Story 11: Follow The Yellow Brick Road
Brief Summary
I loved the movie Wizard of Oz as a kid, but it wasn’t until I was older that I understood fully what the phrase “follow the yellow brick road” means. The phrase means that you are taking a course of action that you believe will lead you to good things. New York City was my yellow brick road. Anytime you dare to walk down an unknown path without guidance, you are sure to face a lot of setbacks and adversity along the way. You have two choices when you do, you can either get up and try again or you can quit. The core skill you’ll need to help you persevere through it all is called mental toughness. Not only will mental toughness help you manage your stress and setbacks, but it’s also a key ingredient that you will need in order to figure out what you have to offer in this world. That type of strength comes by keeping an open mind.
Moving Out of State
I felt horrible for missing my 10-year high school reunion. I actually wanted to go. I missed it because I was moving from Texas to New York City. To make some extra moving cash, I sold some stuff on Craigslist. I got rid of my furniture, an ancient LCD flat screen television and a significant portion of my wardrobe which I had purchased five seasons earlier. In total, I earned a lofty “stack”. Oh I apologize, for those of you who are not familiar with urban dictionary language. A “stack” means a sum of $1,000 dollars. Truthfully speaking it should have been more, but someone wrote me a bad check. In the end. I got most of my money, but I never recouped the totally amount. When you’re moving to a place like New York City, trust me; you can use every single penny you can get your hands on. I couldn’t bear to get rid of everything I owned. Whatever I couldn’t sell, I stored in a 10’ x 14’ storage unit at Public Storage®. I got a great deal! $1 dollar for the first month and regular rates starting thereafter. Thank God my mother was nice enough to drive all the way from San Antonio to Dallas to get my things out of storage before I had to pay a regular rate the following month.
At times, you might hear me say some unpleasant thing about me and my mother’s relationship, but put that aside. I can recount many times in my adult life when I was in desperate need of financial help and my mother stepped in by helping me buy food, clothing, and even stopped an eviction by paying back rent that I owed. She hasn’t always supported my unorthodox approach to finding a career but one thing I can say about her is that she has always help me financially when she could.
Arriving to New York City
I had finally arrived to New York City…The Big Apple baby! I couldn’t believe it. I immediately felt the excitement and energy of the city culture. It felt like everything was moving so fast and I was in slow motion. Every object was full of activity. Trains, cars, and taxis! Everything and everyone was busy, and they all had one thing in common: they’re were all trying to meet their next appointment as quickly as possible. In NYC, your feet become your most reliable means of transportation.
East Elmhurst, Queens
I found a listing on craigslist and rented out a room in a 3-bedroom house in East Elmhurst. I was within walking distance from LaGuardia Airport. For those of you who have never been to New York City, this might seem a bit complicated to understand at first. But, East Elmhurst is a City within Queens. New York City is made up of five boroughs: The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island. I started out in Queens. Boroughs are like counties if you’re from another state like I am. Make sense? Okay good… I stayed with a single mother named Beatriz and her 3 children. I respected and appreciated how she was trying so hard to support her family by renting out her bedrooms on craigslist. I occupied one bedroom while another lady named Denise occupied the other.
My first night in the city was peaceful. I slept good, much like a deep coma-like sleep. I heard no sirens or screaming babies. The next morning, I got up and walked to my car. I noticed a huge pile of wreckage on the streets. After moving a few feet closer, I noticed someone had smashed into my parked car and drove off. My car bumper was hanging on by a single wire.
My heart dropped. I think I might have even heard a faint voice from a distance say “Welcome to New York”. Admittedly, I cried for a little while in my room. I even called my mother for some sympathy, but there was nothing she could do for me. In her mind, I had just confirmed what she was thinking all alone, that I should have never left Texas to chase some wild and crazy career dream. I knew in that moment that it wasn’t going to be easy to live in New York City and sitting and crying for hours in my room to my mother wouldn’t help my situation.
The next day was different. I realized I had to take control over my emotions. I refused to let a few dents in my car distract me. Besides, no one enjoys driving in New York City anyway. I quickly learned the public transportation system. Denise taught me how to hop on the Q-33 bus to 74st Jackson Heights then get on the [7] Train to Manhattan, Times Square. I had to find a job pronto! This was the first time ever that I realized the advantages of working as a waiter. After being in NYC for only three days, I managed to find a job waiting tables at The Famous Junior’s Cheesecake right in the heart of Times Square. I worked the morning shift (6am-2:30pm) which means I had to get up every day at 4am to make it there on time.
Their bacon cheeseburger with fries holds a special place in my heart. I like food, probably more than the average person. Having a cheeseburger from Jr’s Cheesecake was like giving cocaine to an addict. It was a bonus to work there is all I’m saying because I didn’t have a whole lot of money to eat at other restaurants. Despite my hunger for adventure, I put everything in God’s hands and let him lead the way.
