Lesson #5
It's Better to Be Lucky Than Just Good
I've always said that it is usually better to be lucky than good. However, there is a caveat in that statement: People who are lucky must be smart enough to be aware of their good fortunes so that they can take advantage of the opportunities before them. The timing with OfficeMax was exceptional, and we were lucky enough—read that as smart enough—to recognize the chance we had to be lucky. Once again this was proving to be the case with Max-Wellness.
After the lunch meeting, I was intrigued. Although many people seem to think that I have ice water in my veins and at times project a disinterested persona, I'm just a good negotiator who plays his cards close to the vest rather than getting all warm and fuzzy. Once someone knows where you stand, the price of poker usually goes up quickly. However, after the lunch I did what I always do when I don't know the answers. I took a deep dive into researching wellness and the future of health care. Most important, I needed to figure out where people would find Answers for Healthy Living (the Max-Wellness theme line) in the years ahead.
And so my interest grew.
The catalog operator called to schedule a meeting a few days after our lunch. When we met, I told him that I had done some homework, I did like the concept, and I might be interested. But I had some ground rules. I reminded him that I wanted to be the boss, call all the major shots, and not use my own cash to get this business started. ...
