I was asked to post this for Norman of My Latin Women about his closure of My Latin Women.
I just got an email from a friend asking why I was getting out of the
business and why the fire sale.
Reading down yesterdays LWL digest and some of the recent postings here,
anyone knowing the truth about Cali would be sick at the BS that these
trolls are spewing, and that would be reason enough. But truly only about
20% of the guys coming down know anything about these boards, and most of
the guys here are bright enough to read through the lies.
Yes there have been, and probably continue to be Cali agencies (and
agencies elsewhere in the world) who have some questionable or underhanded
business practices. Mostly things like charging for services that were
initialy promised free, charging a membership fee to most but waiving it for
a guy who walks up....... if the rent is due and they need his money badly,
leaving girls in the books who have been married for 3 years (probably the
most common complaint). But there are no Cali agencies involved in
prostitution or pornography....... thats right none. The only case I've seen
of online advertising for prostitution was from a guy in England who's
supposed house in Cali is in the middle of a desert. Probably a photo of a
Nevada mansion........ certainly not anywhere in Colombia.
If you ask any agency owner about prostitution they will tell you the same
thing....... ask a taxi driver or look in the newspaper. As far as I know,
there is not one agency in Cali that will allow you to have overnight guests
in your room. Hmmm does that sound like a logical way to promote
prostitution? The rumors that have circulated here for years (not just the
last couple of years) have been started by agency owners themselves trying
to scare girls away from their competition. So any difficulty this has
created in finding new girls is just their own lies come back to bite them
in the butt. There are plenty of girls who don't believe the lies and plenty
of new girls signing up at the agencies. I would say, and I think other
owners would agree with me, that the percentage of girls in the agencies who
are serious outweighs the percentage of serious men visiting the agencies.
As far as our reputation goes, it is 100% perfect. Every man who has used
our agency in the last 13 months has left here satisfied with the services
we provided. The lies about us on these boards have always come from the
same few guys using hotmail or yahoo addresses. None of them have ever
stayed with us, most have never even seen the building. I would suspect a
financial interest in it for these guys to scare people away from the Cali
agencies...... I just can't imagine that anyone leads such a pathetic life
that they are doing it just for fun.
Now as to why I am getting out. There are a number of reasons, but the
biggest is that living here just makes it too much. I have been here 13
months now and it has all been 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It struck me
how rediculous it was when I couldn't take last weekend off to become the
Godfather for the daughter of one of our good friends. Thirteen months and I
was saying I didn't have time for a weekend. Of course it's partly my
personality...... I have to work until the work gets done. If I was in the
states, or even across town I might try and back down on my hours and still
run it. But I'm across the street and will be for quite some time.
I'm working on freelance internet promotions from here and it's much more
adaptable to my schedule. Yes it does involve a lot of hours, but not 24/7.
I guess the big thing is that I came here to relax and enjoy life....... a
whole different latitude.... if I can borrow a slogan. Running the agency
from right in my home just doesn't allow me that. I have to be here when the
customers are here, they don't care if I didn't have a day off last
week..... they are here for 7 or 8 days and expect every day to be just like
it was promised, and rightfully so.
As far as a fire sale, hmmm good question. I was going to say there isn't
one, but there really is now that I think about it. I don't want to keep two
houses going for an extended period of time. If I sell it soon, I can sell
it as is...... turnkey....... the new owner walks in to an up and running
business. If I drag it out and sell the agency without the location, then
I'm going to have to sell off all the things in the other house and sell the
agency separatly. I would prefer a nice smooth transition over breaking it
up and selling it piecemeal. Besides if I sell it off that way it would most
likely be to another agency which would mean Mis Gringuitos would close. I
would kind of like to see it around...... just a personal satisfaction
thing.... my ego at work. For anyone looking to get into a business down
here, I'll make you a deal that you won't find anywhere else....... but you
must use your real email address, hehe.
I'll be here in Cali for a long, long time... this is my home. And my home
will always be open to my friends; old ones, new ones, and ones I haven't
even met. Your welcome to drop by for a game of pool anytime. Just don't ask
me to translate your mail, make introductions, or give you visa advice.
There are people who make a living doing those things and I'll just refer
you to them. I will lurk on the boards and will post every now and then. As
always, when we throw a party at our home... any American in town is more
than welcome to attend.
I'm off to the gym for a quick workout and then on with the job of
enjoying my life. The best to all of you.......... Norm
PS the agency is open and running, and hopefully it will continue that way
right through the transition to the new owner.
