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#Post#: 732--------------------------------------------------
John and Lisa - Stay Out of This Topic...
By: plindsey88 Date: September 27, 2014, 9:01 am
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Not sure if John and Lisa are actually going to stay out, but
just in case they haven't... I am ashamed of you both. This is
your last chance to leave...
OK, people... Here's the deal... For those of you that don't
know them in real life, you just have no clue how lucky John is
to have Lisa. He's a pretty good guy, but I mean seriously?
OK, John and Lisa... I am serious... Vamoose...
Everyone else has to read this whole thing... Or you will go to
hell... Or be reincarnated as Ick... Or whatever you may
believe is a really crappy demise...
So I was kidding about the John part. He is every bit the great
guy that we all know and love on YouTube and the Podcast and now
the forum... My name is Patrick Lindsey, and many of you may
have heard John refer to me or my wife Michelle on his videos or
podcasts... Our daughter is one of those cute kids that does
the intros to the podcast... My relationship with John and Lisa
began purely as a business relationship, but it has grown into a
friendship... And I really do appreciate everything he does for
the public for what amounts to zero pay... Tons of hours are
invested into producing his online content - even though I take
85% credit for the podcast. Go listen to the first one. He
admits it on that one...
But seriously, here's a little about John and Lisa in real life.
John lives and breathes building his brand. And in his spare
time he works a second job and runs the fish store. Lisa has
five kids to raise. She also has a second job, and in her spare
time she cleans about 225 fish tanks every week. She also
places the orders to the farm and manages the money...
Imagine working those kinds of hours to put food on the table
for a small army of growing children - all very sweet kids, by
the way... And then consider that John was only worrying about
one kid when he met Lisa. It takes a special kind of guy to
jump right into raising four more on day one - I don't care how
hot she is...
And I was a big fan of the You Tube channel and felt like he was
part of my family before I ever met him. I live about 75 miles
south of King George in Richmond. It was a snowy day in
Virginia sometime in February, and I had been calling around
trying to find a local cichlid dealer that might be open, but
everything was closed. Then I remembered that my wife had made
a trip up to Northern Virginia to buy fish out of some dude's
garage several months earlier. And I also remembered that she
later stumbled on his You Tube channel and said, "That's the
guy. That's the guy that I bought fish from in his garage. So
I decided to make one more phone call, and low and behold, even
though Northern VA had gotten twice the snow that Richmond did,
Lisa answered the phone and told me they were open. So I drove
up...
As soon as I walked in the door, John apologized for his
selection, explaining that the weather had shipments all screwed
up. But when I looked in his tanks the quality of fish I saw
was like nothing that you can find anywhere in Southeast and
Central Virginia - despite the fact that the Richmond Metro area
probably has 1,000 times the people that King George has. His
fish were beautiful, and slightly less than I had been paying
locally or with other online sources.
That day I told John I was done buying from anywhere else, and
to this day when I want to add some new guys to my tank, even
one or two, I drive 150 miles round trip to buy from the best.
But it's not just about the fish. I know where John gets his
fish. Ironically the guy John deals with was one of the first
importers of African Cichlids to the US for retail consumption.
And I know a lot about his story, because he was my father's
roommate in the early 70's, and my dad helped him and his
brother found the company on day one. Today, the brother makes
Xtreme fish food, and my dad no longer has the time or the
inclination to screw with the hobby. But both guys were in my
parents' wedding, and I've known them all my life. So I tell
you all of that to say that I could easily go buy the same fish
that John buys wholesale direct from his breeder. But I would
never consider it.
There are not a lot of truly good people out there who have the
guts to follow their dreams. John and Lisa both are among the
handful I have ever met. Lisa is the hardest working woman I
know, and she manages to keep a smile on her face the whole time
she is doing it. And I am sure John might hear it, but I have
never once heard her complain about anything. The woman is a
machine. Five kids. Two jobs. And one of those jobs doesn't
even really give you a paycheck. Seriously? And all the while
she shares John with all of us - the viewing and listening
public. She is upstairs tending to the flock while John is
downstairs in his studio answering ANOTHER caller who wants to
know how to introduce new fish into an established tank. This
is their routine.
