My New Blog

For as long as I can remember, my father has been my idol.  Well, technically right after I learned it was harder to do what he does then Shaquille O'Neal's job.  Lets be honest, how hard is it to dunk a basketball when your over 7 feet tall.  I feel, like many of us that I have the best Dad in the world.  So I wanted to pass along the top 10 Life Lessons that he taught me.  Of course there is an infinite number of lessons he has taught me.  But these are the best ones and ones that are still with me today as an adult.

1. Dress Well-  Growing up my dad was always a great dresser.  My favorite mental image of my dad was him behind his desk dressed in an amazing Camel colored suit, light blue shirt, matching Tie and he even had what seemed liked a matching rolex.  This made a lasting impression on me.  It taught me, that you should always look your best.  This goes for work, dates, etc.  Why take the chance at not looking your best.
2. "Love What You Sell"- This also means love what you do for a living.  Since I was born my Dad has managed Jewelry stores and Car dealerships.  These are his too favorite things.  Pretty cool way to hit home a point. 
3. Pay Attention to Everything- At a young age my dad would teach me little business lessons.  Like "notice how the paint on that car door is not as shinny as the rest of the car.  Its because the car has been hit and the door was repainted".  Or "notice how that cashier just took our money and gave us change, without ringing it up in the cash register, that is so that they do not pay taxes on that money".  My dad misses nothing when it comes to business and I have learned to be the same way.
4. Take Care of Your Stuff- Growing up my Dad always made sure I had nice sneakers.  He wanted me to have the best.  But, he made it known in a nice way "if you do not take care of them, you will not get another pair of nice shoes".  Needless to say I got into many fights growing up protecting my shoes.  To this day, I appreciate what I have.  And get very mad if some one steps on my sneakers
5. Don't Complain- This was a lesson my dad did not verbally teach me.  I learned this by watching him.  It is safe to say my dad had a much harder life then me.  But, I have never once heard him complain or give the "poor me" speech.  Never.  As a kid, I wish I would have complained less.  But as an adult I very much value my dad's trait and try very hard to follow in his foot steps
6. "I Love You"- There has not been a phone call ever with my dad that did not end in "I love you".  Of course it was  said by both of us.  This taught me it is okay to be a "big man" and still say you love someone.  This also taught me that it is okay to say you care about someone and appreciate them.  It doesn't have to be a family member, you can tell anyone you care about them and appreciate what they do.
7. "The man with the Gold makes the Rules"- This is my favorite saying of my dad's.  It can mean a couple different things.  My dad has a HUGE gold chain he has worn forever.  Growing up it seemed like that chain was bigger then RUN DMC's gold chains.  So of course I thought this meant, he has the "gold" so he makes the rules.  Seems fair enough, he is the boss.  This saying also means, the boss makes the rules in business.  And if you don't like, then maybe you should become the boss.  This was a big deal to me.  It made me want to be number #1, so I could be the boss.  Today I am my own boss. 
8. Selling- My dad taught me Selling is not selling someone something they don't want.  Or tricking them into buying something they don't need.  It is about trust and building a relationship.  If you take care of your "friends"(clients) and provide a good product or service you will make a fine living.  Growing up my dad would personally pick up clients cars that needed to be serviced.  Why??  He ran the Dealership, some else could have done this.  Nope, it showed he cared.  People never forgot this.  As a child I can remember that no matter where we went the mall, restaurants, even vacations someone always recognized my dad and wanted to say Hello.  Yep, that use to get on my mom's nerve. 
9. Negotiate- What a concept!!  Someone says it will cost one price and you can get it for a lower price just by asking.  Of course there is more to it.  I was taught this lesson with baseball cards.  There would be a card I wanted for $5 and my dad would tell me to offer $3.  Maybe you get it for $4.  And it worked!!  Wow, what a concept and what better way to teach it then with involving baseball cards.
10. Be a Man-  The most important lesson my dad taught me was to be a man.  He taught me how to treat woman properly, provide for your family and be the best you can be.  One of my Dad's hardest time in life happened when I was in my senior year of college.  With so much going on, my dad's number one concern was me getting thru college.  He made that happen.  My definition of a man is Larry Krichmar.

No matter how long I live Dad, I can never say Thank You enough.  So I here is one way to do it and for the world to see my appreciation for you.  I love you Dad and Happy Birthday.