Day 13

Well, like I was told to by Dom of Bat City Cross Fit, I stopped at Bat City this morning to talk to Tommy Do. Tommy is the owner.

I told him of my visit last night, and meeting Dom, who suggested I stop by this morning to speak to him. He heard me out, and was fairly open to check out my project online. After giving him my information, I took his word to follow up with me. I came away from the conversation knowing the center has been open for a year now, at their current location. Crossfit really is gaining ground around Austin.

But before I go on, I want to note the highlight of the day. I finished my interview with Chef Steve Riad of Tomodachi Sushi. Here's my conversation with him. Tomodachi Sushi, is a Japanese sushi restaurant that I stopped at on Day 12.

Here it  is, or simply click his photo below: The Tomodachi Sushi Conversation.

Chef Steve Riad Poses For The Camera

Today, for the morning, I had planned to make a few particular stops---coffee shops, mainly---and leave myself enough time to come back home and prep for my interview with Mr. Steve Riad of TomoSushi (above), with whom I had set an appointment yesterday. The appointment was for 3pm, and getting started at about 9:30 am, I wanted to work until 12:3o pm, and then return home for an hour or so to get ready---prep my line of questions, make it relevant to him and the restaurant, and draw out useful business lessons with the right questions. This is primarily for the owners but their stories help others, and I have to make it useful to both.


With this plan set I went to N Star Donut, after leaving Tommy Do. N Star donut is another coffee/donut shop in my neighborhood, but on another street. I met with Mila, a partner of the 2 other owners ( I learned later.) Mila heard me out, and suggested I try back in an hour, when Marianitta, the principal owner would be around. That sounded good, considering I would be working other shops for the next 2 hours, and would leave me enough time to come back.


Having settled on that, I debated for a minute which bus to take to my next stop, for two of them---the 1 and the 24o---will both take me there. I checked Google maps on my phone, and chose the 1 bus, prefering to walk to it's station, which was farther, than to wait at the nearer station for the 240 bus. Why? No reason, really, if I was to go by logic, but sometimes I prefer to take the longer route because it stretches me and forces me to think, and in that mode, I end up coming up with good ideas on most of the things I want to do. I guess the stretch stirs me to innovate. I like that.


I got to the station, and waited for a while. While sitting there, I saw a young girl walk by with a cane in hand, her right hand. She made little taps with the cane on the pavement, which quickly alerted me to her condition, blindness. She walked past me with ease, and my eyes followed her to see how she does it all. She showed no problems at all, save for feeling the bends in the pavement with her cane, as it hit the bordering grass, which made her adjust her direction a bit, at an angle.


With her way-finding stick, she was soon far away from where I sat, on the bus bench. I imagined myself in her shoes, walking this pavement with a cane. Initially I would struggle, I told myself, but being a man, and needing to get where I am going, and to get on with life, I would persevere, and courage will set in. With that progression of emotion, I would do just fine, like she is. 


I thought again of the import of this scene. I imagined her other senses heightened to compensate for her lack of physical sight. This brought useful benefits, I realized. She made her way quickly along the pavement, and at that pace she will get to her destination in no time. What does this mean?


One, she has no distractions to deal with, and simply went on, heading toward her destination. Many of us do not have that focus. Yes, sight brings the joys of what we see, and also the distractions. I would probably stop a few times to take in some sights along the way, slowing my pace a bit. In most situations, this is is not bad, but when it kills time and leads to time-wasting and tardiness, I don't think it helps.

Two, she is focused, and making good progress. If this is to be applied in a sense to real life, with focus we all make good progress.

Three, her senses are engaged, and at a much higher level than for most. This keys me in to the unused capacity of most of our senses---touch, hearing, smell, and in some sense imagination. I am sure she leans on her imagination much more than most of us, and therefore has a stronger sense of it.

And most importantly, courage. Having started walking without sight, whether she was born blind or lost her sight later on, after being born with full sight, she may have struggled. But with time and persistence, and a need to get on with her life, she has come very far. 

She has crossed streets, boarded buses, hugged other people, taken classes, written notes, and many other things we do everyday, and that only leads to courage. With that  understanding that she has overcome so much, what else could get in her way? I took that lesson with me.

Well, the bus showed up, and I was off to River City Donuts. Once at their entrance, I made a move for the left leaf of the door, and pulled it out to open. It didn't. I tried again, looking inside for some sign of it being closed, when I saw a young girl inside run to draw the attention of someone inside, after seeing my struggle.

A man in his early twenties came to the counter, and simply stood there. I wondered why, expecting him to either push a button on his end to let me in, or come to the door. I looked at him, wondering why he was not coming toward me. He pointed to the right door, signaling me to pull that one instead. Oh mine, the right one opened with an easy pull. My fault.








The owner was absent, and Justin, the attendant I spoke to, wanted me to call back sometime later, probably on Monday. River City Donut has been in business for 4 years, and are open for business from 5am to 1pm, on weekdays, and Saturday, like today.

I made stops at Cafe Java and Central Donut, and those I spoke to there wanted me to call back at a later time.

Checking the time, I knew I had to get back in time to prep for my interview, and also swing back around, like I intended at N Star Donut to meet Marianitta. 

Getting there, I saw a woman walk up to the counter. Marianitta seemed to be in her fifties and showed signs of wear from many years of work. She listened to my purpose, and for a moment thought I was suggesting getting them a website, when I talked of documenting her story on my blog. I made it clear it was not about building websites, and that it would cost her nothing. She thought of for a while and turned it all down.


