Mike Carner:
CLASS OF 1967
Bella Vista High SchoolClass of 1967
Fair oaks, CA
Mike's Story
Hi to all former classmates/teammates!!
Here's my attempt to 'capture' my 'life' in a just a few words but,
I warn you, that I LOVE to write and try to improve with practice
every chance I get!
So here goes:
After leaving BV in 1967 I attended American River JC for awhile.
I went from being a Bronco (a studly horse!) to a BEAVER!
(a buck-toothed rodent!)
(By the way, I stupidly turned down offers to attend Dartmouth.
They didn't have scholarships but they did offer me an on campus job
as well as help with getting me the student loans I would need. I also
could have gone to Whitworth (somewhere in WA) which was the same
school Walt Livingston went to. Lastly, I was nominated and accepted
at the US Air Force Academy. I decided against the Air Academy,
because, get this, I would have to attend for 4 years then serve 2 years
of active duty. I would be 24 years old before I got out. I would be an 'old man'!)
Anyway back to ARC, I played football in 1968 and damned if the team
wasn't pretty good! (NOT due to me that's for sure!)
We went undefeated thru the regular season and we had the distinct
honor of participating in the FIRST EVER JC College championship
playoffs. We won 2 playoff games (Both of which we were favored to lose
by big margins.) and got into the Championship game, against Fullerton
with the game being played in Anaheim Stadium.
Fullerton crushed us 41-0. We finished with a record of 11-1.
We were rated number 3 in the nation at the end of the season.
I learned that I was pretty tough mentally but being a second-stringer
for the whole year really woke me up to the fact that I simply was not
a very fast runner. I quit football at that point. I remember thinking how
sad it was that the most exciting time of my whole life was already over.
Boy! Was I wrong!
Tired of school (and tired of living on welfare) ! went to work for
"Roddy Discount Auto" in 1969.
Due to the high 'turn-over' I was promoted to store manager 6
months later. I had 5 employees, all older than me.
After a year and a half of 6 days a week and teensy little pay checks
I quit and went to work at Winter Motors in 1971 as a parts delivery driver.
It was like Heaven! Only had to work 5 days a week and was making more
money as a driver than as a Store Manager!
In 1972 I was promoted to Parts Manager
of the new Winter Volvo as Winter Motors split into 2 dealerships
the other one being Winter Datsun.
After nearly 9 years Mr Winter abruptly fired me during a recession.
The year was 1980. A week or so later Mr Winter's grand-son
called me to say he could get my job back if I was willing to take
a 'cut in pay'.
I not so politely declined.
Several jobs were offered to me but none as a Parts Manager.
I realized I'd have to re-locate to remain a Parts Manager.
In 1981 I took the job as Parts Mgr for a beautiful new Nissan/
Volvo dealership in Lynnwood WA. It was great for about a year
but then the owner promoted "THE WORLD'S BIGGEST A**HOLE"
to be the dealership's General Manager. The stress he generated
for all the managers was incredible and uncalled for. He would tell
you to do something a certain way, and when you did it, he would 'chew'
you out for doing it! (ALWAYS in front of your staff.)
It didn't take me long to start looking for a new job! I was really tired of the
RAIN and the freakin' rotten weather (for 'only' 10 months of the year!)
and I missed:
#1. My Mother and Family.
#2. California weather.
#3. Sacramento, where I still owned a house.
In October of 1983, after months of searching and several job
interviews, (Fresno, Oakland, Yreka, Fremont) I found my 'Dream Job'!
So guess where I went to work? Back f...Expand for more
or Mr Winter, who had sold
his Datsun (now Nissan) dealership and purchased the Lincoln/Mercury
dealership on Florin Road in south Sacramento.
I was the new Parts Manager at the new Winter Volvo-Lincoln/Mercury
dealership! (At almost TWICE the pay before Mr Winter had fired me!)
I was also living in my 'old' home again! It was wonderful to be BACK!
I was fired again, during a recession (again) this time by Mr Winter's
grand-son, in early June of 1991.
Later that same month my beloved Mother died of cancer.
I was 42 years old.
I was a broken man.
I was seriously depressed and was in a severe mid-life crisis.
I was tired of being fired and did not want to relocate again.
Several times I tried to start some kind of business that would
'work' for me.
Each time I failed.
Finally in April of 1995 I started 'MCM' or Mike Carner Marketing.
(ALWAYS wanted to have my own business!)
Started the business from 'scratch' with no clear vision of what to do
or experience in how to do it, just an 'idea' that I was sure was a good one!
Business grew but too slowly to keep me from running out of money.
What a nightmare! In the Summer of 1998, in spite of all my efforts,
I went utterly and completely broke. I filed for bankruptcy to stop the
numerous daily calls from creditors and to try to save my home.
The calls stopped but the bankruptcy actually hastened the foreclosure
of my home.
Since I decided I would not push a shopping cart or spend nights
sleeping under a bridge, suicide loomed as my only way 'out'. I knew
I had the guts to do. Just like jumping off a high-dive for the 1st time:
I would 'psyche' myself up and "JUST DO IT".
Luckily at the last minute one of my older sisters offered to let me move
in with her for awhile. I said yes, so in August of 1998 I was again a
broken man only completed humilated to boot. I had less than $200
in my checking account but fortunately, I still had my business.
I moved into her house and lived and did business in a tiny little bedroom.
It was the lowest point of my 49 years of 'life'.
During these trying times, I kept remembering Coach Driscoll making us
run 'wind-sprints' at the end of football practice. If we were lucky, he would
tell us how many we had to run. While hard, it was so much easier than when
he told us we were going to run wind-sprints "until HE was satisfied!"
I kept telling myself, 'just keep going' eventually this nightmare will end!
It did.
I finally began to understand what I needed to do to make MCM work.
I had more or less a 'vision' or maybe an internal 'phone call' might be a better
description. I was sitting at a stop light when the 'call' came in. The 'words' were
pretty much like this:
"You need to make your advertising look like an invitation to a party!"
And so the 'rest is history'. Business really picked up and I was able to
move out of my sisters house and into a rental in July of 1999.
In June of 2007 I was able to once again purchase a home, this time
in Orangevale, in which to work and live.
I almost didn't survive my 40s, without a doubt the worst years of
my life. By contrast though, my 50s have been the very best years
of my life! I now can never say that I was cheated in any way.
I haven't been. I have experienced great losses and hard-ship but also
great successes and real happiness! I am truly blessed!
By the way, I was married twice, each time for 5 years. Finally figured
out I'm not much good at picking the 'right woman' so I've stopped lookin'.
Been divorced since 1985 and I have no children. (That I know of. HA!)
Very Best Regards,
Mike.
PS! Have you posted your 'life story'? Email me. I'd love to read it!
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