Just Stop

There was this kid named George in my classes at The Art Institute. When you started school there, they gave you a huge portfolio which contained what the recruiters said was, "everything you need in terms of supplies and materials." It even had a large wooden desktop with a metal edge and a T-square which was really, really heavy. I have a big bicep in my right arm from carrying that thing around and up 5 flights of stairs. 

The bit about the portfolio containing all of what we will need for projects was a farce. It cost a LOT more than that, daily. But each time an instructor would give the list of stuff to buy (including a $900 marker set), George would say, "If it's not in my portfolio, I can't afford it." He was protesting being lied to. Go George!

We all hate to be lied to, or faked out. In my recent quest to find a private money lender, I have networked a lot (that quest is not over, by the way). In that networking, I talked to a lot of people. Some people won't talk to you because they are selling secret sauce and are afraid they might let a freebie slip. But what I really hate... is someone who pretends to be friendly or my friend just so they can sell me their secret sauce - or attempt to. Repeatedly.

So I thought I should issue a statement which is: I do not want your friendship if I have to buy it. If you can't have a normal conversation and save your sales pitch for someone green enough to buy it or clueless enough to need it. I am after real relationships with people, be they lenders, rehabbers, investors, attorneys, contractors, landscapers, you name it. I don't want someone who is going to be on the brink of sending me a bill if they respond to my facebook email. Those people are as superficial as they come and I am not interested in BS, thank you very much. Be authentic or go home.