Things could be better in the LA office for our USS business. Essentially, since last December, we have spent about $70,000 in salaries and other expenses. We've been unable to turn around the losses and unless things change QUICKLY, we will run out of operating funds by first Quarter 2010. My conversation with Rod was all about this...looking at the financial data, our sales data, and expected growth over the next three months based on current and potential future product offerings.
He believes he can make the changes to make us profitable. But at this point, future risk has to be shared by Rod...he knows this and still feels that he can make the company turn around.
I hope he's right. Because when I return, I'll be picking up with him, or where he left off, and will be selling in NYC.
As a side note, I hear our lawyers are meeting with DHL the coming Thursday...next. Hopefully good things will come from this meeting.
THE WILD WILD SOUTH
And we thought the days of the wild, wild west were over. Today, while eating a late lunch in a cafe, SOME soccer game (there is ALWAYS a soccer game on some TV) was interrupted by a hostage/police raid on a bank in Sao Paulo. Most people are so accustomed to it, they didn't pay the EXCLUSIVE HORROR plastered on the screen (or at least that's how the TV station branded the action).
Bank robberies happen everywhere, in every country, but I thought something interesting about watching this one play out in Sao Paulo, Brasil.
You've heard soccer announcers on internatinoal channels, right? They get HYPER excited about every action and the enthusiasm becomes hightened when the player approach the goal or comes close to scoring.
Well, the news announcer covering the robbery sounded JUST LIKE he was calling the play by play for a soccer game. Really, if you didn't see the pictures, and you couldn't understand the language, you would have thought you were hearing the commenators calling a soccer game.
I had to laugh. So I did, which did get a stare or two from people--what's this gringo laughing at a bank robbery for? And it's a HORROR EXCLUSIVE.
AHH, GRASSHOPPER
So I had an interview to teach english in a pretty prestigious language school here. I doubt they'll hire me because I have only a Tourist Visa, but we'll see...pay's not great, but it will offset some costs, and it's nice to save for winter, Grasshopper.
The best part of the interview was it was downtown, in the more business/historic section of Rio. If you didn't know you were in Brasil, some of the architecture looks like the 18th century architecture of Europe. It really was BEAUTIFUL.
I'll be back down there shortly to see some of the cool museums, etc. And hopefully take some pictures...I took a couple on my phone camera, but don't think that's working very well.
IT'S HOT ON THIS HOT TIN ROOF, KITTY
Today was HOT HOT HOT. Or at least it felt it because I had to dress in business casual for my interview. I was sweating so bad...and just my luck, the subway car I chose to hop on didn't have the A/C working. By the time I got to my appointment, my shirt was soaked through...blue shirts don't do well in hot climates...they change from baby blue to Navy blue VERY quickly.
Anyway, when I finally got home, I tore of my clothes, put on a suit and ran for the beach. The water felt so cool, refreshing, and calming--even if one wave pounded me into the sand.
After, I stood on the beach and just took in the sunset in such a beautiful setting until I'd cooled down, relaxed and ready to walk back to my apartment.
Speaking of which, I've yet to turn on my A/C in the apt for more than 10 minutes, and only once. At times, I do feel uncomofortably warm, but I'm trying to live more like Brasilians do...on average.
It's not bad...really. No really...really. I mean, really.
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