Lessons I've Learned from a "Pancake"

Years ago I had the brilliant idea of opening a restaurant & bar themed restaurant in South Carolina.  I was young, stupid, and naive.  Actually, I had no idea what I was doing other than getting people in the place, which I was quite good at.  My problem was twofold; I was not trained in the art of being a restaurateur and I was a terrible leader. 

I ruled the business with an iron fist and took out all of my frustrations on the employees.  Eventually, I couldn't keep any and the turnover became a revolving door.  It got to the point that instead of interviewing people for waiting jobs I simply asked them if they could carry a tray and sent them off. 

One of my star employees was a young man named Sam Pancake.  He hated me with a passion because of the way I treated everyone.  I only kept him because I needed a warm body.  Otherwise, I would't have put up with his smart alek remarks.  He constantly told me that this job was just a weigh station on his way to bigger and better things in Hollywood because he was going to be an actor.  What a laugher I thought.  A waiter from South Carolina becoming a movie star.  Yeah, right. 

Eventually he left like everyone else and I went out of business and lost everything.  Almost 20 years later I'm sitting on my couch with my family, including four kids, watching a movie and low and behold Sam Pancake appears on the screen.  I almost died.  My family didn't believe he worked for me once.  Not long after that I noticed him in several others movies, not big roles, but big enough to prove his point.  And, he is actually quite funny. 

What Sam Pancake taught me was that there is always a way out and a way up if you put your mind to it and stick with the program.  I am very proud of his accomplishments today and would gladly tell him to his face that I was wrong and he was right.  You will never know if you are going to make it to the top of the real estate world if you don't try and do all the things required to get there, as well as believing in yourself.  This applies even more so to the greenhorns out there who are feeling the economic pain and struggling housing market right now.  The key is not only confidence and knowledge, but treating your customers with dignity and respect.  They will sense this from you and you will come out ahead of all the experienced know it alls with every listing appointment you go to.  Listen to the Pancake if you want to get ahead.