Walking away I could somehow see why. For some folks her age, who most likely may not be very familiar with audio marketing, the power of shared owner stories or blogs, YouTube, or Sound Cloud, something like this may be far fetched. She may more likely appreciate what's hear and now, and can be felt---like how what I am doing directly leads to more Kolaches leaving the counter.

It's all good, though. Every interaction betters me. With that, I headed home, took in a little college football, and prepped for my interview with Tomodachi Sushi. Above, is the recording.

The interview went well, and didn't take too long. Steve was waiting for me when I got there. We made small talk about his wife's education at FIT in New York and it's connection with my friend's, who is a student there now. He went on to share how interesting how that is, and how he even met his wife in New York, when both of them worked as servers. You may have noticed he shares that in the interview, too.

I took sometime to take some photos of the restaurant, thanked him, and wrapped up.

The day is in the bag, and Day 13 is done. But quickly, I emailed the file to keep it safe, giving it two homes just in case, and also mailed the photos to my email for later downloads.

On to Day 14.

Day 12

Like Day 11, Day 12 was also short for the effect of the holiday; but again, I had to make the most of my day. 
 
Right in my neighborhood are shops that I have not spoken to yet for my project, but these are shops that are right within my criteria---locally owned and independent.

This led me to a stretch of shops starting with Thai Cuisine, a shop my friend and I had eaten at in the past. They have good food---I remember we had fried rice there, and it was good. I stopped right in front of the store, where a man seemed to be overlooking the work of a lady sweeping away the litter of Fall's fallen leaves. He said a word or two from time to time to point the lady here and there.


I introduced myself to the man and asked to speak to the owner. “What is this about?” the man asked. I explained my purpose. “ I am the owner, and how does this help me? Are you selling something?”


“Well, no, this is at no cost to you, and you don't have to pay me anything. I want you to be assured of that first. This is my project to gather the stories of small business owners in Austin who have started businesses in Austin, possibly document it, and share it with others. For starters, we can do an interview for 30 minutes, and I'll bring my equipment to record it.” I laid out.


“Well, I am busy now,” he came back. “No, not right now, but at a time when you are not busy.”


“Maybe 2pm,” He offered. “What time?” I came back mistakenly, totally missing what he said. “2pm!” He said, seeming to be inconvenienced a bit. I quickly corrected, making clear I meant what day.


“Tuesday,” He offered. I think I explained what I will need to record a quality conversation, and tried to prove the existence of my blog by showing him pages of it on my phone, when he turned everything down entirely.
“I change my mind. I am not interested,” He said. I thanked him and left.


I thought it over, knowing that an uninterested owner is best left alone. When I do interviews, it's not merely recording the owner's words, but it's an experience for me, too, which I should enjoy. I will not enjoy someone who doesn't want to talk to me. Let's work with the willing.


I took a few minutes to think things over, and went to my next shop, TomoSushi. TomoSushi seemed closed, for the curtains were drawn, and you can't really see inside. But I dared, walked to the door, pulled it out, and it came open.


I walked into an small and cozy space of restaurant that had a few workers busy with serving the few customers they had, and asked to speak to the owner. A man with a bandana wrapped around his head drew me his way, and asked my purpose.


“ I am assuming you are the owner,” I said. “Yes,” he responded. I explained my purpose, and asked for a suitable time to do the interview. “3pm, tomorrow,” he offered. I was taken aback a little with the quick offer, but I took it, and assured the day as Saturday, and that I'll bring my equipment, and will need 30 minutes, and some quiet space. “Okay,” he said.


I took the notes---the date, the name of business, and time---on the sheet inside my binder, and went to the next business, KebabTime.


KebabTime has been in business for 1 month, and seemed largely empty. I found two men sitting at a table near the counter, seemingly at ease in a conversation. I introduced myself and my reason for stopping by. One of them, to my right, told me to call back later to speak to the owner, and asked some more of my project, and the particulars. I made it clear, and asked how long they have been in business. That's how I knew it's been a month.


I gave them my name and blog information, and asked when to stop back to speak to the owner. “3pm, Monday,” he said, and gave me the owners name---Sefa---when I asked. “You must be close to the owner,” I asked. “I am one of the partners, but speak to him first,” he directed. I thanked him, and went on.


Silver Grill Cafe was the next stop. I walked in and stood, watching the TV screens, as I noticed the WTA pictures on the screen, wondering what tournament it was and who was playing. I stood after noticing the waiter lead those who had walked in before me to their seats, which made me choose to wait.


A man, noticing I was unattended, walked up to me, and asked how he could help me. I told him my project, and asked to speak to the owner. “I am the owner, and we can do something after 2pm on Wednesday,” he offered. I took the offer. He asked, and I assured him I will call ahead to confirm before heading out.

Silver Grill is a nice cafe, with bamboo used to make some of their railings inside, and the sitting area inside seemed private but inviting. I could see myself there with a friend, catching a game on TV, or something. I asked for a business card to help me call to confirm, got it, thanked the owner, and left.


I stopped by Synergy Fitness, and found it empty. A lady walked in assuredly, and seemed to be an employee, of whom I asked the whereabouts of the employees. “They may have left it open for their members to use, after the thanksgiving, and I am here to clean up.” Thanking her, I left to my last shop on that block, It's A Grind Coffee House.


