In the Beginning

So let's start with Roger, since the story starts with Roger.

Roger stated out making his living selling class photos and grad pictures, for a company that did that sort of thing.  As time went on, he branched out - t-shirts, sweats - the things that you probably wore in high school to show your "spirit".

He'd even print logos on trinkets and prizes - the kinds that found their way to the bottom of lockers most of the time.  That was OK though - he worked when he wanted, and only as hard as he wanted.

Well, it was mostly OK.  Nobody wants their stuff in the bottom of a locker. Roger knew that if you put someone's name on the trinket, they were far more likely to keep it.  Nobody liked throwing their name away, right?

So Roger went and bought the best colour printer he could find - one that could print high definition images on very small surfaces, as well as any shape you could imagine.  Whatever the trinket, and whatever the size, Roger could put a name on it.

Would you believe that dog tags became the most popular item very quickly?  I mean sure, golf balls with company logos are good, but dog tags with a school logo and the students name were different - they gave each student a sense of inclusion, and the teachers got to say "you're on my squad".  It wasn't a trinket anymore...

It was community.  I know, I know.  It sounds silly, but I've seen it with my own eyes.  A trinket, personalized, that isn't fodder for the bottoms of lockers or the drawer in the desk.

Time takes its toll though, and not all great success stories happen when you're 20.  Roger was always able to show the cohesion he could bring through something so cheap and simple, but time has a funny way of of getting in the way. Roger lost the ability to drive recently.

Makes business tough when your clients are hundreds of KMs apart.

That's where I come in.  I'm Peter.  I've been Roger's buddy for X years, and now I drive him around, and do all the things he doesn't like doing - some administrative stuff, some technical help... but mostly the driving.

So while this account of our day to day activities could be called "Roger and Me", I'm not Michael Moore, and Roger isn't running General Motors. We'll need a better title for this.

Grumpy Old Men?  Nope, that one was taken too.  The Odd Couple?  Odd yes, but also taken. How about we don't worry about titles right now, and we just get on with it?

Peter