Happy Fourth!
I love the Fourth of July. One of my favorite things is BBQ, and nothing beats a hot grill on a warm Fourth. If I couldn’t be in IT, I think I’d be a professional BBQ griller (maybe for a restaurant). One of the cookbooks kicking around here, called Weber’s Big Book of Grilling, has a fantastic article in it, and a great lesson for all you entrepreneurs and salespeople out there. Here’s an excerpt from “A Firehouse Turkey Tale” (p. 274):
Firefighters typically worked long shifts for 10 straight days, then had several days off. In this downtime, many picked up odd jobs to supplement their income. So I would drive up to a firehouse, remove a shiny, fire-engine red Weber charcoal kettle grill from my car, wheel it up to the firehouse, and go find whoever was in charge (if they hadn’t already appeared to chase me off the property). After finding the usually suspicious watch commander, I would volunteer to cook a turkey for the crew and leave the grill behind for their use. I was generally regarded as insane, but the prospect of a tasty meal usually earned me the green light. After all, if there were any unintended pyrotechnics, they could handle it.
As I lit the charcoal, I’d tell the firefighters stories about folks who didn’t follow lighting instructions and some of the crazy things that could happen. I’d invariable hear about someone in their district who had used gasoline or another forbidden fire starter and unintentionally torched a lawn or deck.
While the turkey was cooking, someone would ask why Weber had sent me out to cook a turkey and give away a grill. I’d explain that we needed demonstrators who could set up a Weber charcoal grill for Indirect cooking, safely light a fire, prepare a turkey for roasting, and then talk about the grill while the turkey was cooking. Since they had just witnessed a guy show up from nowhere and do all of this, they know it was pretty much a no-brainer. When I explained that they could earn a daily fee doing it, three or four firefighters usually applied for the job right on the spot.
The only thing that ever sidelined my recruiting efforts was a fire alarm. One such time I was in Des Moines, Iowa, chatting up a firefighter who was a natural for the job. He could tell a story, he was the firehouse cook, and he needed some culinary help with his job. His name was Stewart Leathers, but his nickname was Shoe-Leather, obviously a jab at his firehouse steaks, which he cooked in a cast-iron skillet on the stove. I was just at the point of recruiting Stu when the bells went off and the men – Stu included – scrambled into their gear, jumped onto fire trucks, and roared off.
About two hours later, they returned, grinning and … mischievous. Evidently they had just answered a call at a burning horse barn. Fortunately, no one was injured, but one of the firefighters had picked up a horribly scorched saddle as a trophy. Now, after washing off the smoke, they assembled near my grill to present it to Shoe-Leather. There was a raucous speech about the saddle being more edible than Stu’s firehouse cuisine and everyone laughed. Bit it lit a fire under poor Stu.
The turkey was ready just as the “ceremony” ended. Everyone raved about how juicy and flavorful it was, and quickly reduced the bird to bones. No one asked more questions about how to grill a turkey than Stu. Before my firehouse visit ended, Stu and two other firefighters had signed up to demonstrate our grills.
One of the best parts about being an entrepreneur is the opportunity to be creative in your job. “Cooking” up new ideas to reach folks who can solve problems using your products is the whole point of going into business, and one of the things I’m always on the watch for. Have a great Fourth!
