I thought that some of you may want to hear about an opportunity I have coming up.
The other day, we went to Starbucks for our weekly treat. While we were there, a woman not much older than ourselves took notice of us - mainly our beautiful little girl. (No matter where we go, she is always catching peoples' eyes!) We got to talking with this woman, and it turns out we have a bit in common, and she seems like a soul that could teach us a lot as well. She carries a small journal and writes in it throughout the day, rather than hunching over an iPhone, like so many of us (*cough*me*cough*).
Near the end of our discussion, she grabbed my number and said she would pass it along to her husband, as his "company is always expanding and looking for sharp individuals."
He called the next day and we arranged to meet at the same Starbucks this evening. A couple hours ago, we had that meeting.
This man came across professional and strong, comfortable in himself and his life. I had some doubts about him, however. I wondered if he was for real. He said things like "ambitious" and "self-motivated" to describe the type of people he looks for. He said he likes to work with people that are busy, that have more than one thing going on in their lives. He said those were the type of people that get things done.
He asked some things about me. He asked a little about my work history, but mainly about me, as a person. My ambitions. Goals. Aspirations. Where did I see myself in one to five years, if I did find that career I was looking for. I told him, "I'll tell you - I can't describe my future, without describing my family. We take joy in the outdoors, the world, the people in it. My wife and I have a dream about owning a VW bus for camping and road trips. We want to homeschool our little girl." And then I mentioned that Idaho ranked 47th in quality of education... "We want to be able to bicycle more." More on that in a moment. 
"We want to eventually make our home in Portland." Then he asked why we felt Portland was a good match for us. I told him, "What's not to love about Portland? Really. It's beautiful. It's bicycle friendly. There is loads a family can do there, and affordably! There's history. Portland is the most eco-friendly city in America. It's.... For us, it's that place. You round the turnpike to get onto the interstate that runs through the city and... You see the city itself for the first time... And you get goosebumps. Nowhere else is it like that for us." All he said was, "Oh wow." He actually didn't know exactly what to say to that. He seemed impressed.
So what exactly does this guy do? He explained, a little bit. "We work with entrepreneurs... And we set them up with retailers... Most of our income is residual."
Near the end of our meeting, he asked if making $50,000 a year, 10-15 hours a week was something my family could live with. I tried not to act impressed, as I am still skeptical. I told him, "That would definitely be a good figure if it worked that way." I had to come up with this response on the fly, and I think it was a pretty neutral one.
We set up to meet again on Tuesday at 7:40p. We will meet at Starbucks, then go to his house. Hmm. He told me to bring my family so we could talk more in detail and decide whether or not it is a good decision for us to make.
It sure sounds like a wonderful opportunity, does it not? What do you all think?
I thought this sounded like something someone would rather hire a college graduate for...?
--
We got a bicycle trailer for the little one! Finally! It's a Burley D'Lite two-kid stroller. Or, if you're us, one kid and a Miniature Schnauzer! It also converts to a jogging stroller, which is what we have been looking for. If you look this one up, it retails anywhere from $500-700. How much did we get it for? $100.
We sold my massage table for $180, put $80 into our birthday trip fund, and $100 for the stroller. We think we got a great deal.
Career Opportunity - Your Input?
January 15th, 2012 at 03:44 am
January 15th, 2012 at 04:10 am 1326600639
January 15th, 2012 at 04:36 am 1326602208
In general, sounds like some sales thing or pyramid scheme. Now, *some* people are good at sales and can make a lot of money in sales. Don't get me wrong. But very few people are actually going to make those kind of numbers, even if it is legit.
Meeting at their home would also make me uncomfortable. Just puts it more into the "fishy" category. Just be careful.
I've got an out of work family friend who gets into these weird situations with these type thing all the time. He is the type who would fall for any scam though. IT's scary how many scams are out there right now, feeding on desperate people in this economy. Whatever you do, don't give them any money or bank account info. It's usually that, or "you are going to make a ton of money," but are instead working for free (paid only commission, can't make any money after all - commission is pennies). So those are the things to watch out for.
January 15th, 2012 at 05:17 am 1326604639
I am starting to wonder about this couple. She seemed too nice and outgoing to just be some nice outgoing person. Haha. Ya know?
He was meeting with another person right after me, and that guy looked like a total - excuse me - loser. So, it could be a scam...
As for references... What do you mean? Couldn't he just name off some people that are also scammers, if that is the case?
January 15th, 2012 at 05:36 am 1326605765
January 15th, 2012 at 05:38 am 1326605931
January 15th, 2012 at 06:18 am 1326608301
Maybe I'll take my firearm with me.
January 15th, 2012 at 06:27 am 1326608829
January 15th, 2012 at 01:02 pm 1326632548
January 15th, 2012 at 03:25 pm 1326641135
January 15th, 2012 at 03:34 pm 1326641672
I would keep your wife and daughter out of it for the time being. I think it would be okay to call or meet him again, but investigate the companies I mentioned above so that you can ask better questions.
I think you could make more money mowing lawns!!
January 15th, 2012 at 03:44 pm 1326642241
January 15th, 2012 at 04:18 pm 1326644286
I guess I just didn't think these scammers were THAT good. The interview with him definitely threw the initial red flag though.
January 15th, 2012 at 07:08 pm 1326654500
Run.the.other.way. Don't.look.back. Not.worth.your.time.energy.or.talent.
How did the legit offer of insurance work go?
January 16th, 2012 at 06:15 pm 1326737720
January 28th, 2012 at 09:12 pm 1327785137
Jerry