You know what? This project has revealed a lot to me about my neighborhood and the city. I have come to find some interesting businesses in Austin, which I would otherwise probably never know of. This was one of them.


It's A Gring Coffee House is about 7-8 minutes by foot from my apartment, and I have never been there. It's a nice set up, with free Wi-Fi. It's suitable for someone like me, who like to sit and write. I often use the Starbucks close-by, which is about 15 minutes by foot from where I live, but It's A Grind Coffee House is right next door, in a sense, and I can more easily get there. 
 
Yet I found the owner absent. “Allie the attendant's had me write a short description of my project and my contact information for Sonya, the owner. I thanked them, and left, promising to try back some time.


But to wrap up my day, I went back to Bat City Cross Fit, a crossfit gym, I stopped at first before heading over to Thai Cuisine. Earlier, reading the open time, I realized they will be open in about an hour's time, so after leaving It's A Grind Coffee House, I went back to see if I could speak to the owner.


Dom, whom I spoke to, asked me to come back in the morning at 9am to speak to Tommy Do, the owner.


This being right in my backyard, I wrapped up the day, by thanking God, who got me through the day, though I was dealing with a headache earlier in the day, and didn't have much relief until I went out to prospect. At a point, I wanted to turn back and go home to rest, but turned around at the last minute to give it one more shot. I ended up setting an appointment for the next day, and enjoyed it all. Thanks to God.


I stopped by Frys Electronics to get a new lapel microphone to help improve my voice in the recordings---I hand the owner a lapel mic and use a headset with an in-line mic for myself, and I have noticed the owners voice level to be fairly consistent, while mine drops in and out often.


You guys may have noticed that my voice seems to grow faint as the interviews progress, which is something I do in real life, as I gather my thoughts to present them carefully. This leads to me lowering my voice, and often makes my point unclear to you, the listeners. Pardon me.


I got the lapel microphone, and hopefully that helps.


On to day 13.

Day 11

I have wrapped up Day 11.

Overall, today was a short day, factoring in when I started and the eve of Thanksgiving Day. Yet I had to make the most of the time I had.


I made my first stop at River City Donuts 2, a coffee house and Taco shop. Unknown to me, it was closed.  
 
My next stop was at Cafe Java. I walked in to meet them closing up shop. “We are closed, sir,” a man said to me. “We are close at 2:30 pm on Wednesdays.” I acknowledged my not knowing that, but took the chance to ask to speak to the owner, saying I was not there to buy anything, hoping the owner may be part of the team currently in the store. “The owner is not in,” came the reply. I revealed my project, and asked how long the shop has been in business, and if it was locally owned. Cafe Java has been in business for 19 years, and is owned by one Matt.


I thanked the folks at Cafe Java, and turned to leave.


I walked out of the store to find a young lady with a stable camera on a tripod stand set up conveniently on a bench. The camera was shooting a video of a young man in a Baylor University sweater, and the man seemed to be answering questions from the young lady. 

The set up was a sight, considering my project's part purpose of capturing the stories of owners for documentation. I could see myself in the lady's position, and an owner in the young man's place.

I would love to have an equipment like this, I thought to myself. Noticing it to be a session not to be interrupted, I refrained from asking any questions of the lady, and walked on to my next shop. I found out the owner of the next shop was not in, and turned around to see if a chance had opened to talk to the young lady about the equipment, thinking they may have taken a break.

It was so, when I checked back. I politely interrupted their conversation, which was not being filmed this time, and seemed more casual, and interruptable. The young lady was generous enough to tell me the purpose of the video and what she does.

The video was for a short film she was making of the man's story, and was shooting the conversation to help her remember some of the things the man was saying. I often write it down, and rely mostly on my memory to document things. Her way is easier. She also works for a production company, and also freelances.

She gladly gave me her contact information, I apologised for interrupting, and left. I will be in a better place to reach out to her depending on what interview opportunities I came across on the project or off it.

I caught the 1 bus, and moved to another area of town where I knew there was a greater chance of meeting locally owned business owners.

I stopped at Pikes Peak of Austin, a wholesale Florist, which was also closed. I made my next stops at Leslie's Commercial Service Center and Ryan Herco Flow Solutions, which were both corporately owned, and didn't fit my criteria. But the next business was squarely within it. 
 
Sports Performance Center, was the writing above the front door, and I walked up to it. I noticed a man getting out of his car, after parking in the small parking lot in front of it. We acknowledged each other with a nod, and I decided to speak to another man taking something out of his car's trunk.

“Hi, my name is Kingston, and I was hoping to speak to the owner.” Travis, I came to find out, is a trainer there, and he asked the man I nodded to earlier to take me to the owner inside. I learned quickly that the owner's name is Ben, and the man to take me to him is Ben, too. “Is there a third Ben,” I asked Ben. “No,” he responded. I was just trying to make light of it.

I waited a bit while Ben checked for the owners availability. He was busy with something, and would like an email.

We got into a conversation about the purpose of the facility, and what makes it unique---in a sense, I was asking why people would like to use it. 

"Come on, would you like to see the facility?" Ben asked. "Yeah," I took the offer, and Ben started me on a comprehensive tour of the facility.


Below are some pictures I took of the place.

Ben was very thorough in sharing with me the unique features of the place---the sport specific trainers, in-house chiropractor, top tier equipment, and store of knowledge on fitness, wellness, nutrition, and others. This time was simply for me to simply take notes and take matching photos.


