Page 141 - Midas Touch

I do not know where Stanley is today, but I know I am a better
entrepreneur because of the $100,000 experience. In an odd way, Stanley
helped me develop my Midas Touch. I am more aware now of weak people
in business and how dangerous they can be.

As a former Marine, retaliation, pain, and retribution are all part of my
character. The Marines have very little tolerance for weak people like
Stanley. It was a test of my character to not bring justice to Stanley the
Marine Corps way. If you saw the movie A Few Good Men starring Jack
Nicholson and Tom Cruise, you were afforded a glimpse into the Marine-
Corps culture and code of honor. Not retaliating against Stanley was a big
step for me.

Rising above situations and getting better although betrayed, has been
essential for my personal development. I would say it has been the key to
my success. While I still have the same intensity for pain and retribution I
developed as a Marine, today I focus that intensity on events and actions
that are more positive and more beneficial in the long run.

There is a lot of truth to the saying, “An eye for an eye makes us blind.”
Rather than take another person’s eyes, which the Marine in me would do,
I choose to follow the saying, “The best revenge is success.” Bad partners

have been the firewood in my fire for success. Rather than retaliate, I use
my anger to become more successful.

Today, I attribute much of my success to my bad partners, because bad
partners taught me how to become a good partner. I have a lot more to
learn.

Lessons from Relationships

The following are a few hard-won lessons about partners, people, and
relationships, learned along a long and bumpy road.

1. You can’t do a good deal with a bad partner.

I repeat this because it is worth repeating. Whenever I find a business, a
marriage, or a group struggling financially, I begin looking for the bad

partner. More often than not, the bad partner is the leader, a person who
might be a good person but a bad business partner.

2. You get offered a lot of good deals when you are a good partner.