In reply to Appleseed :
Much nicer wording, saying the same thing to steve that I wanted to. What he said is technically correct, but has absolutely NOTHING to do with the problems at that company.
Ive only been an employee at “big business”. In order to move upwards in big business, you have to be proficient in always telling people what they want to hear. I can’t lie very well, so I continue to just be the guy that pulls the wrenches.
I used to call on small pump rep firms and a lot of times the owner would store his boat inside his warehouse - why not?
I would always mess with them about the employees walking by it every day. They thought it was funny.
He could well be a total dick. I have met more than my share.
He could also have multiple income streams and employee pay and bonuses are based solely on company income and profit and not on his personal income.
In reply to Datsun310Guy :
My cousin owns several businesses including a pet cremation business that ties into his son's veterinary practice. When he had the building for the incinerator built, he made sure it was also big enough to store his 32' pusher motorhome and a bunch of dirt bikes and ATVs he owns. He's a smart guy.
The money in the company's bank account and the money in his personal account are two different things. He may have been saving up for years to buy a Corvette, the company account wasn't affected until the pandemic came along.
I'm not defending him, just saying there may be more to the story.
In reply to stuart in mn :
Totally plausible. Personally, I would have left the new toys at home if it really was a tough year, business wise. You might have used personal money, and might have saved for years, but employees might not see it that way, especially if raises and bonuses are sparse or nonexistent.
I've been lucky enough before my current job to work for small businesses with fantastic owners. My last boss was a great guy that helped with my car and drove a 98 Chevy pick up. I still go there to hang out and talk cars while seeing what stage his nova project is at. I was offered better money to leave several times but I firmly believe a good boss makes a difference
It is definitely a bad look, and bad for company morale. Right or wrong (and I stand in the "its his money, personal and business accounts are separate camp), it is bad management. Part of being a manager is not being an obtuse dick for things like this.
Steve_Jones said:Lots of jealousy in this thread. You are all free to start your own company and see if you have what it takes to succeed. It takes a lot.
Cute. Except employees of the company have waaay more skin in the game. The stories of bootstraps and employers who are just hard working Americans who "made it on their own" and so their employees get to be second class citizens are such bullE36 M3.
I guess I floundered the berkeley out of that thread. Sorry.
What follows will probably come off too harsh, but this is after all, a forum. You know those things where we can float different opinions!
Ah the Socialist Elmo meme. Elmo has a crappy work ethic and should fit in well with a union job in a, ah well let me see now... Gosh I guess there's really no Socialist or Communist countries left anymore. Elmo does not have the appetite for risk nor the entrepreneurial talent to be the leader of a business. Elmo will wallow in mediocrity his/her entire career. There are of course better business leaders and worse business leaders. If one business leader squanders their profits on narcissistic toys while another leader plows some of their profits into an ESOP, then eventually market economic forces will probably attract the better Elmos to the better leader and leave the Elmos with the E36 M3ty work attitude to wallow in their jealousy and mediocre goals.
I have nicer car(s) than my boss, or her boss, or his boss. I also have no kids, a modest house, and a wife who also has a good job. Both of us are in large corporate America though, so nobody can accuse us of getting toys while not giving raises. Some of it is about priorities and how you live your life.
The OPs situation does seem demoralizing though.
In reply to Steve_Jones :
Jealousy? Nah, a working man's disdain for those that don't protect their workers.
You don't get rich alone. People aught not forget that.
I think being a business owner that directly manages the business is hard. I think as long as you are paying in line with other companies that offer similar positions and benefits you are doing a good job as a business owner.
Employees have that feeling of jealousy if you buy something nice, no matter how good you are at personally saving money or making money with other investments.
I once bought a viper after using a home equity loan after 3 years of renting out rooms in my own house to make extra money. I count this as one of the bigger mistakes I've made in life.
When employees work for a large corporation they don't directly see what they are buying for all the executives and shareholders and it isn't as demoralizing.
The Corvette could have been bought from personal funds from inherited money that existed before he started the company. It could be from stocks or real estate holdings that have nothing to do with the company. The company could be a separate entity started with borrowed money or investment from people other than your boss.
Who knows? This stuff can get complex.
