while I sorted out my life. I was about 46-47 years old and hanging by my thumbs. I never thought of myself as a failure. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but some- how I knew I would find a way to overcome adversity. One thing for certain, I assure you, it wasn’t fun for Dorothy OR me. By this time the rest of the family was successful, and neither of my brothers tried to reach out to help. Maybe they just didn’t know how devastated I was, or maybe they had problems of their own of which I was unaware. Building a real estate company, which they were doing, can involve being ‘cash poor’ for years. My mother knew my plight. She was also devastated by my circumstances, as any mother would be. She offered to help me any way she could including sending me back to Medical School. To keep busy after a few weeks of drift- ing, I returned to the Real Estate business with Mackle Brother’s. Throughout the years I had maintained my Pennsylvania salesman’s license, the same license I had earned after graduating from College. That license gave me, through reciprocity, a New Jersey license as well and, for about a year, I was selling lots for new homes in Flori- da for several Mackle properties. The pitch was “Florida dream homes.” VITA-SLIM I tried a few ideas. One was a hit. I had learned about the popularity of dieting pills and made arrangements with a drug manufacturer to produce them. I branded it, Vita-Slim. Then, I hired an advertising agency to market it. We eventually had hundreds of ads in TV Guide. The magazine had over 100 editions so I could experiment with different markets and various forms of advertising. The orders came pouring in. Checks arrived in the mail by the hundreds. I shipped the product right from our home. Things were going great, until I got a notice from a government agency to cease and desist. My world collapsed again.
United Coffee Break Service, Business Card
The Deltona Corporation Florida Mackle Brothers Business Card.
I showed the letter to a neighborhood friend, and attorney. He advised me to accept the order. I could have fought it. In retrospect, I think it was originated by a competitor. I was really hurting; however, I took my lawyer’s advice and stopped the business. The adver- tising stopped, and I returned a basket full of unopened checks to the post office. With dwindling cash and poor prospects, I created a resume and we decided to move to Florida.
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