Thread by @Harris_Bryan

With all the firings at USC today somehow my man Clay Helton remained the head coach.

So, I can continue to say I taught the head coach (and his wife) of USC how to ballroom dance 💃

#truestory

Here is the story:

Part 1: When we first moved to Nashville 10 years ago I had no job. Started delivering pizza. That sucked. So one day I found this ebook from a guy, Skip Mcgrath. I paid $20 and got a list of things to look for at yard sales that sold well on eBay.

Part 2: Went to my first yard sale. Found item #11 on the list, some old electronics from the 50s. They wanted $5. I bought them and flipped for $300. I was all in on eBay after that.

Started doing eBay during day and pizza delivery at night. eBay took off so I stopped pizza.

Part 3:

eBay business took off. I graduated to buying big pieces of restaurant equipment from auctions and flipping those. The one day PayPal and eBay shut my account down. Totally bogus. Was out of business immediately and had all operating income ($20k+) in PayPal frozen.

Part 4:

Didn’t know where mortgage money would come from. Bad bad feeling. Started looking on craigslist for sales jobs. Found one entitled:

“Make $50k a year selling ballroom dance lessons”

I had never touched a dance floor but was desperate. So I emailed and got an interview

Part 5:

Went in for interview in Hendersonville, TN. Dude from dancing with the stars was there (no lie). This was ridiculous. I was the last person on the planet that belonged there. Stayed for interview.

Turns out “selling dance lessons” = being a dance instructor. 😂

Part 6:

Her; “I like you. Want the job?”

Me: “I DONT KNOW HOW TO DANCE”

Her: “I can teach you that part.”

Me: ...

Her: “Tell you what give me and hour. If I can convince you that you can lead, will you take the job?”

Me: <checks bank account> - “Ok”

Part 7:

1 hour later I had finished my first private dance lesson. And I agreed to come back there 5 days a week for 3 hours to train ($8 an hour).

After 2 months I was a “professional” ballroom dance instructor.

The first night of actually teaching people a couple walks in..

Part 8:

We were taught to teach the guy first. Which = dance the women part while holding the guy in your arms. (Yes - it is as awkward as it sounds).

So I take ahold of this guy and start teaching him the basics. Trying to make small talk.

Me: “Soooo..... where are from?”

Part 9:

Him: “California. You?”

Me: “....Nashville....”

<awkward silence>

Me: “What do you do?”

Him: “I’m a football coach”

<I suddenly begin questioning all of my life choices.>

Me: “Oh nice! High school?”

Him: “No, college.”

Me: “Oh cool! Somewhere around here?”

Part 10:

<remember this entire conversation is happening while we do the Waltz and are embracing each other, our faces 3” apart>

Me: “Which college?”

Him: “USC”

Me: <my life is terrible. Jesus just take me now>

Turns out it was this guy...

Part 11: The finale

So I proceeded to spend the next our in his embrace, then his wife’s embrace texting them how to do the waltz and other random dances.

This was fall of 2011.

And less than 18 months later he became head coach after Lane Kiffin was fired.

Part 12:

A close examination of his career after our time together reveals a sharp “up and to the right” trajectory (see attached image).

Obvious Takeaway: If your career is stuck, holler. I’ll teach you the waltz and the years to come will be magic.

💃💃💃

*teaching

Part 12:

So - for one more year I can tell the story about how I once slow danced with the head coach of USC.

(It almost made that entire 6 months of dance instructing worth it.)

Part 13:

A few mos later I did first (& last) prof dance competition. Trained for months. We came in last. I quit the next day.

The next time I set foot in the room where that competition was held was 4 years later, where I gave this talk:

manfisher.wistia.com/medias/yfhicid…

Part 14:

That was just 7 years ago. Insane how much can change in that short of time.

Fall 2011: $8 an hour teaching dudes to dance

Fall 2018: Doing the most fun thing i can imagine: Building software and growing companies.

Ah! Here is the only remainig video evidence of that era:

(I was so bad)