Aside from learning about the facility, I came away with useful information on proper posture (and how it affects my back), nutrition and how that can impact weight-loss, and a few other things.  
I made a few more stops at owner absent shops, and called it a day.

Tomorrow is thanksgiving, and I'll be staying in for the early part of the day, and then head off to an invitation by a family at my church to spend the day at their home. 
 
After that, the project goes on. On to day 12.

Day 10

So Day 10 is in the bag. Done. Thank God.

I started the day around 2:30 pm, and worked the other side of the street---Burnet  road---I was on yesterday. 

My first stop was at my barber's, Roffler School Of Hair Design. Like I said yesterday, I was not aware that they are not open on Mondays ( I almost always got my haircut on Saturdays). The owner, Ron Bus, after hearing me out, suggested  I follow up with him next week Wednesday, since he will close up shop throughout the thanksgiving holiday, and will only open on the Tuesday, the week after.

Roffler is a little different from most Barber Shops. It's a a school, and has been in business for 35 years. It takes in apprentices and gives them the opportunity to learn the trade through cutting  hair at low rates, as $5.00. This set, I realise, may not work for some, as they may see the set up as unprofessional. But Roffler does business with the understanding that you may not get the best haircut from their apprentices, but you also pay a very low fare.

I have used them for a while now, and most of the apprentices already have some good experience working elsewhere as barbers or are naturally talented, needing only experience to fine tune their craft, and the certification that Roffler gives them after the training. This puts most of the apprenitices in position to give clients at least a decent cut, and their work is monitored, and more experienced barbers sometimes step in to give instructions to apprentices, or take over a cut for a while. 

They also have professional barbers there who give haircuts to folks who prefer to pay a higher rate for a professional cut.

Most of my cuts have been decent, and considering the fact that my hair starts growing back the day after, and I then need to start trimming it myself, it's not a bad deal. I get to help someone learn his trade, and save some money in the process.

For the project, though, I will be following up with Ron on Wednesday to see if I can interview him for the project.


My next stop was at Images Of Austin a custom framing gallery business, where I met Robin Doerr. Robin is the owner of the business, having taken over in 2007 from her mom, Mary, who owned it with her partner for a long while before then. The business started in a garage, making it my second garage-founded business of the project, so far. Robin took time to hear me out, and filled out my survey. We talked briefly about her story as an entrepreneur, and discussed the possibility of interviewing her, or writing a book on her journey.



"Let me talk to my marketing director first, and see what we can do," Robin told me, for she had recently hired someone to do her marketing. "That's fine. I will leave my information with you, and follow up with you tomorrow," I responded. I will be calling Robin tomorrow to get an update. But overall, Robin seemed nice to talk to, and though backed up with work, and preparing for a new opening on Dec. 2, was willing to talk to me. I appreciate that.


I dug a little into the story behind her last name, as we both firmed up our memory of our names before I left. I tried to mention her name as spelt, "Dooer,"with emphasis on the "er," as "doer," as in doing an act. But her pronunciation sounded more like "door," the entrance. 


So in finding out, her family name has German roots, and was changed sligthly in spelling when her forebears first moved to the United States, and is pronounced as she pronounces it. All this I find interesting, and gives me the opportunity to learn things I never would have. 
 
Martinez and Hood: Watches to Jewelry was the next business I talked to. John and Paul have been in business 3 months, and both left as employees of a previous company to start their own after losing faith in the direction their previous company was headed in. Hearing of my project, John wanted me to follow up with them later to see what could be set up, since they currently have no employees and have to do everything themselves. I granted it.

As is normal with the territory, I ran into businesses that were flat out not interested in what I was out doing. Shops like “Violin, etc” and "Turqouise Trading Post" thanked me and politely declined to be interviewed, at least. That's all good, though, for in seeking good, you will meet uninterested folks, who for sincere reasons will turn you down. But looking at things from their view point helps you understand that it's not necessarily about you. The timing could be wrong, they may not be in a place emotionally to take on anymore, and other genuine reasons. I just roll with it all, and keep rolling.


Also, like every report that I write, today also had it's fair share of absent owners, which led to my taking business cards and phone numbers to possibly follow up. Tom's Dive & Swim, which has been in business since 1982 and was owned by Warren Roseberry, and Kwik Ice, owned by James John were among these. 


I also met with Frank Bomar Home Lumber Company, who is looking to get out of business. Frank has been in business a long time, and for the hefty property taxes he has to deal with in running his business is considering closing up shop. I do not quite understand how all that works, but it's the second time I have heard an owner complain about that this week, and it raises questions in my head. To the point of taking someone out of business, property taxes may be something to take a closer look at.
 
I wrapped up my day at Crossfit Central, after waiting to speak to the owner for a while. I waited for a while, and chose to pass the time reading some of the sporting magazines they have there. But after a while, Carey Keppler, walked up to me. I shared my project, and took out my survey sheet for her to fill out. She was interested.

She asked to check out my blog, and had me write out my contact information for her to take a look at later. From our exchange, we may do a sit-down interview sometime next week, but I have to follow up with her first. 

Crossfit Central has been in business since 2005, as one of the first, if not the first, Crossfit businesses in Austin, and with them,  I wrapped up my day.

On to day 11.

Day 9

I am out of the cold, and home. Day 9 is over. The weather was a little funny today---it seemed warm and cold at the same time, and though the sun was up for most part of the day, there was a cold feeling in the midst of it. 