And then I look at my life. One daughter soon to be 13. A wife
that works semi-full time at a day spa (more out of sheer
boredom than a financial need). I am fortunate enough to make
decent money doing less than a quarter of what John does. So a
few months ago, my wife and I decided that we would take much of
our liquid savings and start investing it in KGT. The studio,
the podcasting equipment, the upgraded computer, etc... But
more than that, I run the financial operations of a
$100-million company. So John and I ran through some scenarios
and determined that he has to sell close to $9,000 (retail
value) of fish EVERY month in order to be able to keep KGT
afloat, feed his kids, dress Lisa in something other than the
four navy blue Fluval t-shirts that she rotates through each
week, and continue to have the time in his day to provide us
with the content we so enjoy. And if you have never been to
KGT, it's not eactly in a high-end strip mall between Target and
Best Buy. He probably does $1,500 on a decent weekend. I mean
I am not entirely sure that King George has a stop light, and as
nice as John's store is put together on the inside, I drive up
there three or four times a month, and I always almost miss the
old brick building set 100 feet off the road with no sign on the
road that says, "Hey, here's the best little pet store in
America."
So, John and I were casually talking this summer, and he was
talking about being denied for a loan or something, and this
summer was BRUTAL in the fish business - especially August. I
used to run a pet store in college, and I know how that is. No
one is dropping $400 on fish when they are staring at a 13 year
old who not only has outgrown everything he owns since last
week, but also has these ridiculous school supply lists that
cost a couple hundred bucks to fill... So the business drops to
a trickle, and meanwwhile Lisa has all of the same
back-to-school hurdles as the rest of us, but multiplied by
five. So I took a really close look at myself. And I have been
blessed. I've got a good job with a 401k and profit sharing and
all that jazz. I have spent more time typing this post, today,
then I did working. I never bought a house in my late twenties
and early thirties when my friends did. And everyone called me
foolish. Instead I bought it at the absolute rock bottom of the
market after the price had been reduced by $90,000, and I got
into it at a fixed 3.0% interest rate. Last time I checked
Zillow the value had climbed back up about $50k. And that was
purely luck. And I am not bragging. There is a point here. I
call 1996 until 2006 the lost decade. I was about the most
miserable alcoholic you can imagine. It is only by the grace of
God that I never killed myself or someone else. But the
ridiculous stories I could tell you about how I left nothing but
a wake of destruction and destroyed relationships behind me
would make your head spin. I was the single biggest waste of
oxygen on the planet, and I knew it. I lived with that every
morning and into the afternoon until I could drink myself into
complete oblivion every evening. When I talk about the basic
moral compass and impeccable sense of morality that guide John
and Lisa, I didn't even know those things existed. I will give
you but one example...
One night, after drinking an entire fifth of $8.00 Canadian
Rot-Gut, I tried to drive myself to the store to pick up a
12-pack. My brother, fearing I may end up with my fourth DUI
(in Florida - there were a couple in Alabama, too) decided to
block my POS car in our drive way with his Ford Explorer. That
may have saved my life. But I was FURIOUS when he wouldn't move
it. So I waited for him to go to bed (he was smart enough to
take his keys with him), and then I went outside and exacted the
only revenge that came to my mind. And I slashed all of his
tires. Big 'Ole SUV tires. Truthfully I do not even remember
the act of doing it. But I remember considering it, and it was
pretty clear the next day that SOMEONE had done it. I'm sure it
was me. I was not a good person during the missing decade.
So I'll save the details of my recover for another day, but the
point is that a lot of people really stuck their necks out for
me (financially and otherwise), and I absolutely was the last
person on planet Earth that deserved a 56th chance from the
people I had harmed over and over and over again. But they gave
me that chance anyway. I moved to Richmond, went to in-patient
rehab for a month, got out on a Sunday, and by Tuesday I had a
job interview with the largest commercial real estate firm in
the mid-Atlantic. They hired me on the spot, and offered me
close to twice what I was making in Alabama. Six months later
they made me the Director of Operations, which included a 30%
pay raise, and at that meeting my boss said to me, "You know
what I liked about you in your first interview?" I didn't. He
said, "You put your keys on the table, and I saw your 60 day
chip on your key ring." Then he pulled out his own keys and
said, "Bet you never noticed this gold one." It was a gold AA
chip with "XX" inscribed in the middle. He said, "20 years
later, and I am still making amends. Nothing is an accident. I
was supposed to see that 60 day chip. And I was supposed to
know that there is no one more motivated to do the right thing
than some one that has spent his life doing the wrong thing."
