Not one person has more to do with the person I am today than my wife. Her affect on me, has divided my life into two phases before her and with her. I had no real direction or drive before I got married. Life was a series of boom and bust cycles. That quickly changed when I met Olivia.
When we meet I was in a particularly bad bust cycle. I had no car, no real money and I was living at home with my folks. The first conversation with the woman who would become my wife, left a lasting impression. It made me feel like things were about to change. Shortly after, we were talking for hours on the phone and knew each other better than any two people who had never actually gone on a date.
My current circumstances made me embarrassed, and every time she would bring up the possibility of a date I would make an excuse as to why I couldn’t. The truth of the matter was I didn’t have the money to take her on a date. Putting her off until after my birthday, a few weeks away, seemed like the best course of action. I could put the money together to take her on a real date, but that did not happen. She’d given me the ultimatum, we go out now, or we don’t go out at all. I was about to blow something special. So I took a leap of faith, that she would over look my shortcomings and feel the same way I already felt about her. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I didn’t need to worry about impressing her I already had.
Life is funny and most things never go as you plan. Walking up 200 steps to the top of a sand dune overlooking Lake Michigan seemed a lot more romantic in my head. A quick check of the weather report would of been helpful as well, as the sunny day quickly turned into a cold rain. When we reached around the 180th step, I was again wondering if I had blown it. By the end of the date, I knew that she was the one for me. And, I was pretty sure she felt the same way. After just three dates, when we started talking about wedding plans, I was sure I had found my partner for life.
Like the chance encounter that had given me this wonderful women to call my wife. I stumbled into online selling by accident. I was working in the car business. I enjoyed the job and the people, but I wanted something more.
Being married for just a short period of time and moving into our first house, we were looking for a way to furnish our new home on a budget. While reading the newspaper at my desk, I saw an advertisement about an estate auction that was coming up on Saturday in a nearby town.
It took some convincing, but I was able to talk my new bride into an afternoon at the auction house. When I walked through the doors, I was hit with the smell of musty old books and the sounds of blue-haired-old ladies fighting over the trinkets that filled the tables. I felt it I was home. Four hours later, with a back seat of things we did, and didn’t need, we headed home.
This pattern continued for a few more weeks, until I had an epiphany. I asked my wife her thoughts on selling some of these new treasures on eBay. Her response of “I don’t see why not” changed the course of our lives. The seven year journey taking me from a newlywed car salesman to a successful online seller had just begun.
I found a couple truths in selling online. It is not a job; it is a lifestyle. If you want to be good at it, it will become the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing you think about when you go to sleep. People who are successful at it, just like any other passion — eat, drink, and sleep what they do.
These truths describe me and my passion for what I do. It has not been easy; there have been mistakes.
But, as I learned I built a business, and the successes have become more and the missteps have become fewer and farther between. My commitment has grown stronger and my passion deeper.
I have made a commitment to be an online seller. I eat, drink and sleep selling. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year, I am Dallas Moore, online sales merchant. Unlike many working Americans who wake up dreading the day ahead, I wake up everyday excited. I try to find ways to make the day last longer, so I can do more.
Many believe a wonderful wife, a good job, and a nice home are enough, and they are right. Like most people in today’s society, I grew up being told that my life could be anything I wanted it to be. This is an integral part of the American dream. But I have always been the type of person who is looking for something more. After some successes and more failure than I care to remember, I realized that I could spend my life merely enduring, or I could spend my life doing something I love.
By laying out the lessons learned, hopefully it will stop you from making the same errors. I understand that this is not the only way, and maybe not even the best way. It is my way and if I can do it, anyone can. My skills have come over time learning from my mistakes. Sharing the lessons learned, hopefully will stop you from making the same errors.
I will not tell you what to buy, what it should cost, or where to find it. However, developing those skills was an imperative part in finding my own path. These are the skills that I have used to become successful.I learned early that knowledge is the only things that no one can take away from you. Once you possess the information, it is yours. If I just tell you what to do you will not develop these skills and will not ever be successful in the long term.
My true assets are my knowledge and thought processes. I can lose money on a purchase, but if I learn something from it, the only loss is monetary. I could be dropped off anywhere in the world with a few dollars in my pocket and immediately make enough to meet my needs. Given more time, I could build a business anywhere.
That did not happen overnight it was a progression. When I started, I didn’t know anything about antiques or collectibles, or even selling online for that matter. I was green. No, I was neon green. However, I gained more knowledge with every auction I attended and every purchase I made. This is the knowledge I have used to build a business.
Time will tell how far this journey will take me. I have enjoyed each part so far and look forward to seeing what the road ahead has in store for me. I know that there is still a lot to learn, but i have developed a strong foundation to build upon. But, the learning, that is the best part!