So like I said yesterday, I confirmed my interview with Mr. Lee Rector. And it came off. I have not uploaded it yet to sound cloud, but it went well. 


I was out of the apartment by 8:05 am, having learned from Google maps that If I left at 8:12 am, I'd get there at 9:15am. I wanted to get there early, and before leaving I had to get a new buss pass for the month. So leaving at 8:05 will make that possible, giving me a few minutes to run by the supermarket to buy the pass.


Via the 240 bus and 3 buses, I was there in time. Upon arrival, I had to wait a little for Mr. Rector to finish up a few things in the back. When he was freed up, we went over the structure of the interview quickly, tested the voice recorder, and got started.


In about 34 minutes, it was over. Mr. Rector shared a lot on his story---how he got started in the automotive industry, and his recollection of most of it was vivid, I noticed. I learnt about how the job description of auto mechanic has changed over the years, the entry of test administrators to standardize the base knowledge of mechanics, the change in the engine make-up of almost all vehicles, and the burden of tax on a business owner.


Here, I will edit, and upload it later for you guys to take a listen. Just check the podcast page.


That done, I took some time to gather myself for the rest of the day. I got a bite to eat, and started prospecting.


My first stop was Antique Marketplace, and the absent owner story picked up again. This led me to my next, Sap's Fine Thai Cuisine, where I met Mike, the owners right hand man, it seemed. Mike was very open to seeing how I could help their restaurant, and willing to have me meet Sap, the owner. Mike filled out the survey and suggested ways and times to meet Sap. I will decide how best to set up an appointment.


Next was Kids & Cats, Unique Gifts, whose owner didn't have time to sit with me. She was booked for the rest of the year, as was the owner of Peached Tortilla, where I stopped a few shops later.


But I did talk with Jim of Amy's Icecream. I found myself in front of their doors after leaving Victoria's Cleaners, whose owner was absent. Amy's has been in business for 30 years, and has over 13 locations---with one in San Antonio and Houston. The business though was started here in Austin. Jim gave me the location and phone number to reach Amy, the owner. Good information, all this, and I'm learning a lot that I didn't know previously.

I also learned a bit a Karavel shoes, my next stop. A young man I met on Friday had recommended I talk to Karavel after hearing my criteria for the kind of companies I was looking to help. Karavel has been in business in Austin for about 77 years, and still going strong. They have some of the best footwear, and seemed well patronized. There, the attendant showed me some of their collection from their earlier days, 77 years ago.


But again, the owner was not in, having left the store earlier in the day. Karavel is family owned and by locals. I took a card, and went on.


I spoke to the owner of Northwest Sewing Center, Mary. Mary heard me out, and asked that  I give her a call sometime this week to see if we could block out at least 30 minutes to hear her story.


After that I wanted to catch the next bus home, but I wanted to do a few more shops before, thinking of the possibility of doing an interview with my barber, Roffler School Of Hair Design.


So I passed up the opportunity when the bus showed up. Unknown to me, since I almost always get my hair cut on Saturdays, they are close on Mondays.


This led me to Antique collectibles, which is owned By Linda Branson. After we talked for a while, Linda would like to do an interview but only if she was free tomorrow at 10:15am. I set a tentative one for tomorrow, and to secure the time, I will call before I head out tomorrow morning.


I made my final stop at Monkey's Nest, a coffee shop that gets a lot of patrons, I have noticed. I once went by Monkey's Nest one Sunday, after getting to church way too early, and decided to take a walk in the pleasant morning sun before the service starts, and on that day, it seemed packed.


Miranda, an attendant, went to the back to get the owner, after I had asked to speak to the owner. I spoke to Koros, the owner who asked that I leave a copy of my survey with him. He wants to think it over, and get back to me.


That wrapped up my day, and taking sometime to check my text messages, I caught the number 3 bus uptown, and was home in about an hour and 15 minutes. I know, a long ride; but that's what happens with buses, you know. It's all good.


On to Day 10.

Update

Well, the weekend is almost over. Hope everyone had a restful weekend.  I just got up from a nap. Earlier I sat through my favorite NFL team, the New England Patriots beating the Detroit Lions, after getting back from church.



But all in all, it was a good weekend. Like you may have noticed, if you started following the project in Week 1, and saw my calendar breakdown of my schedule, I am off on Friday, the 21st, and scheduled for prospecting on Saturday, the 22nd. I was home all day on Saturday.



A thunderstorm came through the Austin area and the hill country this weekend, and shut most of us in. Safety was the word to go by. 

With nature stepping in, I am set back a day, and have to make it up on the upcoming week or the next. I have to make it up somehow, if I am to make my December 12th end date. No worries, let's keep going, one day at a time.


But on appointments and things to do for the project, I confirmed my interview with Mr. Lee Rector of Black Forest Werkshop today. The interview is tomorrow, Monday, the 24th at 10am.

With that done, I have to prepare emails to be sent out tomorrow to various owners I didn't get a chance to meet in person, and those who, though I spoke to personally, requested I email them to set something up.

Over the weekend, I also started learning about Windows Live Movie Maker. I ended up with this movie maker after finding out Videolicious, an short video making app I once used with my Ipod is not available in the Google Play Store. I am using an android phone.

But having learned the basics of the app, I set up a YouTube channel for the project, where I will be doing short video spotlights on the owners and companies I had the pleasure of serving over the length of the project.  