This same man is my boss today. Since then I have been promoted
to Vice President, and in the 8 years I have been in Richmond my
compensation package has increased by 500%. And the last side
note I will mention is that I started contributing in earnest to
my 401k on March 1, 2009. The Dow was at 6,000. It's now above
17,000. That kind of opportunity happens once in a hundred
years.
So I am full circle back to John and I talking about his crappy
August. He has never been a drinker much less an AA member, but
in so many ways he chose that day to put his 60 day chip on the
counter (metaphorically speaking). And I was supposed to see
it, and I was supposed to recognize that there is no one more
driven to succeed than these two wonderful people that NO ONE
has put their neck out there for, in the same way that people
did for me when I absolutely didn't deserve it. So I spent the
drive home thinking about it, and called an accountant relative
that I have and pitched her on an investment opportunity. She
was interested but wanted a much more formal set of books than a
mom-and-pop fish store would probably every keep. But it was
less than 24 hours later when my wife came to talk to me to let
me know that John was probably never going to ask me for money,
but she had just spoken to Lisa and they had some immediate
needs. She didn't have an actual figure that she wanted to ask
for, so I called John the next day and found out what it was
going to take to get him through the week. He told me, and the
money was in his PayPal account by the end of the day. A couple
weeks past, and I get a text from John that he wants Michelle
(my wife) and I to come have dinner with him and Lisa in KG. I
told him it was almost impossible for us both to do an evening
time sit-down in KG with our conflicting work schedules. But I
told him we could figure it out if he would just tell me what
was going on. And this guy, that I swear gives more of himself
for the betterment of the lives of others than anyone I have
ever met, tells me he needs a partner. Someone with some free
cash flow / available credit / whatever... He follows that up
with, "Look man, if you just want your money back, we'll pull it
together for you, and try to figure out how to keep moving, but
if you are serious about wanting to be part of the ride, I sure
could use the help."
I am long winded (you think?!?), so he spent 20 nervous minutes
waiting for me to respond, but I never even considered demanding
my money back. Not from a guy like John. Not from a FAMILY
like John's. I mean, in my mind there is the Virgin Mary, then
my wife and Lisa, and then a bunch of other ladies that are
probably pretty cool. But I'm telling you there is no doubt in
my mind that John could not do what he does without Lisa there
to do what she does. And the skies parted and I put together a
quick spreadsheet and said, "John, tell me how we get to these
sales figures. And we talked about it, and well KGT made it
through August and September.
Now here is where you all come in. John, Lisa, Patrick, and
Michelle now have more or less put all the cash into KGT that we
can. And although John is working on sponsors every day, we as
his fan base and the people that have enjoyed his content -
especially now that he's putting up about three hours a week,
owe these people something... I hope you all feel as compelled
as I do...
So here is the deal... I have some contacts within my business
circle that do not normally do this kind of thing, but I have at
least one and possibly a few more that are willing to match as
much money as I can raise to keep KGT moving in the right
direction. I don't need a ton of money from any one person, but
I hope everyone feels compelled to give a little something. It
can be $2.00 or $2,000.00. Every little bit helps, especially
if I can get 2 or 3 corporate contacts to match it.
I think we have 500 or so members on this forum... John has
close to 17,000 followers on You Tube... But I hope some of you
feel compelled to give a little something extra. It's the only
salary he gets for giving up his evenings with his wife and kids
to answer our silly questions and teach us all about important
topics like the Nitrogen Cycle. How about that episode, folks?
Riveting... So, if you are not interested in competing for the
prizes, then just give what you can and then get the word out on
social media, friends and family, or whatever else you can come
up with...
