What was your first job?
I was a newspaper delivery boy delivering newspapers at 4 AM to get them to their respective destinations by 6 AM. I had to work no matter what the weather conditions were, and there were no days off. Nine months out of the year, I had school to look forward to after my route.

What was the greatest aspect of having a first job?
Looking back, probably the greatest plus of the jobs, whether I realized it or not, was polishing my sales skills at a very early age. When you are young, you don't have a care in the world. You don't quite realize the responsibility of holding down a legitimate job. Better said, you don't realize the importance of holding down a job legitimately.

Did someone influence you in getting a first job?
While I grew up, my father insisted there was no substitute for working odd jobs during summer vacations and Christmas holidays. I had a variety of short stints, from setting pins at a bowling alley to delivering newspapers to working at a golf course. In high school, I landed a neat job at a downtown St. Paul men's clothing store.

What advice would you give to someone starting his or her first job?
Collecting my degree from Howard University proved an unforgettable lesson in the summer school of life: Getting the job is not the done deal. Keeping the job every day is doing the deal.

• Flex and accommodate. Young people usually get summer jobs to fill in for staffers who want to take time off. Willingly start early, stay late and schlep—doing all the unpleasant pesky chores regulars shun.
• Network to beat the band. June is late season for summer job hunting. Be enterprising in tapping personal networks—yours, your family's, your friends' and any other quality contacts that can be begged or borrowed.
• Pitch the long ball. Companies love to polish gems in the rough. Always give first consideration to organizations which match your long-term career interests, and then develop an air-tight case as to why a particular summer job will help polish your long-term skills.
• Check back on turndowns. Perhaps a rival for a dream job beat you out. Do a discreet phone check and see if all's well. You never know: Mr. Right could be finagling one too many days off to spiff up his swing on the links.

What lessons did you learn that carried with you onto other jobs?
I learned my number one skill … the art of selling.  If people paid in advance, I earned more from the newspaper office.  If I could get my customers to pay for the newspaper one or two months in advance, I was in candy heaven.  Likewise, if I could get people on my route to subscribe to the newspaper, I made more money.  That should be a good incentive for anyone.  I learned that I loved to sell, and knew it would be my life’s work.

What value of your company makes you most proud of your success?
Personal, quality service is the main reason that in 45-plus years of doing business, my company has never lost a major account. Anyone, any salesperson, can get one order but the mark of true salesmanship is not to get one order but to get and keep an account. You can exaggerate or actually make misrepresentations and you can get an order. That takes no talent whatsoever. It takes enormous talent to be able to keep a customer.