Yeah, you could sit outside Cliff's house when he makes beer! You may want to take the tunafish sandwiches out from under your arms when you frequent these establishments. Worked for me!

Well.... When all else fails persistance will usually win out. You sound persistant. Good Luck.. cj

Pawny, one sure-fire way to make it big in the retail business is to do it for Spite! Don't worry about a sales plan or the financing, as long as you have it in for these local shops you will go far. Let your angst overwhelm you until you exude an aroma for success. Else you can tuck the aformentioned tunafish sandwiches under each arm and try again... In the meantime, take it from a fellow small business owner: the hours are long and the pay often sucks, but you get to sleep with the boss's wife every night!

I've owned a few in My day and closed a few. Here's my three tips. 1. Have lots of money, enough for a year at least. 2. Work ungodly hours, worry constantly, pay well and gets a little sleep. 3. Pay all your taxes(learned that one the hard way). With a lot of luck and sweat you've got a 8% chance of succeeding on your first try, 15% on your second, 25% on your third and no chance if you don't make at least one of those work for a fourth. Put away your rage, surf the web for deals, buy five packs on c-bid and get a real job. Unless...

pawnpusher, your business plan sounds like it needs a little bit of work. Rage and rage are well and good, but make sure you get grounded a bit with reality. I have a few questions for you, regarding your new venture: 1. What are your goals/what would you deem as a success? 2. If successful, will you stay open for your newfound customers? 3. Do you have a tobacco license for your shop? (A distributor will not send you a price list unless you do.) 4. Do you know anyone that owns/owned a shop that can guide you? If you need help, email me at [email protected] . (I just left the cigar industry last month but can point you to some good people that can help you [montanajack is one of them]).

I say get into tree work and drop a tree on thier shop. Only kiddin' LOL Good luck in your venture, and go into it with a clear head. Take peoples advice, and lastly, bail out before you hit rock bottom.

Pawnpusher, I got your e-mail. Let me know when you're in town next if you'd like to get together. You should take advantage of Heg's advice offer -- he knows his stuff. He has I'm sure good and bad stories of working in the business. Ask him what it takes to carry Fuente products! As mentioned here, plan and market research thoroughly before proceeding.

And look both ways before crossing. And don't run with scissors. And never swallow gum, it stays in your stomach forever. Did I miss any?