Foreword - Principles to Fortune Audio Book
Channel: Scott Bintz
Date: 2019-04-11

Principles to Fortune Book available in soft, hard, ebook and audio versions online at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0999623400/
Foreword by Jeff Vanlaningham
I met Scott Bintz in college. It would turn out to be one of the most rewarding and beneficial of friendships. My first thoughts of Scott were "Man, this guy talks a lot," followed by an observation that he had a generous spirit about him. He is the type of person who genuinely roots for your success and is not envious when it comes. I noticed his propensity for altruism early. I had the good fortunate to attend the inaugural ball for the President of the US. Went out to DC, wore a tux, all kinds of cool stuff. When I got back, Scott had tracked down the newspaper and convinced them to do a story on me, and my time in DC. It was the first of many times that I would benefit from Scott's generosity. 
 We have also worked together 3 times. Sometimes that has worked out well for us, like at RealTruck, and others were more learning lessons. Our first time was with a cellular company in the early 90s. Nobody had cell phones. Back then you were going after rich people who could afford such a luxury. Try to convince them to sign up on the gold plan which got you 180 minutes a month.  Scott was a hard charger, driven to succeed. You would rarely find him at his desk. This was not a good fit for us. 
Scott went on to work for a large manufacturer as their National Sales Manager. It was fun to watch him doing so well. He used to call me from all over the country and we would talk for hours. He was doing his "Scott thing" and working 80 hours a week and the success was following. Eventually Scott had the idea to create a website. I remember when Scott called me from Spokane one night to tell me he was going to start a website, called RealTruck. I didn't think much of it. One thing that sets Scott up for success is he is not overly concerned with how things look to others. While many of us have to analyze how this will look, what will people think, what if this fails, Scott is not encumbered with this thought.  He bulldozes ahead. So with sheer grit and determination, he grew RealTruck. Eventually, Scott made the decision to go full time on this "basement project".  
Meanwhile, I was floundering around. Scott asked me to come work for this manufacture to take over his job. I learned a ton. We traveled the country setting up deals attempting to help this product go national. Eventually Scott left and I took over. I was now a Director of Sales & Marketing. Scott was full time at RealTruck, which was keeping its’ head above water, but just barely. Since RealTruck was one of our accounts, I have to admit, there were days, that I thought it might be over for RealTruck and Scott. Other people were starting to catch on to the benefits of e-commerce and it was just a matter of time before someone came along and knocked them out. I point this out to set up the real part of the story. 
My days as a big shot Director of Sales and Marketing came to a sudden end; I was terminated. It was devastating. I showed up on Scott's doorstep. Scott used to say he wished I could come to work at RealTruck. I would say "I don't think you can afford me Scott." Pride begets the fall. There was no hesitation on Scott’s part.  While RealTruck was not in a position to hire me, Scott didn't care. 
As they say, third time’s a charm. One of my immediate contributions was that I could help Scott filter 15 ideas down to a more manageable and attainable 5. Make no mistake, this was not all puppies and rainbows. We made a plethora of mistakes. We did a few things right too. And then, we hit gold. Scott had been inspired to improve our company culture. We had toured Zappos and it lit something inside of him. The plane ride home was one the quietest Scott has ever been. The real journey starts there.
All the pieces came together at just the right time. Scott will give plenty of credit to others is this book, rightfully so. But let me assure you that while we all had our role to play, Scott was our captain. He was the one who was willing to bet it all on culture and keep our compass facing due North. The one thing I would like to say about this book is; I believe the map we followed can work for anyone. I believe that the principles you try to live by can and should be practiced at work. If you can stay on that path even when it gets turbulent, then I believe that the fortune you seek will come.
-- Jeff Vanlaningham - President of RealTruck 2007-2016


Scott Bintz is a serial e-commerce entrepreneur. Founder of RealTruck, Red Headed Rebel, RHR Brew, RHR Swag & more.  

https://principlestofortune.com
https://scottbintz.com
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Principles-to-Fortune-Crafting-a-Culture-to-Massively-Grow-a-Business-Audiobook/B07DXBNDBT?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-119742&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_119742_rh_us