THIS MAY SEEM LIKE A STRANGE TITLE considering there are 24 previous posts from the last year but today I am starting a NEW BLOG! I haven't written in quite some time and my old blog web address has been compromised. Although, no real names are ever used it still has gained attention from an unwanted place and since I didn't want to loose the history behind my storytelling I just archived all that madness here.
Don't get me wrong though, it's new! New look, new feel, new lessons, new boys... NEW BLOG!
Speaking of Boys... Today, I had a lunch meeting with a new financial planner. He isn't really new but he is new to actually planning for my financial future. We met early this year when I went in to a large investment firm to pitch a deal for my company. I had actually forgotten about the meeting that day and looked like a total slacker until noon when I realized I had a pretty big appointment with a bank! Crap! This through me into a tailspin so I ran home to shower, fix my hair/make up and throw on the power suit.
I walk into the office, the developer making my warm introduction is a few minutes behind so I can breath easy knowing I'm not late. I am pacing around the waiting room trying to calm my nerves when this adorable guy in a suit walks up and introduces himself. We shake hands and quickly introduce ourselves before my guy gets there and I wonder off to my own meeting.
A few days later he calls and asks me to coffee the following Friday. To be completely honest, I hadn't thought of him since I walked into that meeting but when he called I totally thought he was hitting on me! I must've looked gooooood in my powersuit that day.
To my disappointment, I meet him for coffee, running late of course, sit down and it is ALL business. He asks me about my job and what sort of leads I look for and then gives me some schpeel about wanting to network. We talk about how he works and what his process is and it is a painfully obvious blow to the ego that this guy saw me as a potential client... Not some hottie sales rep.
Challenge Accepted!
I humor him with talks of investments, then when we have sat there long enough, I say it's Friday at 4 and if you want to continue this that is fine but I need a beer! He laughs and agrees. We head over to a new bar have a few brews talk some more and call it a day at about 5:30.
Fast forward, through one botched attempt to meet up on a Saturday night, one other happy hour and a solid 6 weeks of not talking... I call him.
"Dude! I am suppose to enroll in the 401k at my office. I don't know what to do with this, can you look at it for me."
"Sure, let's do lunch."
This time I am not surprised by his professional demeanor, I have got the hint, he's not hitting on me, this is business. We start in with some small talk over my work drama before we delve into his questionnaire.
His customer needs analysis is pretty much what I expected, so I am fairly straight forward the first few questions but after about 20 minutes of banter, I am back to my comfortable self... Poor guy.
"So, where do you see yourself in 5 years?" he asks. "That really depends," I hesitate.
"Ideally are you in the same job? more kids? own a home?..." Without missing a beat I say, "Well, I don't know, if you and I get married do you want to have kids?" Lucky for me he's quick on his feet and thought it was more funny than creepy. I bet no one has ever answered his five year question like that before...
The lunch went well after that... He joked with me and seemed comfortable. He even invited me to watch the Derby this weekend. He knows I am a sucker for all things southern charm and east-coast prep so any occasion with him in a bowtie is usually a yes.
