I’m reading a new book that is available on Marketing with Bud Williams.

The main concept is sell-buy rather than buy-sell.  The focus is on trading livestock, but it has got me thinking about everything on a sell/buy mindset.

My grandfather was a real sharp trader and many of the things I heard from him growing up, this book says it in a similar way.

The two main things were never to run out of feed or money and you make your money on the buy, not the sell.  They both said once you bought something the price didn’t matter any more as you couldn’t change it so forget it.  When you want to sell, what you paid for something no longer matters as you can’t change it.  Also when making a deal, everyone needs to benefit.  That is so important to remember, especially to establish a reputation as someone good to do business with.  My grandfather was great at it.

The thing Bud Williams has done is to use math and current prices to figure if something is a good buy or sell.  If you are in the business long enough I’m sure you start to understand, but using math and prices rather than guesses and desires is a much better way to be successful.  It is especially good if most other people buy on emotion.  It gives you an unfair advantage.  We can’t predict the future, so only base decisions on what you know, not on what you hope will happen.

Wife Tammy’s “Art Of The Cowgirl” had a horsemanship clinic with Lee Smith.

It was the first clinic I have rode in as a student for a long time.  I really enjoyed it and it really got me working on some things I might have been missing.  Lee and her Husband Mark are real good folks and have a real nice style of presenting things.

At the clinic I started thinking sell/buy.  The folks that attended sold money to buy Lee’s time and experience.  After three days of the clinic they should have more skill, so when they get home and “sell” time to work on their horsemanship it should be more valuable as they have more skill. (The buy)

At the clinic there were some folks that had just purchased a ranch in Livingston,  Montana and we got to know the family better.  We went up to the ranch for a couple days and we all decided to work together on the new undertaking.  We have a new job!  We sold our time and knowledge for a job and quality of life we seek.  They are so much fun and it is such a beautiful ranch that I feel we made a “good trade”.

As some of you know I wear a  Greeley Hat Works cowboy hat.  I have for several years.  Trent makes me a great deal on my hats and I try promote it to as many people as I can.  I told him in one of our many airport run ins last year that I thought I was getting the better of the deal.  He said it must be a good deal as he felt like he was getting the best deal.  Another example of sell/buy with everyone feeling good about the trade.

LAST YEARS AND THIS YEARS HATS ARE VERY DIFFERENT- JUST LIKE OUR LIFE

Tammy and I felt like we had one of the best weeks of our life last week. Her clinic was great, thanks to lots of good people selling time and energy and others buying the program.

Next we made the good trade on the job that we both are very comfortable with.  We will be close to Bozeman and doctors and get to live in one of the most beautiful places we’ve seen with real good people that we fit with.

But the most amazing part of the week is her progress with her cancer.  We had done a sell/buy trade with her kidneys by putting the nefrostomy tubes in to get her kidneys to functioning. She sold the freedom of normal to having bags to buy health and life.  When she had to make the decision one doctor said she may never get rid of them.  That was hard to take.  Tammy has no backup in her so she did it, but she didn’t take that sell.  She never doubted that she would get them out.

The other thing Tammy did was to decide not to take one of the cancer treatments doctors prescribed.  She instead made the sell/buy with the doctor to do his protocol and an treatment of animal wormer that lots of people are having success with.

MANY THINGS I LEARNED FROM “BQA” (Beef Quality Assurance) I AM PUTTING INTO PRACTICE ON “PQA” (People Quality Assurance)BY GIVING THE OLD HEIFER AN ANTIBIOTIC DAILY.

Well last week her numbers were so good that they took the tubes out as her kidneys are functioning normally.  The doctors don’t know why,  but things are working and getting back to normal.  I can see she is getting stronger and feeling better.  We’ve got our old Tammy back.  It is so great!

So many of you have been offering thoughts and prayers.  We believe that is such a big part of it.  THANK YOU!!!

I am really looking at life much different now than I ever have.  I try to think of the sell/buy concept in everything I do.  Time and quality of life are our most important commodities.  Make sure when you sell time you make a “good trade” on quality of life.