Power Fact: When I was waiting tables in New York City. I once waited on Henry Winkler Best known as “The Fonz” on the hit sitcom Happy Days. Did you know he also had dyslexia?
Finding a job right away in New York City was a huge blessing, but I wasn’t content. I hadn’t traveled all that way to be just another waiter. I had goals and ambition to attain higher levels of success. To me, success meant licensing my idea and getting it out into the marketplace. The entire point of moving to New York City was to pitched my idea to a company named FabStar. They specialize in back-to-school, youth accessories and handbags. I thought they, of all companies, would understand and appreciate what I was trying to do. I really believed if I moved from Texas to New York City and pitch them my idea, they would see how passionate and determined I was and give me an opportunity. In reality, that thought couldn’t be further from the truth. I admit, I lived in a fantasy world, reality was something I made-up along the way, but sometimes that’s all you need to get you started.
Midtown Madness
A month later, I finally decided it was time to pitch FabStar. I swiped my metrocard and hopped on the [7] train, and headed to 42nd Street, Times Square, then transferred to the [N] line headed toward Brooklyn finally stopping at Herald Sq. I practiced my pitch by reciting it to myself over and over again. I suspect people on the subway must have thought I was crazy, because they saw me talking to myself. Twenty minutes later, I finally reached my destination. I was just a few feet away from walking in, when I realized that I was showing up unannounced and without an appointment. I thought to myself “Maybe I am crazy like they all thought”, a small voice inside me said, “Don’t stop, keep going”. So I did.
I clearly didn’t understand corporate hierarchy because I walked right into their office and asked to speak with the founder directly, as if he had all the time in the world to speak with a random nobody off the streets of New York City.
“Dammit man, my intuition had finally bitten me in the ass” I thought.
“Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asked.
Me: No I don’t.
Receptionist: “Well, you’ll have to make appointment ahead of time to meet with Mr. Russo. What’s this pertaining to?
Me: Yes, ma’am I’m a buyer from Texas and I dropped in to see your showroom.
Receptionist: “Well I can squeeze you in with another sales rep if you like?”
I jumped at the opportunity and said: “Yes, that’ll be fine. Thank you!”
Ten minutes later a sales rep walked up to me and introduced himself as Ben. Ben showed me every department on every floor. Our conversation was so organic. He opened up about his career and how he got hired. As it turns out, he was best friends with the CEO’s son. I knew right away that I was talking to someone who could potentially get me an appointment with the owner.
My tour was just about over and then Ben said: “Would you like to setup an account with us?” All of a sudden my palms started sweating and that small voice in my head came right back and said: “Show him the t-wrap sleeve”. Then, under my breath, I muttered: “It’s either now or never”. “What was that?” Ben asked. “oh nothing”. A split second later, I pulled the t-wrap sleeve from my bag and showed him. I could tell he was stumped, I felt guilty until I explained what is was. Then his eyes got ginormous and then he said: “Wow! Can I show my boss!” … With that, I knew I had it made. It was just a matter of time, before I’d be sipping Mai tais in Maui, I thought. He returned a few minutes later and told me that his boss was out. “I can keep it with me and show him when he arrives later, if you like”. I had to think quick. I used the t-wrap sleeve as leverage to book an appointment, I let him take a photo of it on his phone hoping that would peak his bosses interest and that he would request a meeting with me.
Sometimes Things Don’t Go as Planned
Several days later I received a response back from Ben’s boss who happened to be the Senior V.P. He had agreed to take a meeting with me. When I arrived to my appointment, it was me, the V.P. and Ben. I opened up my laptop and made my presentation. Stammering through my pitch, they sat in silence. After I delivered my pitch, the V.P. looked up at me and said: “Not too many people come as prepared as you, you’re the first person I ever encountered who has made a pitch worth considering, but I need to be honest with you, I don’t think this idea is right fit for our company.” I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. All the signs were pointing to a yes, but all I heard was no. And it was all over just like that. After we exchanged business cards, I went my way and they went theirs.
Key to Success: Keeping an Open Mind
This experience was good for two particular reasons. It showed me that not everyone shared my vision. It was starting to become clear to me that I needed to bring my idea to market on my own since others couldn’t see the big picture the way I did. I learned that I was being directed in a path that was much bigger than licensing my idea. After that experiences, my feelings went somewhat numb. I sort of adopted an attitude like ‘I’m going to do whatever I have to do’, so I just kept on exploring ideas. No way, no how, was I going to let this “no” stop me. I knew there were yeses in my future, I just had to find them. I didn’t know it then, but I was slowly building mental toughness.
My Next Blog Story…
My plan “A” didn’t work out the way I had envisioned it. After pitching FabStar, I had to rethink how I would get my idea out into the marketplace. My faith pursued the trail of breadcrumb clues which eventually lead me to The Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center at Columbia Business School, to listen to eight-time serial entrepreneur, Steve Blank speak.
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