OT: Butch Quitting

[Guest guest]

Hey Jennifer,

 

> Butch Please say it isn't so!

 

Its sorta so .. but quitting is not exactly the best term I think. Its

not a close down of my American operation. I'm just gonna have to back

out of it a bit.

 

I'm closing down my Turkish operation now .. already started the formal

procedures. Its gonna take a few months because my Turkish company

(not me, the American person, but the company .. which is Turkish) is a

minor share holder in some other companies here.

 

I need some freedom .. there are so many things I want to do and I see

that continuing my present lifestyle is not gonna allow me to do them.

 

Some folks get wrapped around the axle on age .. but I'm happy to say

that in a few days I will celebrate my 61st anniversary of living ..

meaning I will be 61 years experienced cause I dang sure don't consider

myself as old. But .. come July 2004 I intend to draw Social Security.

 

Too many of my buddies waited till 65 and then went under snakes. I'm

thinking I'm not a likely candidate for the Grim Reaper for another 20+

years but the simple math calculations say getting that SS as early as

possible is the most responsible decision for me. Better to use that

money for the next 20 + years as I have many plans for it .. none of the

plans include eating it up either. ;-p

 

And when I do go under snakes, I don't want to be remembered only as one

who tried to provide proven quality and purity in essential oils cause

there are others who try also .. nothing unique there. Plus I've seen

how easily this industry forgets folks .. like Dr. John Kercher, who

checked out last year. John was a helluva lot smarter than most folks

knew .. author of MANY books .. and most folks didn't even know he had a

PhD cause he didn't flaunt it like some do. Even though I disagreed

with John on some major issues .. like skin absorption .. I'm thinking

that over the years he did a lot for this cottage-industry and now a

handful of folks remember that he ever lived.

 

I always wondered what I was gonna be when I grew up. Spent 30 years in

Uncle Sugar's Army then 5 years in Corporate Management then another 8

years running my Turkish company and managing another American company

of of Virginia that operated here in Turkey .. and now that I've grown

up I've got to make some tough decisions on what I want to be. ;-)

 

Acquisition of money will never be a driver in that decision .. though

having some will help me accomplish some of the things I have in mind to

do. Even now I don't draw a " salary " or take profits from Appalachian

Valley Natural Products .. haven't taken a penny since opening in Summer

1999. I've dumped it all back into increasing the size of the company,

moving to a larger location (twice) and buying larger volumes of oils

which cost me less per kilo and allowed me to lower prices to buyers

without decreasing the profit margin to AVNP.

 

But AVNP does pay for all my travel .. which is considerable. And that

will increase when I " retire " cause I intend to stay on the road half

the time .. and probably travel in a bit more style than I have the last

few years. The retire part is me getting out of the routine that I'm

now into .. spending 90-100 hours a week managing a company in Turkey

and a company in Maryland from a PC monitor in Turkey. I intend to

employ a professional manager in AVNP .. got a couple of Cracker Jacks

in mind and they are not unwilling to consider it. Means big bucks too

casue one can't find what I'm looking for without paying at least a

grand a week (gross) .. and its worth it. Managers don't watch clocks!

They are responsible for accomplishing a mission .. and managers who

work for me never work less than 60 or so hours a week .. and like it.

 

When all this happens I will still make the final decisions on what oils

are purchased from where .. and I'll still be around (with a different

email address .. and most likely working from a Lap Top) to answer the

more complicated questions folks have .. but there will be a time when

the new manager gains sufficient knowledge to field the minor questions.

I respond to 30-40 emails a day .. maybe half from folks who have not

purchased from me and continue to purchase from other folks. ;-p

 

> Your oils are some of the highest quality that I have. I only trust

> a few suppliers, and your one of them!

 

Thankee m'am .. I appreciate the kind words. I'm thinking that when one

doesn't need income they are in a better position to do what they think

is right. There is much to be said for independence. I believe this

applies to politicans also though sometimes power corrupts even those

who have money. I don't want power .. had enough of it already.

