Story about my grandfather
 

I just learned an interesting thing about my grandfather.

Back in the late 1970's my grandfather was known for doing very good jewelry work in New York City. He was known for doing really nice welding on fine parts, and for making jewelry with tightly fitting and precise tolerances. He had an acquaintance who made him an offer.
This man, Mr. Montgomery, had a business where he made bags for bicycles and hikers and whatnot. He was thinking of moving into making bikes. He wanted my grandfather to come help him. My grandfather knew nothing about bikes, but since he was good with precision parts and all that, Mr. Montgomery knew he'd be good and building precise mechanisms for bicycles.
Mr. Monggomery even offered that my grandfather would be a founding parter in the bicycle division of the company and would have all the benefits associated with that position.
But my grandfather rejected the offer. "Thanks, but no thanks," said he. Taking this position would have meant moving out to the middle of nowhere in CT. And my grandfather didn't want to do that to his family. Besides, it was a small company and who knows if it would even survive that long! You don't put all your chips down on some new, upstart no-name company that. So he stayed in the jewelry business in NYC.

As you might have guess, Mr. Montgomery was Joe Montgomery, and the no-name upstart comapny was Cannondale.
My grandfather passed away 4 years ago, but I feel like he's still banging his head against the wall over that one.

Perhaps if he did do it, you wouldn't exist.
Then we all couldn't read your story.

Maybe think of the alternative. He knew what he was good at. Sure he had the skillsets to do other things of even grander scale.

Think of all the diamond ring settings that he has done and all the women wearing them and how much joy he brings to them and passed down the generations.

Imagine a woman walking up to him, showing him a Tiffany's display of a certain fine mounting, and he was able to do one better than that, just from his creativity.

Heh, maybe Cannondale would've failed had your grandfather joined Montgomery... ;) :P

hindsight is 20-20

That's a cool story.

But grandpa made his decisions for reasons that he saw fit at the time. Although it would have been really awesome to know that he had a hand in the beginnings of a big company, he also had a hand in the beginnings of his family who he put first. :) And THAT is even more awesome! :thumb:

+1 Siu
Your grandfather would have had some mighty slim years waiting for Cannondale to begin turning a profit. I think he did what he needed to do for his family.

On a similar note,
I had a friend who was offered a partnership in a start-up gaming company. He told them he would rather stick with his "day job."

That company was ID software.