As this project continues, I find myself learning various things that I feel will come in handy sometime later, if not sooner. 

So in that spirit, let's go on to Day 9, tomorrow.


P.S: A Quick Week 2 note:

Week 2 ushered in my first two interviews, and audio uploads to the blog. That's a win for me. I celebrate little wins like that, just as I thank God for little blessings. I look forward to more. 

Day 8

I am up and ready for the day. I just took in my morning read of the Bible, again it was about David, but today it was about his sin against Uriah. Interesting story that is, and something to take note of---I will have to appreciate what I do have, and leave that of others to others is the lesson I came away with.

Well, the sun's up, and the day calls for work. I have a 10am interview with Aces Jiu Jitsu Club today. That's the interview that was rescheduled on Monday, and I am off to it.

See you in the evening.


Well, the day is over, and I am back at my apartment. Thank God for today, first, and for all my encounters. Okay, the interview went well, and I'll soon upload it to the podcast page, and have folks listen to it. 



Just like I did with the first one with Oh Boy!Print Shop, I sat for a few minutes to prep for it, and got clear with my line of questioning. That done, I took a few minutes to walk over to the center, the club, and coach Mikal was ready for me. Again I met his dad, with whom he has a close relationship. I joked with his dad the first time I stopped by. Seems like a close knit group, and coach confirmed it later.

"Good morning," I greeted. "Good morning, Kingston. You've met my dad, right?" Coach responded and asked. "Yes," I confirmed. Coach led me to his office, which is located towards the back of the club, as we walked around the mats to the office.



"How are you doing?" He asked."Not bad," I came back."Just not bad?" He responded, a little surprised my answer wasn't as cheerful."Well, thankful for another day," I said to assure him of my gratitude and cheer.

We quickly got seated, and made small morning talk. A few minutes went by and coach's student and assistant came in. Coach introduced us, and we traded pleasantries. After that, it was time to roll. I brought out my lapel mic for coach's use and put on mine. 

Having gone over my reasons for doing the interview---to help me give value to owners, provide a platform for them to share their story and their business, give others a chance to learn from them, and to help me with me project---we got started. 


Take a listen here: The Aces Jiu Jitsu Club Conversation.

With interview done, I thanked coach, who was also grateful for the conversation, and made my way towards the door.

I had the rest of the day and morning ahead of me, and needed to get organized for it. Again, I quickly emailed the audio file to myself  to make sure I had a copy of it elsewhere besides being on my phone, and thought out my plan. I will finish off the part of the street where I ended yesterday, I decided.

At the bus stop,  I waited about 10 minutes for the number 3 bus headed that way. It soon showed up, and I was on board.



But again, I got into a conversation with Helen on the bus. Helen is a lady who seemed in her fifties, and had just moved to Austin in April from Rockford, Illinois, and was on her way back home from an interview when I boarded the bus. 



She talked about the difference in culture here compared to the Midwest, and was a little displeased with her move, and questioning it all. I tried to put perspective to it for her, telling her to give it time and see. My stop came up, and with a goodbye to Helen, I got off.

Well, time for work, and I made my first stop at Sarovan Indian Cuisine, whose owner was not in---the usual outcome. But to do this kind of project it's important to keep in mind that that will be the usual outcome, and anyone doing this should stay hopeful, for all you need is for one or two owners to see the value you are providing, and if you serve them well, that could lead to more opportunities. Rejections also abound, but you look for the willing.

The absent owner story continued with Trudy's, Gordon Automotive, A-Tex Family Fun Center (where I met Heaven and Blair, two friendly young assistants who work there.) Skinny Limits, and Cloud Dental.

But my stop at Skinny Limits was interesting. I knew of Skinny Limits, but was not very clear on what they do. Though the owner Carey Frieden was not in,  I found myself interested in their business. Christie, the manager there at their new location, explained their approach to making juices, smoothies, and healthy meals. Their juices are cold-pressed, raw, unpasteurized and unprocessed; and has no heat, which means the nutrients are preserved and works well with the body. I like that. 

My body is the only one I will use throughout my journey on earth, and taking good care of it is very important to me. Since Skinny Limits is headed in that direction, I will like to explore their products. They gave me a sample of one of their juices which tasted excellent.

Here are some photos I took while there, and they also ship nationwide, for folks reading this outside of Austin and Texas.

This particular location was only recently opened, about 3 weeks ago, Christie told me. And Skinny Limits has been in business close to 2 years now.

But my stop at Pars Deli, a Mediterranean Cuisine, also made my day worthwhile. Pars has been in business since 2000, I believe, and only recently changed owners. I spoke to the current owner. Kambiz Mokhtari seemed a gentle and friendly man from the way he interacted with his customers and how he made time for me. He conversed with most of the folks there with an unfamiliar language, at least to me. I assume it's a Mediterranean language.

He filled out my survey, and heard me out. We have an interview scheduled for next week Wednesday at 3pm.

Here are some photos I took of his restaurant.

 
This essentially wrapped up my day. It was time to catch the bus, and the next one will not be at my stop until about 3:57pm, and I got to the stop around 3:18pm. A long ride was before me,  I thought. I have to take 2 buses to get home, and the earlier I board the bus, the better. 



So, sitting on the bus bench, I noticed a commuter bus stop in front of me. I don't take this particular one, for it requires a higher bus fare, and my bus pass is for the local, cheaper version. 

