My first initiation into meeting a bigger SOB was when I was in the jewelry business. I came into the deal with a current owner who had multiple locations, and was in dire need of someone aggressive and trustworthy to manage one of the locations. That location had been there for years managed by 2 longtime employees and few part-timers. The 2 employees found a better opportunity – a location right across from this store in the mall and were starting their own store with a partner/investor.

This is where I came into the picture. I was hired as a managing-partner or working-partner for that location. I was promised a 50/50 partnership in the profits. I took over the location on 1st May 2006 and waited for the new owners to start their store. They opened up the location with a bang – with ads, fliers and ofcourse the customers’ database and loyalty that they had generated for years at the old store.

I was sent there with the specific purpose of keeping the sales steady and riding the competing store into the ground. I kept both the promises to my partner. The sales were kept levelled and the competing store could not survive more than 4 months. They had to sell out to the investing partner and leave the mall.

Me having kept my part of the promise, I was expecting the same in return. Initially we had decided that the accounts would be balanced every month and I would receive my profits at the end of each month since I had taken a pay cut on my base pay just so I would get the 50/50 partnership. After the first month, we had a meeting and it was decided that it would be easier to do it every 3 months. My SOB radar was on the fritz I guess.

Three months stretched to five months and finally I called a meeting at his office. I knew I am not getting paid once he said that, how about we do the balancing after Christmas? No fucking way! I let him have a piece of my mind, and to which he succumbed and handed me a check for $3000.00. Now remember, this was 1996, and only a little over a year ago, I was making $5.00/hour and the only reason I got this partnership was because I was a manager at one of his other locations and he knew how good I was at my job. So this $3000 seemed like all the money in the world to me, and it settled me down for the time being.

At the end of the 5th month I had to go overseas for my sisters wedding and once there, I got the news that the store had a new manager. I instinctively knew that I am never going to see my money or my job at that store. Sure enough. When I got back, I was called into a meeting with the partner and told that he needed me at some other location and he could not offer me the partnership anymore. Regarding the money owed to me… cest’ la vie.

Sure I could have sued him, and got the money. But, at the time, I was broke!!! I had just gotten back from my trip overseas and my biggest concern was how the hell am I going to feed myself?

The SOB in me made me do what I had to do. I got a job with the store that I was sent to ride into the ground, right before the busiest time of the year – Christmas.