 

> I recommend you all the time! I don't know what I would do! *getting a

> bit frantic!*

 

If I went under snakes today ... AVNP would start to sell out what is in

stock .. and the industry of Aromatherapy would continue without so much

as a hiccup .. it was here afore me and it'll be here after I'm gone ..

but I appreciate the loyalty and thank you for the kind words. :-D

 

> If we give up now, we might be giving up on this goal of killing the

> rumors about aromatherapy, right before we might succeed!

 

Lawdy Lawdy Jennifer .. I gave up on that long ago. I never saw it as a

goal .. but rather a responsibility. There is no firm foundation for

this industry .. its not regulated (which is not all bad) and there are

few truisms. Plus somewhere along the line, logic got left out of the

equation .. some folks are ready to swallow bovine excrement without

question if they read it in a book by someone who is supposed to be a

big-name in the industry. What qualifies them as big-name one must

decide for themselves .. and keep in mind that even Gary Young is a big

name in the industry.

 

And we should not be fooled into thinking that a laundry list of books

and studies at the end of some tale is a list of references .. unless

the writer quotes from that list in a manner that will support what they

are presenting it is not a list of references .. its a bibliograph.

 

As long as I'm around I'll work to find the time to TRY to correct what

I see as wild ass rumors .. but its almost like trying to work out the

kinks in religious dogma. Maybe harder than that .. those folks have a

few ultimate authorities .. we have none. Marge has a friend, nice lady

name of Colleen Dodt, who once said she was trying to " Educate one

aromatic soul at a time. " I reckon that's about the way it has to be.

 

I am sometimes bothered by the fact that logic and common sense is cast

aside when folks discuss Aromatherapy and Essential Oils. Maybe some

day somebody will write a book that will burst all the ballons of hype

and slay all the sacred cows .. would be nice for sure. I'm certainly

not gonna do it .. though I intend to write .. its not gonna be about

Aromatherapy and Essential Oils. :-)

 

There are a wide range of publications out now .. most are garbage and

that is a personal opinion. Of those that aren't garbage we can still

find much to criticize in them .. which is not unusual for the printed

word. Some lean too far out of the bounds of proven data and hang on to

the rumors because they either lack the time or the desire to try to

disprove them and substitute facts .. like the contraindications of

Pennyroyal and Rosemary and such. I see them as nothing more than a

means of producing some income for the writer. Others are too strict in

that they don't allow for the existence of anything not proven in

double-blind, peer-reviewed scientific studies .. and sometimes it looks

like the writer is trying to impress themself as much as they are the

reader .. I see these as being attempt to bolster a weak ego. There has

to be a middle ground but it would take a helluva lotta research to

stomp the many snakes that have been bred in this industry. Then they

have to present it in a manner that the layperson can understand.

 

If Martin Watt ever sat down and wrote a book based on the research he

has already conducted I think it would be a valuable tool .. but he is

into spending time in libraries digging out the latest so he has no time

to put down what he's already found .. that is except in those reference

publications he has out already. And .. he would have to hire a good

proof reader cause Martin is something like the nutty professor when it

comes to unnecessary things like grammar and spelling. ;-p

 

One feller who is also not wet behind the ears is Robert Tisserand. He

has done some good work for sure .. Essential Oil Safety being but one

of his good works. He just wrote me for some input on a new book he is

working on .. also on Essential Oil Safety. I've not replied yet but I

intend to .. the little bit I can add is gonna be a drop in the bucket

but it will be on unique Turkish origin oils and I have some knowledge

in that regard.

 

> Regards,

> Jennifer

 

And to you .. Jennifer .. and to all you folks on our Birthday. :-)

 

Y'all keep smiling, Butch :-) http://www.AV-AT.com

 

> >But you know what .. I look more forward to retiring from this

> >industry in maybe 12 months or so .. cause trying to kill the rumors

> >about EO that have become so-called facts in this route-step cottage

> >industry is a little bit like trying to herd cats. ;-p