But the bus driver asked where I was headed, after stopping." Towards Braker and Burnet," I said, "but my pass is for the local bus."

"Get on; let's go," he invited me, and I boarded.

I thought of it all, and knew this was the work of God, showing me favor, so I could get home earlier. Oh, what a mighty God I serve! 

I got home, hit the shower, and had dinner. Well, I am typing this now after taking an early evening nap, and just typing in my last words,  I will go back to sleep.

Thanks, you all. On to Day 9.

Day 7

 I am sitting at the Barnes and Noble bookstore right now ( 11:17am, CST). I had an appointment at 10am with Penguin Air and Home Furnishings which didn't come off. 

I arrived at their office about 9:55pm, and found the door closed. I called the company office---he was the general manager for their Austin Branch, the other one is Arizona, and they are corporately owned.

Well, disappointing, right? Well, come to think about it, this is not his fault, offering to hear me out with an appointment, because I think I did a poor job of explaining my criteria for the kind of businesses I was talking to---local, independent, and family owned businesses. Well, no worries, lesson learned about making things clear in my presentation, and time to make my time count for the morning.

I had a few things to take care of online. The 3 bus showed up,  I boarded it, and went to the Barnes and Noble Bookstore. I needed about an hour or two to finish up some things, and they have free Wi-Fi.

 I had edited the Oh!Boy conversation in Audacity last night, and cleaned it up as well as I can to email it to the CEO I had interviewed on Monday, Rob Almaguer, today. Got to admit, I am still learning how Audacity works, though I know the basics---clipping, saving projects, importing and exporting files, and a few others. But I am further along in being familiar with it than I was last week, which is good.

I prepped the email and sent it off to Rob. That done, I took time to check out Screencast-O-Matic's software for recording my computer screen. I will need it in the event that I have to explain some online things to others, and it's free for how I want to use. It worked out okay, only I had to download it, which I didn't want to at the risk of slowing down my computer. 

Well on to other things. I made a call to confirm a meeting  I had at 4:30 pm with Torres Plumbing. I spoke to him on Monday, and set a sort of tentative appointment for an interview on Wednesday at 4:30pm. Cecilia, the lady I spoke to today to confirm said he was in a meeting, and would give my message to him after, and call me to confirm.  I didn't hear back.

It sort of dawned on me that "tentative" maybe turning to "cancelled,"and maybe too late to do anything about it. Well, I have the rest of the day to be useful, and off to that I went after wrapping up my online work. I had a good feeling, having learnt some very useful things online that morning at the bookstore.



"Are you just getting off work?" I asked a petite lady walking toward the bus stop.  I was waiting too, for the either the 3 bus or the 383 bus, both of which will get me where I was headed for prospecting. "Yeah," she responded. We got into small talk about where she lived and where  I lived. Telling me about where she lived led into my knowing she had lost a lot of her personal possessions in a flooding in an area of William Cannon last year, and was only saved---she doesn't know how to swim---only because she was at work at the time.

Most others, she told me had lost cars, and a lot of other things. As proof she showed me the pictures of the flood, and yes, the flood did do her house a lot of damage. It knocked her fence over  and flooded her home as it rose to door knob level. The picture was taken by her neighbor who had taken refuge on top of his own home, and carried a camera along to take photos.

"Thank God," I said, and asked if she had given a testimony at her church. She did, and I added that that's good, considering that when there's life there's hope, and without it, there's nothing.

Moments like this during the day bolsters me, and makes me appreciate little blessings. "I am Mel," she said. "Kingston," I responded, and noticed my bus arrive, the 383.  I boarded it, and waved at her. In about 15 minutes, I was talking to a business that was corporately owned, and had over 60 locations worldwide.

It's not always possible to tell if a shop is locally and independently owned, so I often walk-in to check. Some that may look corporately owned may turn out to be individually owned, and vice-versa. And this was the case with Tech One Automotive, which seemed corporate but was owned by Kathy, a local---as Danny the associate made me know. Danny took a copy of my survey to show to Kathy, who was not in at the time. 

My next business was a locally owned, a maker of bumper stickers. Bumperactive has been in business since 2008, and was owned by Kyle Johnson, who was not in. Bumperactive not only makes bumper stickers but t-shirts, hoodies, and mugs. And Campbell the young man I spoke to there, suggested I email Kyle with my project. I was not sure if I will email the owner, but I will put it on my to-do list anyway.

I walked around the building to the office of Wedding Shoppe, whose owner was also not in, Aubre, the attendant told me. The story of absent owners continued with Austins Maid Service, HoneySuckle Acupuncture, Tip-top cleaners, and Tint World, until I got to Black Forest Shop.

Crossing the street to work the businesses on the other side, having decided to leave the businesses on my current side for another day, I walked into the office of Mr. Lee Rector. Lee is the owner of Black Forest Werkshop.

He heard me out and kindly offered me a seat. We talked further about my project, and my blog. Wanting to take a look at my blog, this very blog you are reading, Mr. Lee tried different word combinations similar to my blogs URL to see how given to Google search my blog is. Eventually he went directly to the address.

 He had some useful pointers on Google search, suggested possible URL changes to make it easy for folks to find my blog online, and took a quick look at my podcast page on my blog.

