Ever since I was a little kid, I have enjoyed spending time alone. Like most kids, I liked to play with other kids. I always had at least one best friend plus plenty of other good friends. I didn’t have difficulty meeting people or making friends. But I loved solitude too. I could curl up…
Author: Steve Ainslie
Most Sales Training Is Garbage
When I first starting selling, I read sales training books from the “masters” Zig Ziglar, Dale Carnegie and Napoleon Hill. From there, I went on to read books on Strategic Selling, Consultative Sales, Selling to the C-Level, etc. I had formal sales training delivered by three different vendors when working for a large corporation. More…
My Experience With Obamacare aka the ACA
My first day back to work after Hurricane Michael knocked out power to my home in Florida, I received a call that my job was eliminated. I was officially unemployed and uninsured for the first time in a decade. ACA Coverage for 2017 My options for health insurance were COBRA for $600/month or an ACA…
Follow The Money
In late 2008, I finally decided to do something about my lifelong debt. As with most things that I become interested in, I immersed myself in this process somewhat obsessively. I read Dave Ramsey’s plan for becoming debt free. I read the Early Retirement Extreme blog. I read a bunch of blogs and books on…
Taking A Stand to Defend Your Rep
When I was in 3rd grade, I rode a bike that was a hand me down from my grandparents. It was a very uncool cruiser (PeeWee Herman style). All my friends rode the latest Huffys. Sometimes they would make fun of my bike. I didn’t care. I loved my bike. It had a rear rack that…
My Grocery List System vs. My Marriage
I am an organized guy. Or as my wife likes to say “obsessive compulsive”. I like to have things in order. I embrace minimalism because it makes it easy for me to know exactly what I have and where it is. When I exercise, I follow a system. When I make dinner, I take certain steps every…
Should Your Sales Team Be Run Like A Family Business?
When I was a little kid, we’d shop at Johnny’s East End Market for fruits, vegetables, eggs and milk. Whenever Johnny saw me (or any other kid), he’d smile, tell us stories, and pass out samples of grapes, cherries or candy. So of course, anytime we needed groceries, we dragged our parents to Johnny’s. Johnny’s…
Where Are All The GenX Blogs?
When I get bored, I’ll look for something interesting to read on the internet that’s not news (what you need to worry about today), listicles (top 10 reasons you should read this bullshit so I can get advertising money), or cute pet videos (instead of watching videos, I play with my own pets). Occasionally I’ve…
Jobs That Took Me from Poor to Middle Class to Semi Retired
Many years ago I read an article by the legendary Mike Royko where he listed all the jobs he’d worked before becoming a writer. I was fascinated with how many different jobs he had worked that had nothing to do with journalism. I’ll never forget one of them was stevedore. Although it was never my intention…
Thanking My Mentors
Mentoring is the single most rewarding thing I ever did as a manager. A few years ago, I announced I was leaving a company where I had managed a large team. Over the next few weeks, a number of people dropped by my office to wish me well. Each thanked me for mentoring them. Most…