When I was about 7 years old, my sister and I decided that
we were going to into business together. We decided that we were going to
become partners in the book selling business.
I’m not even certain where the idea came from; all I know is that at the
time, it was a grand idea!
We had a lot of books.
A whole bin full, actually. Apparently we were quite the readers or at
least “picture lookers” at that age. I
believe that these were purchased as “previously loved” books and I’m certain
that they were purchased in better condition than they were in. I mean, the books had run through 4 sets of little
girl’s hands.
So we made a plan. We
would pack some books, get on our bikes, and sell them door to door. I was going to go to one side of our
neighborhood and she would go the other side. So we piled our “best” books and each took a
stack. We put them on our bikes and went our separate ways. I placed the books
in the basket that was at the front of my bike.
I remember feeling nervous, but determined. I did not want to disappoint myself and my
sister.
After I had rehearsed what I was going to say, I took a deep
breath, and got on my bike and rode it down the sidewalk. We lived in a neighborhood of town houses, so
I didn’t want to go too far because I would get in trouble. I rode up to the
very last house on our row of townhouses, and parked my bike as close to the
front door as I could. A little hesitation
presented itself, quickly followed by a rush of bravery. I walked up to that
door and knocked. I immediately
regretted it, but there was no turning back now.
This lady opened the door, and said “yes?”
I responded with “Hi my name is Cindy, and I live down the
street. My sister and I are selling books, would you like to buy one for your
kids or something?” I gave her the price.
I don’t remember what the price was but I’m pretty sure it was something
like 1 for $5 or 3 for $10.
“What kind of books?” I handed her some books. She looked at them and said “Not
right now”, and slammed the door in my face.
(Not really. I’m sure she was nice, but that’s the way it felt at the
time)
I went back to my bike, looked at my books, and whispered to
myself “it’s ok; the next person will buy one”. *I must’ve really thought my books were
special*
I rang the doorbell on the house next door, and this lady
just rejected my offer through the screen door - didn’t even open the door or look at the books.
At this point I started to feel a little discouraged, but I
thought I would try one more time. I rode up to the next house, and I rang the
doorbell. I waited a bit, but there was no answer. I climbed back on my bike and as I was riding
up to the next house, I decided to keep going straight to my house. I unpacked
my books, and decided that I was done with the partnership. I waited for my sister to return, and she
never did. I found her playing outside
with her friends. She told me she had
not sold any books, either.
I felt embarrassed and vowed never to do anything like that ever
again.
I did though. In seventh grade I went door to door selling
chocolate covered almonds. That’s a
success story that I will tell in another story time.
YEEEAAARRRSSS later I brought this up to my sister, as we
were discussing our childhood, ONLY TO FIND OUT she had never even gone out to
sell any books. She has just gone out to play with her friends. Go figure.
 |
| Me - Big Sis |
Even so, there is a lesson is this real life story. The lessons: ONE, make sure your partnership is legit; and TWO don’t let life’s past failures define your future.
K bye.
