IT PAYS TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH
I am often asked why I am so narrow minded and short sighted in business. Some even add, “It is little wonder you never remarried!” I don’t need a therapist to tell me I am opinionated, hold some strong views and I should get a life starting with eradicating my tunnel vision. My entire working life has revolved around doing business in/with Australia and New Zealand. I realize Oceania’s population is around thirty million, in a world of six and a half billion. I have always been happy to tell the world for the last twenty-one years over 80% of my business activity has been with the South Pacific which contains less than half a per cent of the world’s population. With the odd exception, I have never interested myself in learning a new language or culture to broaden my horizons. Quite frankly I have been happy with my own little world.
Although an American citizen by choice, I am also very proud of my Kiwi roots. Today an international organization based in Europe published its yearly survey of the least to worst countries for corruption. Heading the list, as has been the case since the survey of 180 countries started sixteen years ago is New Zealand, followed by Denmark and Singapore. Australia comes in at eighth with Canada, the States and Great Britain included in the top twenty. At the bottom of the list are Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan! That is not very surprising.
In my forty year career in forwarding I have seen huge windows of opportunities open up and many fledgling forwarding companies seize upon those opportunities. When mainframe computer manufacturers led the high tech boom, I saw a tiny little company, Computer Transport, open up in Australia and New Zealand and out of nowhere Alrod establish itself in San Francisco dedicated to Silicone Valley. In the nineties the renamed Flyway in Australia was sold for a fortune to Fritz/UPS and Al Rodriguez, with junior partner Stephen Russell sold to Circle (now Ceva) to become multi-millionaires after less than twenty years of being in business. Expeditors is now our largest indigenous forwarder and owner Peter Rose built this wonderfully successful company up to where it is today in less than thirty years. In the meantime, I have moved countries twice and today still remain a small businessman.
Looking back, I have few regrets. Over the years I have never been able to become comfortable dealing with countries, where I have difficulty understanding the culture, language and the political system. Rather than take the risk I have kept to my belief, I only want to deal with countries that speak English, are democracies and enjoy a way of life similar to me. Now I have reached my twilight years in business, I think that is why I am so happy with my lot, small as it is, because my working life has been about dealing with people who call “a spade a shovel” where a handshake on a deal still counts for something and where customers become personal friends. When I include the other chunks of business that passes over our docks, 95% of our revenue is derived from dealing with countries listed in the top twenty of the least corrupt. For my part, it has been a blessing to know who I have been dealing with and with all those little bumps in the road I have hit over the years, I have never fallen off my bike!
-
Share
Our Photos
