I believe it was Mel Brooks in History of the World, Pt. 1, who said “It’s good to be the King.” Well after the day that I had, I can tell you from first hand experience that it is NOT true at all.
Like many of you know, I am the owner and operator of several FedEx Ground routes, which services areas of Manhattan and Long Island City. So today started off just like any Monday would, with my normal 7:00am manditory safety meeting which wasn’t so terrible (besides the fact that I had to be awake 90 minutes earlier then I normally do). Afterwards, I proceeded to do my normal routine inspections to make sure the trucks were safe to operate. After passing my inspection, I gave my drivers the go ahead to leave the depot and begin their day. Then, before my day really got started, I had to make sure that a new driver I am hiring showed up to his FedEx road test on time and had all the documentation he needed to provide.
So far so good, right?
Here’s where my day beings to get hectic. This past weekend I bought another 24′ truck to add to my fleet, but before it can be used, several things must be done to the truck to get it road ready. One of the things is to put on a rear view camera system to allow the driver to constatly see what is behind him since he doesn’t have a rear view mirror. So, over the weekend I ordered the camera system from a guy on eBay and paid the crazy expensive fee of shipping it overnight so that I would be able to install it Monday morning. Well, the system came with all the parts needed to install a camera system……on a truck 14′ or less. The cables provided weren’t long enough to reach the back of the truck. I then proceeded to drive around Queens & Brooklyn, going to every Radio Shack, Best Buy, and CCTV stores that I could think of to see if I could get the cables locally. Finally, I got in contact with a guy who “might” have what I need, but I would have to go to his shop in Canarsie so the guy could see the system and match the cables correctly. One hour later, after sitting in bumper to bumper traffic all the way to Canarsie, I arrived at the guys office, but only to find out that he didn’t have what I was looking for, go figure. Frustrated and tired from running around like a chicken without a head, I contacted the man that I purchased the system from to send me extension cables because I was not having any luck finding it in New York, and yes, I paid the crazy ridiculous fee to have it shipped overnight.
Moving forward, at around 3pm, one of my employees calls me to tell me that by “accident” he forgot to make a pickup from one of our clients on Friday evening and now they are asking to speak to me. First off, I was blown away by the fact that over 72 hours had passed since the pickup was supposed to happen on Friday and I was only hearing about it Monday afternoon. Secondly, the last thing I wanted to deal with was to hear a customer complain. But, just like any boss would do, I addressed the matter and dealt with customer in a professional & curtious manner that even the customer was thanking me for dealing with the matter so soon and professionally. Needless to say, this employee is currently skating on thin ice.
Next, at 5pm, I had to arrange for an installer to put up decals on the sides of the new truck that was recently purchased. Here’s the catch, I had class in less then an hour and was facing 43 minutes worth of traffic to even get to school according to my GPS. As difficult as this may sound, I was actually able to pull it off and make it to class with 2 minutes to spare. Because of my proper time management skills and background in print production, I was able to show the installer how to properly put on the decals according to the schematic provided, all while getting to class in a safe and timely manner.
On the way home from school at 9pm, I decided to stop back at my depot again to make sure my trucks and drivers came in safely and that the installation job was a success (which it was). I finally got home at 10pm to have my breakfast/lunch/dinner and take a shower. Tired and exhausted, I decided to do this thing.
It is now 11:15pm. I am just about finishing up this rant / blog (it’s my first one).
After looking back on this long and very hectic day, I can say that as crazy as it was, I would do it over and over again if I had to, because I am an entrepreneur! I don’t work part-time or full-time, my job is a lifestyle, I am a workaholic. If I want to succeed, I must ensure that my company succeeds, and to make sure of it I would go to whatever lengths necessary. Sure some may think I’m crazy, but I don’t want to work for anybody, I want to work for myself. I believe that if I put all my energy and focus into my business (and school of course), I will be able to make this thing succeed and won’t ever have to work for anyone other then myself.
And that is why I say its not always good to be the King……but hey, I don’t mind it.
