E-Zine Street
Volume 1, # 1 The Service Professionals Resource December 1, 2004 - $2.95

Mark's Highway

Hello Friends,

Welcome to E-Zine Street! It is our sincere wish that we can share some insights
and assist you, both clients and friends, in your personal and professional
development. A river does not rise any higher than its source. Each issue of E-Zine
Street has a different, yet interrelated aspect of Leadership development to
consider. As Rod Serling used to say, "Submitted for your approval."

If you are not consistently growing by learning new skills and continuously expanding
your awareness and knowledge, can you honestly expect the people who work with
you to grow? It's not very likely. Our hope is that you enjoy reading these articles as
much as we have enjoyed writing them. More important, one or two of the skills we
discuss may very well be areas in which you want to grow, but haven't for half a
dozen good reasons. We all need gentle reminders from time to time. E-Zine Street
represents a kind of constellation of ideas in the night sky of the "Human Becoming"
process. Each issue is designed to raise your awareness, sharpen an old skill, or
teach a new one that will improve your personal effectiveness and interpersonal
relationships. We believe the quality of our lives is in direct proportion to the quality
of our relationships. These ideas applied can have a dramatic effect for good on the
quality of your life. And, oh yes, if it makes you smile, think, and take action, then
we have succeeded. Thanks for reading!

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"Thanks for the card"

by Mark Matteson

Since I was 14 years old, I have always had a plan. I forgot the plan and was
temporarily sidetracked for a while in my youth. When I left the military, I had a
dream of becoming an HVAC technician, a skill that no one could take away from me.
It meant security.

While waiting for my opportunity, I drove big-rig trucks and started a little service
company. The idea for it began at a party one warm spring night, with Pat, a guy I
knew from high school. He was a wheeler-dealer with a knack for making money.
There is a Pat at every high school. That particular evening, he told me how much
money he was making as a chimney sweep.

He said, "We should work together."

"Let's do it!" I replied.

I waited for his call, but it never came. Then it dawned on me, how hard could it be?
It was a glorified janitorial service, complete with top hat and tails! I went to the
library and found two books on the subject. I read them both several times, learned
what I needed to begin, and then made some calls to prospective customers. My first
calls were to Mom and Sis; that was two down. I was 21 years old, energetic, driven,
and covered in creosote. I could do thisÑfind a need and fill it.

I made two big mistakes early on. My first mistake was calling my business "Ye Olde
English Chimney Sweep", and ordering business cards, before learning it was a bad
name. The clever one-man shops go for names like "AAA Plumbing" or "AA Pest
Control". Why? The yellow pages! The first company listed is the first one called. Half
my calls would come from yellow page advertising and "y" is at the end of the
alphabet. I wasn't too bright.

My second mistake was starting a cold-weather service business in the spring, when
no one cares about cleaning their woodstoves and inserts. Chimney sweeps in the
Northwest earn 80 percent of their annual revenue from September to February. It
was mid-April, but nothing could deter me from succeeding. This was MY business
and I was having fun. I knocked on doors, mailed out flyers, and asked for referrals.

By my second year in business, I had over 250 regular customers. Over the
Thanksgiving holiday, I had a brainstorm, Christmas postcards. My wife took a
picture of me in full sartorial splendor and covered in creosote, standing in front of
my red Chevy van with the mock chimney on top. My Christmas postcard was born.
It read: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Sootfully yours, Mark Matteson. I sent
one to each of my customers.

A fellow we will call John called just after Christmas. "Come on out; my woodstove
needs cleaning," he said.

According to my records, I just cleaned his woodstove in September. But he was a
loyal customer and repeat business is what it's all about! So out I went. He was glad
to see me, cheerful and smiling. I did my creosote disappearing act. Afterward,
enjoying a cup of coffee at his kitchen table, I noticed my postcard on his
refrigerator.

"Hey, you got my card," I commented. His answer is something I have never
forgotten.

Wearing a slightly sad but grateful, expression, John replied, "Yes, I did. Thanks for
the card. It was the only one I received this year."

Driving home I thought of the song, "Eleanor Rigby", by the Beatles. Never
underestimate the power of a thank-you card. The lesson hit me like a two-by-four
across the forehead. You just never know.

One for the road
Here's something you can do for yourself or someone else (it is the season): Read a book and give a book. Here's one to ponder: Life is So Good by George Dawson and
Richard Glaubman. Richard is an elementary school teacher in Washington State and
George was a slave's grandson who learned to read at 98! This is an extraordinary
history lesson seen from the eyes of an illiterate black man from Texas. Winner of the
Christopher Award. He is a true American hero.

End Construction
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