Gotta hand it to both my bosses, neither are showy. One guy has a classic Corvette, see it once in a while if I head in on a Saturday. He's had it since he was just out of school, before it was a classic. Other guy busted his ass his whole life and now has a few Porsches and a really sweet Chris Craft that he inherited, but he doesn't bring them to work and doesn't tell everyone he owns them or that he has a baller house on one of the local lakes. Drives a modest XLT F150 to work.
I went to a little Mom n Pop company a while back to do some work. Real E36 M3hole place, East St Louis area. In the paved section of the parking lot were 3 Raptors, back when the OG Raptor was new. Owner, Owner's Wife, and their son, all had reserved parking, 3 shiny new Raptors out in front. The rest of the lot was definitely cars owned by guys making $10/hr.
I am confused about one thing....not liking the guy would make me more interested in driving it. Less feeling bad about beating on it or if something happens to it. Note, definitely not suggesting crashing it on purpose or anything. But if it was someone I liked I'd want to bring it back pristine and be stressed about it the whole time. Plus, you gotta get that bonus somehow, might as well be in tires and fuel if not actual money.
I think the moral of the story is: Value your people and they’ll want you to do well.
I work at a small business and the owner is great. I’m genuinely glad I work for him. He also really wants a C8 Z06 when they come out. I hope he gets one since I’ll probably get to flog it around Gingerman. He already sold the Viper he built to start saving up for the Vette.
Start your own business?
Good on him for being successful enough to buy toys
The silliest thing about owning a business is my play cars don't add up to half of what my work truck cost. Back in the day I didn't dare show up in my corvette unless i knew the customer well or if i really didn't want the work and going to look was a formality. The corvette exuded $ even though at the time it was 20+ years old and i traded an $1800 S10 for it. But show up in my $56k diesel ram and "hey that guy works hard for a living." Thankfully I'm small time enough that I rarely have more than 1 person in my employment at a time and they generally get paid very fairly for their time. I went to look at something a few weeks ago and took the Q45, my mom/business partner was there and she turns to the guy(a good friend or she likely wouldn't have said this) and says "he's got a 60 thousand dollar truck and drives his thousand dollar 30 year old car everywhere"
i'm rambling. I bet andy Neuman's employees were mega jealous when he bought the purple Q45
Most diesel pickups cost more than my 911 turbo
In reply to Patrick (Forum Supporter) :
I've said this about my coworkers and customers. I can show up in a used $25,000 Cadillac and everyone splits a gut. Prices too high - guy making too much money.
Or buy a basic Silverado with steel wheels and vinyl floors for $32,000 and I'm a frugal guy with fair prices and nobody knows the crazy high commissions I've made. It's all perception with my customers and fellow coworkers.
Personal story time. At the turn of the century, I worked at a cabinet shop. Those display walls you see in kitchen and baths at Home Depot? We built almost all of them for the stores in Northeast Illinois.
When I started, it took the shop 4-5 days to finish a store. Craig and I scienced that E36 M3 down to 2 days. $15-25,000 net profit on each store.
We worked hard. We challenged ourselves just to see how fast we could blast them out. Not one bonus. The owner never saw past "it's my money." At the time we young and dumb. We were paid what we were promised, and that was fine .
The owner never realized that if he had offered us, let's say $100 bonus every store that was completed, we would have happily destroyed ourselves for that hundo.
This isn't quite the same thing as Jerry's, but profit adds value to a job, and value adds loyalty. And a loyal employee will walk through hellfire for you because he believes in you.
Teh E36 M3 said:Steve_Jones said:Lots of jealousy in this thread. You are all free to start your own company and see if you have what it takes to succeed. It takes a lot.
Cute. Except employees of the company have waaay more skin in the game. The stories of bootstraps and employers who are just hard working Americans who "made it on their own" and so their employees get to be second class citizens are such bullE36 M3.
There are two techs and myself, a Quality Manager. He wouldn't have this business if we didn't do the actual work.
Jerry said:Teh E36 M3 said:Steve_Jones said:Lots of jealousy in this thread. You are all free to start your own company and see if you have what it takes to succeed. It takes a lot.
Cute. Except employees of the company have waaay more skin in the game. The stories of bootstraps and employers who are just hard working Americans who "made it on their own" and so their employees get to be second class citizens are such bullE36 M3.
There are two techs and myself, a Quality Manager. He wouldn't have this business if we didn't do the actual work.
Sounds easy. You should open your own place and buy a Corvette.
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