Did I mention that we have PRIZES? Michelle Lindsey is the
current leader in the clubhouse. She has decided to sell some
precious diamond and ruby earrings in order to make her first
contribution. They were purchased for close to $2,000 less than
a year ago. She got $550 for them on eBay earlier this week.
So we have our first donation. Here's the eBay link for anyone
that is interested in her sacrifice for the good of the cause:
HTML http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-Nile-Ruby-and-Diamond-earrings-GIA-/261601353431?pt=US_Fine_Earrings&hash=item3ce8a7ded7
HTML http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-Nile-Ruby-and-Diamond-earrings-GIA-/261601353431?pt=US_Fine_Earrings&hash=item3ce8a7ded7
We are going to use that same PayPal seller's account (that I
rarely use), to collect funds. We will keep a tally in this
thread of who gave what, and I am fine with posting the
statement at the end so everyone can see that no funds were
misappropriated. And the PayPal account address to send to:
[email]Patrick.Lindsey@thalhimer.com[/email]
NOW FOR THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS!!!
IF WE ARE ABLE TO COLLECT $50,000 (excluding corporate
matching)...
Then the donor that deposited the most funds (excluding
corporate matching) has his or her choice of ONE of the
following prizes...
(1) An appearance on set with John and a local television
crew to surprise John in the middle of a Tank Talk taping and
present him with his total check (including the corporate
matching).
Note: If this option is selected the winner shall
receive a $3,000 travel allowance.
(2) A 240-gallon acrylic aquarium with stand delivered to
your front door (Residents of the lower 48 states only are
eligible for delivery).
(3) A $3,000 shopping spree at KGT. We would recommend
working with Lisa to attempt to customize your order to your
liking.
(4) A $3,000 gift certificate for Celebrity Cruises
Then the donor that deposited the SECOND most funds
(excluding corporate matching) has his or her choice of TWO of
the following prizes...
(1) A JSA Authenticated Redskins Football Helmet
Autographed by Robert Griffin III
(2) A Fluval FX6 Canister Filter (NIB)
(3) A $500 shopping spree at KGT. We would recommend
working with Lisa to attempt to customize your order to your
liking.
(4) A $500 gift certificate for Amazon.com
IF WE ARE ABLE TO COLLECT $25,000 (excluding corporate
matching)...
Then the donor that deposited the most funds (excluding
corporate matching) has his or her choice of ONE of the
following prizes...
(1) An appearance on set with John and a local television
crew to surprise John in the middle of a Tank Talk taping and
present him with his total check (including the corporate
matching).
Note: If this option is selected the winner shall
receive a $1,500 travel allowance.
(2) A 150-gallon acrylic aquarium with stand delivered to
your front door (Residents of the lower 48 states only are
eligible for delivery).
(3) A $1,500 shopping spree at KGT. We would recommend
working with Lisa to attempt to customize your order to your
liking.
(4) A $1,500 gift certificate for Celebrity Cruises
Then the donor that deposited the SECOND most funds
(excluding corporate matching) has his or her choice of ONE of
the following prizes...
(1) A JSA Authenticated Redskins Football Helmet
Autographed by Robert Griffin III
(2) A Fluval FX6 Canister Filter (NIB)
(3) A $500 shopping spree at KGT. We would recommend
working with Lisa to attempt to customize your order to your
liking.
(4) A $500 gift certificate for Amazon.com
IF WE ARE ABLE TO COLLECT $20,000 (excluding corporate
matching)...
Then the donor that deposited the most funds (excluding
corporate matching) has his or her choice of TWO of the
following prizes...
(1) A JSA Authenticated Redskins Football Helmet
Autographed by Robert Griffin III
(2) A Fluval FX6 Canister Filter (NIB)
(3) A $500 shopping spree at KGT. We would recommend
working with Lisa to attempt to customize your order to your
liking.
(4) A $500 gift certificate for Amazon.com
Then the donor that deposited the SECOND most funds (excluding
corporate matching) has his or her choice of TWO of the
following prizes...
(1) A $100 shopping spree at KGT. We would recommend
working with Lisa to attempt to customize your order to your
liking.
(2) A $100 gift certificate for Amazon.com.
(3) A one-on-one interview with John Hudson on a podcast
episode of KG Q&A.
