After speaking with various people facing challenges and adversity, Boss Ross shares about an early period in his life where he sought out inspiration to succeed. Through his message, discover how your test can also ultimately become your testimonial.
FULL TRANSCRIPTION BELOW:
You are now listening to TheGrios black podcast network, black culture amplified.
Hi, I’m Kevin Ross. And this is The Podcast. Get up, hustle, grind and believe. 7:59 is knocking time and you don’t stop knocking till half past nine.
That’s what we said every morning as we headed off to sell books for 14 hours a day, six days a week. During that summer of 1983, it was literally 40 years ago. Cookbooks, a topical Bible, student handbooks covering a variety of subjects, Black history. That’s what I had in my arsenal. My salary, 100% commission, essentially I ate what I killed.
I was just short of 20 years old in the fall. I would be a junior at Morehouse College in Atlanta. I wanted an apartment tired of feeling suffocated on campus and dealing with crazy dorm life. Now, my parents, they couldn’t afford for me to roll like that. So I took matters into my own hands, rather than returning to California and enjoying the comforts of home while employed at a job that would net what I financially needed it to.
I agreed to spend a week in Franklin, Tennessee getting sales training at my own expense, mind you. Before being sent to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There, me and others had to find our own housing, set up a checking account, pull out a receipt book and start writing up orders for books that would not even be delivered until months later in August.
When the alarm went off at five AM, we were instructed to shout, “I feel healthy. I feel happy. I feel terrific” before jumping out of bed running to the nearest mirror and saying “you beautiful thing, don’t you ever die”. It’s crazy, pushups followed. Then it was who would be first to take a cold shower for just a few minutes. All the while singing “It’s a great day to be a book man. It’s a great day. I know. Let’s go.”
Jurist and out the door. No later than 6:15 AM. It was a quick car ride to grab some breakfast, but only after we blessed the food and ask God to watch over us and protect us from harm. See, being in a strange place, walking door to door, carrying cash and
checks on you was not the most ideal situation and trust, there were more than a few scary moments that my classmates and I found ourselves coming face to face with. But hey, we all had this monetary goal that we wanted to achieve and it wasn’t easy. I mean, between
the horrible heat, the mangy dogs, the loneliness, the endless rejection. There were so many times I wanted to quit and yet I persevered. One day in particular, stands out. I had worked from 7:59 AM until 8:00 PM without one sale.
Talk about feeling defeated. And since I was the one with the car, it would have been so easy for me to just park somewhere and sleep before picking up the others around 9:30. In fact, initially, I did just that a few minutes go by and I, I decide to pull out the poem “Don’t quit” by Edgar Guest. It had been given to each of us when we were back at sales training in Tennessee.
I can still remember it, “when the funds are low and the debts are high and you want to smile but have to sigh when care is pressing you down a bit rest if you must, but don’t you quit.” So I’m contemplating these words. And finally I say to myself, come on, man. Just, just knock on one more door, just one more.
I get out the car, it’s like 8:15 at night and I ring this doorbell right? At 8:40 I’m walking out that house with a sale. I knock on another door. It’s a sale along with a referral. I end up going a few houses down to that other house bam a sale again.
Now it’s 9:20 PM. I’m supposed to stop at 9:30. My thought was you know what three sales is solid, I’ve met my quota for the day. I’ll just, I’ll just see them tomorrow. But then God spoke to me and it felt like he was saying, finish strong. I go with that feeling. I knock on that last door.
Hi, my name is Kevin Ross and I’m a student from Morehouse College, who’s been talking to all the folks in the neighborhood. Everyone’s so excited. I wanted to make sure I had a chance to talk with you and you didn’t mind me stopping by, did you? Now before they could even reply, I would say great. Do you have a place we can sit down? And that’s when I would bend over, grab my sample book bag, wipe my feet and proceed to enter. Then once inside, I’m like this mad man pitching them like my life depends on it. Did I ultimately get the sale when I walked out that house at around 9:35? Well, I’ll put it this way.
When I returned back to Atlanta, I had a $6,000 check in my pocket, A plaque saying I was the number one first year sales person in my division and an all expenses paid trip to the Bahamas My apartment that year? Oh, it was laid, I had enough money to not have to work during the school year. But most importantly, I was able to prove to myself that through hard work and faith. I could do anything that I put my mind to.
I don’t know who’s supposed to hear this podcast episode, but it is not a coincidence if you’re listening to the sound of my voice right now, because if you’re facing a challenge, if you’re being stretched, if you’re on the ropes and running out of gas, keep going. Your blessing is on the other side and I promise, you pushing through will be worth it. Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
I’m Kevin Ross. And this is The Podcast powered by TheGrio. Follow me @IamBossRoss on Instagram and Twitter. Thanks for listening. See you next time.
