“Know what I mean Vern?”
Remember Ernest P. Worrell? if not, I’ll give you a hint…
“Know what I mean Vern?”
Actor Jim Varney brought Ernest to life, but it was the Nashville advertising agency Garden & Cherry that created and syndicated the character and licensed “Ernest” for use in TV commercials and print advertising. Mr. Varney tragically died at 51 in 2000 as a result of cancer, and Jerry Carden and John Cherry sold their ad agency in 1997.
But back in the 80s, all of them were white hot.
I was a struggling media producer back then and I had the good fortune to meet with Mr. Cherry at a convention. I realized this guy was a millionaire and at time I think I was a thousandaire. So I decided to pay attention. And Mr. Cherry said something to me that changed my life.
We spent some time sharing what we did. I was running a small ad agency I created. He was running a larger ad agency he’d created. And our day-to-day job description was very similar.
So I asked him point blank: “What am I doing wrong? How is it we’re at such different places?”
He said, “Scott there’s no difference between what you and I do other than the number of zeros that occupy our paycheck.”
It was one of those “Ah Grasshopper” moments that really stuck with me. I realized I was doing all the right things, I just wasn’t getting paid for them. And who’s fault was that? Mine! I needed an attitude adjustment. I needed to value my work the way Mr. Cherry valued Ernest.
Maybe there’s a lesson there for you too? If you’re doing the same thing “the big guys” are doing, shouldn’t you get paid like they do?