JERSEY JACK

by Jack Guarnieri, PinballSales.com & ShuffleAlley.com

People: Your Most Important Investment

Do you remember your first regular job? It's probably not the same job you are doing today. Now think about how you entered our industry. If you were not born into it, I would bet that it was accidental for many of you. Very few originally set out to go into the coin-op amusement business and apparently that's something that still holds us back today.

I answered an ad for what I hoped would be a temporary job before college. After two interviews, first with Steve Schulman and second with Heinz Magdalinski, the rest, as they say, is history.

If you think about the people who helped you along the way, how many mentors did you have? I know that I have had many and learned something valuable from each.

Most all were positive influences on me, but I learned from those who did the right thing as well as from those who did not. In my own personal and business life, I have served as a mentor to others as well. I have passed along what I learned both from success and failure. Interestingly, I have learned much more from failure than success.

Everyone reading this has an opportunity to be a mentor at some point or other, to share and teach their experiences and knowledge to someone else. Much of this information is not, and may never be, written about. It is passed on from one person to another.

Many trades like electricians and carpenters have an apprentice stage. There is even a popular show called The Apprentice. If you believe in our industry as I do, you should make an effort to bring in new talent, new people who can share and contribute to what we all do. In short, we need to create opportunities in an industry that is headed in the right direction providing amusement and entertainment.

There was a time when everyone and their grandmother got into our business. That time has become known as the Pac-Man days, or the video boom. The lure of easy money drew blue sky salesman and biz-op dreamers into the fold. A few learned and stayed on, but most crashed and burned out. The natural cycle of boom and bust in our industry seems to have risen and fallen on changes in technology or the lack thereof.

The basic staples of our industry pay the bills, day in and day out, and they still continue to pay dividends along with hard work and dedication. What we need as an industry is not the proverbial "new game" quick fix; we need continued new blood, too. Many organizations recognize that, as they constantly try to recruit new members. That's made even more critical when you realize that more than a few industry veterans are just waiting for their gold watch. Not good news. On the other hand, talking to the younger people, most of who are in sales and marketing and technical service, they are very optimistic and upbeat. This is good news.

I'm bullish on our industry. I think our worst times are behind us. Most other business owners inside and outside our industry will start to feel the same as this year goes along. They'll start spending more on their businesses after the long wait and see attitude evaporates.

When business gets slow, many companies stop advertising to save money. The smart ones start to advertise more realizing their competition is advertising less and they can grab the attention to take a bigger share of the business pie. The same is true with adding talent to your organization. Companies that downsized their way completely out of business no longer need to worry about advertising.

A few years ago, there were more people to work than there were jobs. Manufacturers, distributors and operators consolidated and down sized in an effort to save money. In many companies, operators only buy the minimum amount of equipment needed to run their businesses on a status quo level. Some feel that less is more. With that approach, it's no wonder that good talent will continue to shift or leave our industry.

What's your plan? Grow, shrink or remain the same? You must make a commitment in that whatever you start, you see it through. The easy way out is to say, "Oh well, we tried and then we cut and ran." The hard way is to figure out what can be done better, keep at it, and fix it. I guess that's the technician in me, coupled with the entrepreneurial spirit that makes me believe everything is possible if you work hard enough at it. That's the spirit of almost everyone in our industry today. We love it, and we are willing to work hard at it. That's why we are still in it.

Isn't it time to share that feeling with some other people too? Not every company is expanding, but growing your staff can certainly help grow you business. If you added another service technician, would you be able to do more service work and make a better profit? If you added another route man, would you be better able to take on more accounts? If you added another sales person, would you generate more sales? Of course, it all depends on many factors, each of which must be weighed individually by each one of you.

Many people write a business plan. Sometimes they are forced to have one by a bank or partnership. I never did - never wrote one for any business I started. For me, a plan sets limits and my upside is infinite. I know what I want to do, and I go about doing it. Every so often you must re-evaluate your business and re-calibrate so that it stays on course. One way or the other, you'll know when that time has come. Many of you have felt it for a long time but refuse to do something about it.

Remember, your people are your most important asset in your company. Take care of them, empower them, nurture them, support, educate and compliment them. If they are open to it, you should be a mentor to them. If you build fences around them, you will get sheep. I never put limits on my employee's abilities to grow and learn in what they do.

Don't limit yourself to the everyday tasks of running your business or doing your job. Take some time to dream and think and wonder and be thankful for the fact that you are part of an industry that provides fun and entertainment for millions of people. Think back to that first job you had in our industry and how much fun it must have been because you're still here! Taking the time to be a mentor is a rewarding experience. It is an investment in the future. Try it, soon!

Jack Guarnieri started fixing electro-mechanical pinball machines in 1975 and has been involved in every phase of the coin-op game business since then. He operated a substantial game route in Brooklyn, N.Y., developed amusement centers and was called in as a consultant to manage Mondial Distributing and State Sales in New Jersey. In 1999, he founded PinballSales.com to sell coin-op to the home market. In 2002, he founded ShuffleAlley.com and released the Parker Bohn III Pro Bowler game, reviving the shuffle alley. His positive attitude, honest insights and opinions have made him a popular figure in the trade. While managing and growing his businesses, he still consults inside and outside the industry, and his marketing, promotional and business management expertise are widely sought. He's very active in his church, community and charitable causes as well. You can learn more at his websites (www.PinballSales.com and www.ShuffleAlley.com) or by phoning him at 866/323-JACK. Email is Jack@Pinballsales.com.

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