LeTip has been a fantastic addition to my business and is actually the reason I currently own the Insurance Agency that I own.
I would like to tell a story about a poor mountaineer that barely kept his family fed. One day he was shooting at some food . . . . Wait, wrong story. Let me start again.
Listen now and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port aboard this tiny ship, . . . Wait, that is the wrong story too,
They both do have some bearing on the real story. I started Mr. Pickles Sandwich Shop on Mill street about 8 years ago. One of my customers came to me and said, “This place is great, you have to come to LeTip with me.” I didn’t know what it was so she had me contact another member who I did business with and he said “Yes, you have to go.” So I did go and loved it from the first.
I needed some way to promote my little sandwich shop and I decided to stay in LeTip and give it a shot. I was nervous, and I didn’t know exactly what the outcome would be but I stuck with it. Soon almost every member came into my little sandwich shop and encouraged me. I was catering the monthly board meetings. It had a significant impact on my business just from the members who stopped by for a sandwich. This is not to even speak of the people they referred to my shop. It was excellent.
Now owning a sandwich shop is very fun. My kids and wife worked there and ran the place for me. But it is sometimes a rocky ride and it isn’t, shall we say, a smooth sailing ship that will get you through stormy seas. (Note the Gilligan’s Island reference here) I
I had met many excellent members of the LeTip group. I switched my insurance over to the insurance guy. I used the Handyman in the group. I had the graphic artist design me some new business cards and menus. And, I had the sign guy make me big menus and door lettering. Everyone made things go very smoothly.
Now, as I was trying to make this little enterprise successful, (I was shooting at some food) I was needing a bit more of an opportunity to help my family succeed and be able to plan and prepare for my retirement. I had a few opportunities to look at other businesses. I called my new insurance agent who was a member of LeTip. One of the opportunites was insurance. I asked him if he could recommend insurance as a good field for me. He said, “Heck no, you’re too old for that” (You will get blunt truth here). “But, he said, if you know someone who is retiring, it could work well for you.” And, he was.
I was able to purchase his business, on the condition that I got to remain the insurance guy in LeTip. So here we are. I’m driving my family down the road in the family truckster with my furniture piled high going through the streets of Reno. I’ve survived the 3 hour, eerrrrr, 4 year tour of the Sandwich shop business and I am thrilled as pie.
Don’t tell my wife, but I occasionally think, |I want to start a new business” . The one thing I first think to get started is “What category is needed in LeTip”, because that is the business that will be successful. The LeTip members will help me make sure of that.