Hi, Francisco blogging here. In my previous post, I talked about my first experience getting a job. I mentioned that I was paid a much lower salary, despite producing more than my peers.

The year and a half I had spent at the toy company allowed me to learn a few things: by working from home. First, I was kind of my own boss. There was no one to dictate what I should do,when I should do it and the pace at which I should do it. Thus, I learned I had to set my priorities which at the time were first my studies, along with school activities. Next cameassembling the toys, in quantity and quality. That included assembling them as quickly as possible, since I wanted to make good money without sacrificing my leisure time. Finally, my last priority was to save enough money to better enjoy my Leisure time, which in those days consisted of reading, making loudspeaker cabinets, and going out with my friends on weekends.

To make the long story short, I believe the most valuable lesson that I learned then was time management.

Today, I will share another experience while working for myself. At the time, I was 16 and I decided that with the salary I had earned from my previous job, I would buy some clothes in the State Capital and sell them in the countrysidewhere I lived with my parents.

In order to learn which clothes to purchase, I would talk to salesclerks and other buyers, most of whom were women. This market research led to my purchasing of baby clothes, for I had learned they sold faster and made a good profit. I learned this and much more from other buyers who were at the stores with the same purpose as mine.

My first sales were a success. I sold the clothes to neighbors, friends of neighbors, and relatives. So, onto bigger and better things. Now it was time to go shopping for adult clothing, while simultaneously following what my fellow, more experienced shoppers advised. What they said was that women's clothes sold faster and more easily. Again, I followed their advice and again, my sales were a success. And soon I was renewing my inventory.

During a long time, my strategy never changed. However, one day when I saw men's pants at a great price, I decided to invest part of my money in this new commercial venture. Those pants were of good quality. I've always looked for good prices, and good quality clothes. I always told the salesclerkswhich size clothes I wanted, the colors I wanted, and the styles I was looking for and they would get them for me. I looked at each of the pieces very carefully and chose the ones that were more pleasant to the touch. For instance, I would prefer those that felt softer, and more durable. Many buyers made the mistake of judging by what they saw alone. I did not.

Much of what I was looking for in clothes I would by, came from customer feedback and from my talking to other shoppers. And The strategy was simple: I stood there at the store examining the clothes on the different stalls. Meanwhile, I paid attention to the conversations going on around me. Only then, did I buy and negotiate the prices and conditions of purchase. That day, I heard about a style of men’s pants that sold well. I also heard that that style of pants was already going out of style, that’s why the price was so inviting. The pants were very low at the rear, revealing the underwear of those who wore them. I think maybe today's young people would like that fashion. In those days those pants were not so popular though. I bought them anyway.

Initially, the sale was a success. Some customers bought some pants, and one even bought three pairs of them. After some time though, I still had 20 pairs of pants and it seemed I would not find a way to sell them. It was then when I realized I would have to change my sale strategy, or I’d be stuck with those pants.

First, I lowered the price and I sold six pairs of pants. Two of them for the same customer who had previously purchased three pairs. I still had to get rid of twelve and it was not being easy at all. Then I decided to change my selling strategyradically. I was going to sell my merchandise by going from house to house, looking for new customers. And I was going to get a partner.

It was then that my 21-year-old friend, Marcos Augusto decided to join me. For this part of the venture. One thing about Marcos is that he is blind. We decided to start our sales in a neighboring city that was bigger and had a much better prospect.

Now, I was really going to test my ability as a micro-sales entrepreneur. However, this story I will tell you next time.

If you liked this post, feel free to ask me questions. It will be my pleasure answering them. Also, please give a thumbs-up or leave a comment.