What is the best advice you ever recieved and from who?

';watch your pennies you're never have to worry about dollars'; - ';Pasky'; DeDeminico. I worked for him with his ';play'; - the horses (thoroughbreds) - his BUSINESS was a well known built from the ground up company called Rice A Roni; he also had Vernells candy, Ghirardelli chocolate, Mission macaroni and others. By action - best 'advice' was he'd go to the factory and go down to the floor and talk to employees all the way to the guy who swept the floors - what to do to make the job better? And if it was a valid thing he'd do it.


From the horses he ran it in the same business like way. Those of us who handled the horses every day had input into the care of the horse. He, true to his advice, would not get new supplies just because. If the brushes were dirty - wash them, don't go get new. When the brushes got worn to the point they didn't do the job on the horses (and it showed) we went to the tack store and got all new grooming tools (and they were TOOLS) - not luxury items. He expected us to select things for value - if it cost more than the cheap stuff but was a better value that was fine. Paying more just to pay more wasn't.


When he passed away thousands all the way down to those floor sweepers and, yes, horse grooms, attended the funeral. He'd started in SanFrancisco and when a fire burned the place to the ground he vowed to rebuild - he'd also found a business outlet in the Seattle area and room to have horses as he'd wanted to do - good Thoroughbreds. When he sold the companies to Quaker Oats he stayed involved even though he didn't have to. He showed me it was possible to combine business ethics with compassion and find a balance to include both to make the business stronger.What is the best advice you ever recieved and from who?
From the comedian Gallagher........';when your high on dope..dont smoke dope...you dont get higher...you just get lower on dope';