The following is an excerpt from the book titled, The Quiet Rich: Ordinary People Reawakening an American Dream.
Shaun’s Story Continued:
“Sounds like you’ve learned to listen to your soul,” I said. “Your determination will make you the architect of your own success. Learning who you really are, being unafraid to go deep inside yourself, and then using your character and your spirit in combination to meet your destiny is what it’s all about. Or at least that’s what I believe.”
We had a long conversation that day, but then there was silence for over two years. In the real mail, I received a birth announcement from them: Robert Benjamin Simons had arrived into their lives on the same date in early January that I’d met Shaun, Andy, and Sarah. I sent a gift for the baby—a check to start his college fund—and got a brief thank-you note in return.
It took Shaun another year, but he finally sent a long e-mail about the new venture he and Judith had embarked on—an idea that helped them navigate a major economic downturn.
He wrote,
Judith suggested we find another car like the Chevy and fix and sell it. Then we thought, if we could do that once a month, we’d have it made as soon as the economy comes back. I knew the timing would be perfect, but I also knew that getting the right car and new parts would take months. We called in Victor, who was still at the gas station, and kept him motivated to work nights on the car. I was committed but afraid I might not have the resilience for such a long-term plan. Both my dad and Judith were saying, “You have to stick with things for a while.” That was interesting because during that time, Judith got pregnant! The baby motivated me and inspired the vision to buy cars through the local classifieds, get them to Victor (who by now had hired two young kids to help) to refurbish and sell. Then, we got Steve involved. He’d moved to Phoenix and found us a pipeline for classic auto parts. I was like Grand Central Station—so much communication was needed—and I learned a lot about building a team of people who could hold the same vision as well as Judith was holding and growing our baby.
Steve enlarged my plan and put it in motion. He sent out a net to catch the cars and developed contacts in cities where his former fraternity brothers lived. He offered them incentive fees for finding classic cars and long-term bonuses for those sold with high profit margins. Judith had the idea, I was the point person, Victor was the shop, and Steve was sales and marketing.
Victor had his hands full, but he was living his dream. He got started with three cars he already had on the lot, and I went in most weekends to help. The work was labor intensive, and I managed those young kids just like my dad managed me. When the cars were finally done, they all sold within two weeks, providing extra capital that allowed me to find good mechanics—people who agreed to work by the hour. Then I kicked a plan into high gear to convince potential partners in this business that they would eventually make money after they worked six months for free. That was the hard part, but I was able to locate a mechanic and an auto-body craftsman in twelve cities in the western United States. They either worked in their place of business or in a space they shared with another company.
Steve kept the classic cars coming in and marketing going out in our target areas, Victor kept the repaired vehicles selling at a profit, and I moved from location to location overseeing operations. Judith stayed at home after Bobby was born, and she kept all the business operations going from our home office. It seemed like there was no end to the hours we put in to get all the details correct.
I could see then that Shaun would be successful—personally and professionally. Six years later, I read an article about him and his venture in a business publication. Over the course of that time, Shaun, Judith, and their friends had started restoration facilities and staffed sales venues in eleven cities, working exclusively on the vision of recycling automotive transportation. The partners were making more than a quarter of a million dollars a year. Here’s a portion of the article about Shaun and Judith:
“I am the visionary in this operation,” Shaun stated, “but visionaries have a problem when it comes to execution. And I have been blessed with a wife who can execute and deal with people, problems, and the advancement of business ideas. Her ability is the foundation of our success. I’m fortunate to have her in my life.”
Judith said, “You can have all of the innovation and all of the ideas, but you have to carry it through with plans to make them come to fruition. You do that by always looking at the bottom line.
“Industry, art, nature, and history are all filled with combinations of items that work better together than alone. Think Proctor and Gamble, hydrogen and oxygen, Antony and Cleopatra. In creating dreams or fortunes, it’s healthy to allow natural combinations to be part of the formula. We used that formula, and partnered with trusted friends to expand the entrepreneurial circle.”
