The Money Movers

Part of the Team

Sitting around a log fire in the African dusk, the occasional howl of a wild dog breaking the peaceful sounds of the evening, the others had retired for the night. Bob turned to me and asked why I decided to take the job. Selling ads in a buyer's guide in the rural areas of South Africa was not for everyone. Bob, who came across as a gentle giant, six foot six inches, fat free, fit as fiddle must have weighed in at a conservative 280 pounds. I smiled and said one does what one needs to do.

I explained to him that after travelling around Europe for four years, using my thumb as a means of transportation and my wits for generating subsistence money, I decided to return to South Africa, albeit penniless, only too grateful that my brother-in-law Alex had given me the introduction to the firm. The fact that Les, the MD of the company had given me a chance of a lifetime was good enough reason. No-one had ever really done much for me before and I just felt I had kind of found a home and a certain sense of belonging I had not had since I ran away from home at the age of seventeen.

I asked Bob what made him take the job and he looked at me, smiled and explained that bonds in the armed forces were strong and that he had been active in the Sealous Scouts, a premier and much feared fighting unit in the then Rhodesian Army. When I asked what that had to do with the job, he just smiled and left it at that. My intrigue started building from that moment on.

Bob and I got to know each other pretty well over the next few months. We developed a healthy respect for each other. I became more successful at selling the company's ads and he became more of a friend than an Area Manager.

Members of the sales teams came and went, but Bob and I became stalwarts and enjoyed the thrill of travelling to new areas, meeting diverse people and basically having a great time wherever our business activities took us.

This particular trip Alex joined us; our campaign was focused on the Northern Transvaal, a province of the then South Africa. We decided to make Pietersburg our base, a fair sized town that was the commercial hub of the area. Sitting at the bar one evening he and Bob started laughing, I asked what the joke was and Alex said he had related the story of how he took me into Les seven months earlier, hair down to my waist, beard, somewhat unkempt but clean, in sandals, jeans and a BVD T-shirt.

Reflecting back to the weekend before I had met Les, sitting in my sister’s condo, sharing stories with her and Alex about my European gallivants. He asked what I intended doing with myself and I said I really didn’t know. That’s when he suggested I come and work for the same company that he worked for. I got really excited at the prospect and asked if he could set it up soon as.

I walked into Les's office the following morning - beard, long hair, clean nails though. He said to sit down and said something I think to this day was the most profound, trusting, best ever thing I had heard anyone say to me. Young man, you've got a lot of balls walking in here like this, everyone else dressed in suit and tie. What I like about you is the fact that you have them, that's what it will take to walk into a business and sell my ads.

Without another word he put his hand into his pocket, took out four hundred rand, a large amount of money in the day, held it out to me and said OK young man, take this money and spend it wisely - we start tomorrow morning at eight. I will give you a few pointers, buy yourself three sets of underwear, seven pairs of socks five shirts, three ties, a suit and a pair of formal type shoes, oh, and get a haircut and lose the beard ! I want you to know something before you leave today - someone once gave me a chance to shine, I want to do the same for you.

Alex said when I walked out of Les's office it was as if the sun had decided to shine on me, my face was all lit up and the bounce in my step was noticeable. He first took me shopping, then to a barber, and then for lunch with the fourteen rand I had left over. The next morning I presented myself to Les at seven thirty rather than eight. I walked into his office, he looked up at me and said the secretary would only be in at eight and continued working. I said Les; it’s me to which he looked up in total astonishment and surprise.

You look incredible; now that you are part of the human race again I trust you will keep yourself trim and respectable so that you can represent my company and leave the impression that we are serious service delivery experts? Sure Les, I won't let you down.