One of the first interesting offers I received after my publicity went viral was to sell lychee wine imported from China. Unfortunately, there was no salary involved and the company had little infrastructure.
My potential employer Vince LoDato had a wine cellar in upstate New York and partnered with a warehouse in New Jersey but had no facilities in New York City. I would have to carry samples of lychee wine door-to-door, create a buzz and sell sell sell in order to earn commissions. If I could stand out on Park Avenue with a sign board, I could surely sell lychee wine store-to-store.
I met with Vince in Rhinebeck, New York, at my father’s house, tasted the delicious lychee wine made from Chinese lychee nuts and thought how fun and wonderful it would be to succeed in the liquor business.
Vince and I sat on the porch for an hour, sipping the sweet dessert wine and discussing the opportunity—and life.
However, when I sobered up and asked around a bit, I learn it would be a very tough sell. Apparently, local American lychee wine producers had already produced a respectable-tasting lychee wine, exerted their marketing power and cornered the market. Perhaps, if I had not had a family to support, I would have taken up the challenge and gone for it. It would have been a great adventure, and I might have struck it rich—but being practical, I had to focus on finding a salaried position or starting my own business.
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