We talked some more of how my project helps others and owners, in particular. With that clear, I shared how I approach my process. For starters, I offered owners an opportunity to share their story through an interview, and then decide how else I could be useful to them. Considering he had a booked week already, this week, we settled on 10am next week Monday, the 24th, for a 30-40 minute interview. We also discussed how I could confirm the appointment before I head out on Monday. Overall, Mr. Rector seemed willing to hear me out, and thought well of my initiative with the project. That's goad to me, and I appreciate it. 


I dropped off surveys at a few places, chatted with some friendly associates, and called it a day. I was getting weary and my tummy's patience for food was running out. I had not had much since some slices of bread and peanut butter in the morning.

Well, here am at home punching the keys for the day's report, and ready for dinner, and an hour or two later, for bed. 

Alright, let's pick it up for day 8 tomorrow. 

Day 6

So today, I left the house early again to meet Mr. Michael Jackson of Triple J's Tire Shop. Again, like I did yesterday, I prepped my questions ( I always prep my line of questioning to be relevant to the owner's needs and that of the audience, who will listen to the podcast)  and got ready. 

I got off the 240 bus, and walked over. I met Linda her assistant, who said he was on his way. In a few seconds he walked in. 
"I tried to call you back, but for some reason, I couldn't reach you. Yeah, I forgot, but I have a doctor's appointment in 35 minutes.  I will have to reschedule." 
I said,"Okay." I understood this does happen, and that's fine, as long we can reschedule. This could happen to me too, when you have a slot on your schedule filled twice, without knowing. 
"We can do it next week, same time, if you don't mind," he suggested. "Can we do it on Thursday morning?" I responded, wanting to draw it closer in time so I can reschedule later appointments next week. But he made me know, understandably that the closer we get to the weekends, the busier they get. So I called for a reschedule later today, since Tuesdays were their slowest days. 


"Okay, we can do something after lunch, around 1 0r 2," he offered. I picked 2pm, agreed on it, and left to prospect. 


I took a few minutes to myself and figured out how to make the most of my time now that we are scheduled for later today.  I decided to work a street close to the neighborhood where his business was to make it easier for me to come back in the afternoon. Remember  I am not driving and doing all this by bus and foot. 


I caught the 275 feeder bus and walked over to Research Boulevard, a major thoroughfare in Austin, and went to work. 


I stopped by a Taekwondo shop, and realized it was closed.  German Auto Center was my next stop. I explained my project to the assistant at the front, who pointed me towards the owner in a close by office. I walked over to find a man in a conversation on the phone while looking over some paperwork. He seemed very engaged in his task.


Realizing my presence,  he looked my way and asked how he could help me.  Again, I shared my project. "Have a seat, and I will be with you in a few minutes." I did, and waited. Minutes went by, and it seemed he had a lot on his plate, as he got up a few times to cross check things with his staff. 


I thought about it all, and wandered if it might be better to come back at a better time. After a few minutes, I chose to leave and maybe come back later. I walked over to inform Mr. Len Gilmore ( I later knew from the business card he gave me, and he is the owner), and he realizing I didn't want to wait any longer, requested I either stop back later or wait a few minutes when he will be done with what he was working on. I had waited a bit, and wouldn't hurt if I did a few more minutes.


We talked about my project, when he was freed up, filled out my survey, and gave me his card to email him with the details of my project. I will be preparing an email for him later. 


On to my next stop, Deluxe Auto Repair, whose owner is not in. And Abe Automotive's owner, whom I spoke to at my next stop, was not interested. But I got a seat and a chance to explain myself clearly with the owner of Sterling Affairs & Events. 
I was introduced to Scott by Emily Perry, who after hearing me out, took my survey to the owner. Scott, the owner filled out my survey, and asked me to email him sometime next week Monday or Tuesday to set up a 30 minute interview that same week. He is interested, he made me know, and again I will be preparing an email for him later.
I passed up a number of other shops which didn't match my criteria---franchises and corporately owned businesses.  This project is focused on solely family and locally owned small businesses. 


Having walked a while, I stopped by a Salvation Center shop to use the restroom and rest a bit. I took sometime to check out a video my uncle had posted on our family What'sApp Account and took time to play with Camilla, a little hispanic girl who came over to where  I was seated after I waved at her. She was in the company of her dad, who didn't mind her talking to me a stranger. I played a video on my phone for her, and simply made small talk with the few Spanish words I know.


Rested and ready, I made my next stop at Ex-Calibur Auto Repair, where Clay, one of the staff there asked me to check back tomorrow about 1pm. The owner, Brad, just left earlier to take care of a tooth problem. 


Checking the time and noticing the approach of 2pm, I wanted to get to a few more businesses before I catch the next bus headed toward Triple J's Shop.  


I didn't get to meet the owner of Panaderia, Jesus Gevara, at my next stop. He was in a meeting, and couldn't be disturbed. Panaderia is a Mexican Artisan Bakery that sells some of the best breads and pastries in Austin, judging by the number of customers you find there often. I wrote down a short description of my purpose on a piece of paper to be handed to him, thanking the associates there.


I caught the next bus, and was in Triple J territory.  I arrived to meet Linda, who walked over to his office to check. She came back with bad news---Mr. Michael Jackson is not in. As I learned later, he had to rush to Pflugerville, a nearby city to pick up tires, and wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning. 


Well, disappointment, right? No worries, these things happen. I was a little down, but I gathered myself, and wrapped up the day. There were other things I have to take care of at the apartment, and need not worry much.  


The next 1 an 24o bus brought me home. I got some rest, had dinner, and started punching the keys. 
Got to turn in now, and get ready for Day 7.