How Angel got scammed by a real city slicker.

A pal o' mine, the great Angel Stump, owns Angel's Rapture Graphics.  Rapture Graphics is a $14 million sheetfed company just south of Nashville.  Angel renamed the company after he caught the Holy Spirit at a tent meeting back in 1968.  Since picking that name for the company, Angel has prospered, joined the Methodist church, moved to where the "old money" lives, got himself a Lincoln Towncar, and a new wife.

When Angel called me he'd said, "This fella looked real good; wearin' a $800-$900 suit.  Had a blue shirt with one of them white collars.  He talked even better'n he looked.  His resume was fantastic.  The restaurant was a little dark and I'd had a few drinks, but his bio looked real good.  I figured he'd do Rapture Graphics proud, so I hired him.  Had to give him a $75,000 draw, an American Express card and $1,000 a month car allowance.  Said he could start on Monday."

The new guy started and everything seemed fine at first.  The salesman was out of the plant most of the time apparently making sales calls.  He'd told Angel that he liked to do a lot of networking so his entertainment expenses had been high.

Well about six months went by and Newguy had generated $1.5 million in quotes and a little less than $50,000 in real business.  Angel was getting nervous.  Then one day Wayne called and said he'd gotten an $8,000 American Express bill on Newguy's number.  Both of them thought for a minute and realized they hadn't seen him in the plant for about a week. 

Well, ol' Angel got to checking and sleuthing around and come to find out that Newguy had two other print sales jobs.  What hurt most was that both of the other owners, one in Charlotte and another in Atlanta were paying Newguy only $50,000 with no credit card and $600 car allowances.  Neither of the other guys had seen Newguy for several days.

Angel was a little weepy and he asked me, "Mañana, where'd I go wrong.  Damn, I thought I had a winner!"

I try to take my own medicine and never be condescending.  Goodness knows I've made every mistake known in the wonderful world of commerce.  So I said, "Angel, my man.  This hurts me like it's hurtin' you.  I'd love to come down, help you find this crook, and teach him some manners."