but in late 2005, I resigned - as the Euro - on which my costs were based - had gone from the original 86 Euros/USD to 126 Euros/USD - a price increase to me of over 45% (!) in less than five years. The products had not changed significantly, and the dealers couldn't take less margins, so I resigned rather than raising the retail price 45-50% with no real model changes or updates.

I started up another company that assisted audio retailers & manufacturers in honing in on what they were doing best. It was called My USP (My Unique Selling Proposition).

That went well, until my back was broken in a very bad car accident. A bunch of friends & industry acquaintances said, "Why don't you write that audio set-up book that you always say is needed?"

So I did, and the rest is history - way too long (and I skipped a bunch of stuff).