Paul Ryburn’s Journal

(based on a survey of the boxes thrown away by the liquor store around the corner)

Lord Calvert whiskey, Mad Dog 20/20, and Jack Daniels.

Of course, Jack is way too high quality a liquor for the bums to buy. I wonder if the owner is trying to appeal to a different clientele since the police locked [...]

One of the most important things I have learned through my involvement with Memphis BNI is the importance of educating people as to what would make a good referral for me. So, in this journal entry, I will explain how I know when a person I’m talking to is a good prospect for my credit [...]

One thing I love about Memphis is that it is relatively unpretentious for a big city.

A couple of weeks ago, I got to attend the opening night of Cinderella, the ballet at the Orpheum. Looking around, I noticed how many members of the audience were in jeans. And it wasn’t just young kids; many [...]

(Based on the empty boxes put out by the liquor store around the corner, which caters to the $3 and under crowd)

Mad Dog 20/20, Burnett London Dry Gin, Dark [...]

In part 1 I talked about the credit card merchant services business – the products I offer and why I can generally get businesses better rates than the large processing companies can. In this post I will talk about how I do my job – how I find customers and sign them up.

My most lucrative [...]

Late last week I e-mailed the Memphis Police Department and complained about the drunk, aggressive panhandlers (downtowners just call them “the bums”). In particular I asked them to pay attention to the corner of Madison and Main, where the bums congregate and beg for money because there is a store nearby that sells cheap liquor. [...]

This will be the first in a series of posts where I talk about my main job these days, in credit card merchant services. In this post I will explain what I do; in the second post I will explain how I do it. I will also follow up with some posts listing lessons [...]

I have a friend named Kook. She’s a clown. Literally, that’s her profession. A few days ago, she came up to the coffee shop with two children, one of whom was having a birthday. She didn’t have on her clown outfit, but had all the props with her. So, they ordered [...]

Is this not a shining example of pigeonhood? I took this pic on the Main Street Mall with my [...]

I got a real treat Tuesday night. I was sitting in Empire Coffee when retired boxer Bruce “Double Trouble” Card (“bad man…pretty as a girl”) came in. Bruce is also a regular at the coffee shop. He asked if I wanted to go to pro boxing at the New Daisy as his guest. [...]