When these two entrepreneurs met, Judith was the backbone of all operations at the radio-tower company, and her father was a lobbyist for a professional racing organization. She was no stranger to the smell of burning rubber and the sound of fuel-injected dragsters. Perhaps that’s why she makes business decisions in a split second and why, when in the driver’s seat, she goes from zero to sixty in no time flat.
“Shaun has a great mind for innovation,” Judith explained. “He’s constantly thinking outside the box. This company wouldn’t be able to function without his talent for doing that. We have great business plans and policies that have made others pay attention to what we’re doing. In fact, we’ve knocked the socks off of many people in our business.”
As I look back at my friendship with Shaun, I recall the pleasure of watching a young man grow in life as well as in business. To me, his ease at blending weaknesses, strengths, and dreams is evident in the relationships Shaun enjoys. Although the company has run out of a small office not far from the home that Shaun and Judith first lived in after they got married, it has become an automobile-sales company that services the entire western United States.
Outside of monthly management and car acquisition, the company runs technical auto-shop classes throughout the country to keep the pipeline full of qualified personnel. This also requires Shaun’s full attention. The regional map I’ve seen on the wall in their office is highlighted with active locations in Denver, Phoenix, San Diego, St. Louis, Portland, Aurora, Billings, and Casper. And if that’s not enough, Shaun also helps oversee the mechanics in locations other than the main office. Judith handles all operations of the company—financial oversight, audit, tax, and payroll—from the main office. These tasks require leadership that motivates through directives and emotional support while acknowledging employees’ achievements. These moment-by-moment tasks require meticulous planning of capital expenditures, staff and resources, and contingency plans, plus an understanding that risk is always present. And Shaun and Judith have a child growing and being challenged in many good ways by this couple’s combined energies.
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of Skyping with Shaun, Judith, and Bobby. I congratulated them on the article and on celebrating another anniversary.
Judith said, “We were meant to be together, but it took time to figure out how that would work, and we learned a valuable lesson.”
Shaun placed his head on Judith’s shoulder as Bobby made car sounds in the background. He said, “We divided this whole operation in two. I handle cars—”
“And I handle all the operations,” Judith finished.
“The problem is,” Shaun admitted, “we eat and breathe and sleep this company. But by understanding and addressing problems before they arise, they open up other possible options. As CEO, keeping my nose out of operations was a hard lesson for me to learn. But once we got it down that I took care of what I was good at, it made our life much easier. Then we became a successful team.”
“Delegating, or letting go, is a secret of your success,” I said. “You two struggled to do it, but it paid for itself, again and again, especially because you surrounded yourselves with the right people. Knowing your own qualities and the qualities of those around you and letting others be right without having your feelings hurt turned out to be a good choice that’s helped you navigate change before it slaps you in the face.” I again felt like a wise uncle, but I had to say it.
“When Shaun and I got married, we were not thinking about getting rich,” Judith admitted. “Running the business was like stepping into a fire pit, and we just wanted to survive. But I learned quickly that my husband wouldn’t settle for mediocrity. Shaun invested his own emotional capital into all we’ve done—including being parents. I feel so blessed.”
For Shaun and Judith, success required their personal formula of operational execution, a first-rate marriage, and a sense of purpose that continually burned in their hearts.
“I am basically a mechanic,” Shaun once wrote to me in an e-mail, “and one of the greatest thrills is to use my hands.”
A rebel by nature and iconoclast by training, Shaun saw the higher concepts of life, overcame resentment and fear, and progressed with the unlimited progression of his spirit. A man of intense loyalties with warm personal devotions, he sowed seeds of achievement. He kept his head high by following his intent to see things reach their natural outcomes.
No matter how many times he dropped his tools, he picked them up. He fought when he thought he could fight no longer—and he was rewarded with happiness, peace, and abundant wealth for all his worthy efforts.
Everyone should have a friend like Shaun. He, Judith, and Bobby represent their generations well.
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To understand how Shaun’s Secret Success Standards can be used as stepping stones to your own accomplishments, read them in the book The Quiet Rich: Ordinary People Reawakening an American Dream and see which standards resonate with you—and how you might employ them.
Kevin J. Palmer, Author
