My Boss Wrote a Book!

I was Ted Van Doorn’s general manager at Vandor Imports when the company turned 25.  Ted had made himself a legend in the gift and housewares industry by competing on design. Most of his competitors thought his company was much larger in sales than it was, given his influence.  But Ted was studying, designing, thinking.. and taking advantage of opportunities and problems.  

I was one of many people who worked with Ted, and working with Ted, as tough as it could be, made your career.  Not only could you learn from Ted by standing back and watching, Ted was happy to share his ideas.  He had a hot-selling trivet design, packed merely in a cardboard sleeve.  I suggested we upgrade the packaging.  He looked at me for a moment and said, “Why package nicely something we cannot keep in stock?  If it starts to die, we’ll think about tarting up the packaging.”  (Doh!)

Ted was a leader in design, giving many young designers a chance, a few of those he made as well.  Nonetheless, Ted was never worried about getting knocked off, which happened often enough, because the knockoffs were from 2nd rate factories, 2nd rate importers, going to 2nd rate customers.  It had nothing to do with him, so why should he care?  It was literally none of his business. He wisely let the designers own any intellectual property rights.

When I was interviewing for the job, over dinner I asked Ted about his background. Born in Japan, great Kanto earthquake of ‘23, schooled in Kobe at the Canadian Academy until ‘39, came to USA in 1951, started Vandor, and grew to the company that hired me.  Now, if someone living in Japan of military age during WWII skips that part of his life, one politely does not inquire.  I skipped it.  Apparently everyone did.  Ted just didn’t mention it.

Now comes, posthumously, his memoir, filling in the details.  A half-Dutch Japanese lad gets drafted into the brutal Imperial Army, all six feet of him, fluent in English and Japanese, but illiterate in Japanese.  He is sent to serve in Manchuria and is captured by the Soviets and spent a few years in a gulag before be repatriated to Japan.  His story of getting to USA is fascinating in its own right.

Lucretius 2000 years ago complained of immigrants doing so well in Rome.  Of course.  Immigrants have nothing to lose, and do not know the “rules.”  USA has had wave after wave of best and brightest coming to take advantage of the opportunities.  I acknowledged Ted Van Doorn in my book, written to share the rules that such immigrants used to be wildly successful.  Since then I have learned the rules are fairly universal.  

Today the immigrant is not as welcome in USA, the small business is far more compassed. What got Ted through earthquakes, war, gulags and to USA brought him great success when he settled here.  Get the book now, and review your options, in the light of what is possible.

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