A Lesson Learned From Joe Ades

There is much truth to the expression "anything worth doing is worth doing well." Sometimes a good living can be made by becoming very good at what may be considered a mundane task. Joe Ades aka The Gentlemen Peeler, who recently passed away, is a sterling example of that. A consummate salesman, I remember the rather striking image he conveyed when I first saw him, pitching vegetable peelers on the corner of 42nd Street and 5th Avenue in New York City. He was always impeccably attired in a Saville Row suit and expertly groomed. In a heavy British accent he sold what most would consider a forgettable product with real gusto. His starched shirts and silk ties contrasted with the potatoes and carrots he used to demonstrate the $5 vegetable peeler. He would quickly attract a large crowd, turning many of them into customers. Boy, did he sell a lot of vegetable peelers!

Joe Ades held an apartment in one of the most exclusive areas of Manhatten, and routinely dined at New York's finest restaurants. How? By being very, very good at selling lots of peelers on the streets of New York!

As a web designer, I take a lesson from that. Take pride in your work, no matter how menial it may seem to onlookers. Be as good as you can be and always look for ways to improve. It worked for Joe Ades! Vanity Fair did an article on Joe you may enjoy reading.