Again, this is the address to send donations:
[email]Patrick.Lindsey@thalhimer.com[/email] (please include a
note with your real full name and email address so I can contact
you if necessary).
[edit]removed sticky - old post
#Post#: 744--------------------------------------------------
Re: John and Lisa - Stay Out of This Topic...
By: plindsey88 Date: September 27, 2014, 3:35 pm
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47 reads and (2) deposits... Come on, people... EVERYONE can
afford SOMETHING
#Post#: 797--------------------------------------------------
Re: John and Lisa - Stay Out of This Topic...
By: plindsey88 Date: September 28, 2014, 5:09 pm
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Now we're getting somewhere...
Special thanks to:
Michelle Lindsey
Paul Martin
Jeremiah Thompson
Let's keep this up... Every little bit helps!
#Post#: 835--------------------------------------------------
Re: John and Lisa - Stay Out of This Topic...
By: plindsey88 Date: September 29, 2014, 7:12 am
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Special thanks to...
Dean Morier
The more the merrier!
#Post#: 1120--------------------------------------------------
Re: John and Lisa - Stay Out of This Topic...
By: plindsey88 Date: October 5, 2014, 1:08 am
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OK, people, I truly appreciate every one of the donations I have
received so far... But we need A LOT more participation in this
effort. My 7th grade daughter just raised over $1,000 by
herself in one weekend for the opportunity to attend an ice
cream party at her school... She's 12... The prize was ice
cream...
I am offering substantially larger prizes, and all it takes is
for all of John's YouTube subscribers to commit $2.00 each for
us to break into the big money prize categories...
Every single person reading this should be able to find a way to
come up with at least a $5.00 contribution. Aren't the hundreds
of hours of content worth $5.00?
Most of us could probably come up with at least $20.00...
I mean, how many dollars do we each have invested in this hobby?
Most adult male cichlids are going to run you $50.00 or so - to
say nothing of the tank, the lights, the filtration, etc... I
have to think that anyone that enjoys what John offers and
understands that he and Lisa are trying to support a family of
seven by selling fish would be willing to skip one night out to
make a reasonable size donation...
I am going to pester you people until you start showing some
support, so please do the right thing...
LIMITED TIME OFFER: For every donation I receive that exceeds
$40 between now and Halloween, I will personally match the
donation and credit the entire donation to the donor...
Here is our leader board as of today:
Michelle Lindsey - $550
The Saturday Crew at Richmond Aquarium (a competitor of KGT) -
$62.00 (all employee contributions)
Paul Martin - $25 (so far) and counting
Jeremiah Thompson - $20
Dean Morier - $20
I would really love to see another 40 people on this board come
forward with whatever they can afford... I don't care if it's
$1.00... Everyone can do something...
#Post#: 1257--------------------------------------------------
Re: John and Lisa - Stay Out of This Topic...
By: plindsey88 Date: October 8, 2014, 8:02 pm
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And extra special thanks goes out to Paul Bartusch and David
Quach who made equally large donations to propel them into a tie
for second place...
#Post#: 1258--------------------------------------------------
Re: John and Lisa - Stay Out of This Topic...
By: plindsey88 Date: October 8, 2014, 8:06 pm
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I should also note that I received an email from the President
of Xtreme fish food... He is currently out of the country, but
wants to have a conversation about a donation as well as a
sponsorship opportunity with KGT when he returns...
#Post#: 1259--------------------------------------------------
Re: John and Lisa - Stay Out of This Topic...
By: PaulMartin61 Date: October 8, 2014, 8:20 pm
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Oh yeah!!! ;D
That is excellent news!
#Post#: 1307--------------------------------------------------
Re: John and Lisa - Stay Out of This Topic...
By: plindsey88 Date: October 10, 2014, 7:18 am
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Special thanks to Brian Bowser for taking me up on my offer to
match and adding $90.00 to our coffers...
#Post#: 1344--------------------------------------------------
Re: John and Lisa - Stay Out of This Topic...
By: Tommy288 Date: October 12, 2014, 5:40 pm
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Can I pay through PayPal from the uk? John & Lisa deserve our
support!!
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