Most of the shows that people watch on TV are for entertainment, whether it is sports, comedy, or pseudo-reality. American Pickers is the combination a road trip, cross country tour of America, and how to make new friends from complete strangers. There is something that all of us can learn about life by sitting down with an episode of American Pickers.
1. One man’s garbage is another man’s gold.
This old adage still holds true, especially in a nation where the population is aging. Some of us have things in our attics, basements, or garage’s that we have little or no use for any longer. Watching the show tells us that oftentimes we really don’t know the value of what we have. The buyers of American Pickers do, and they know exactly what to look for.
2. Become an expert at something because you are likely to turn it into a profit down the road.
Watching American Pickers is a great experience, but you need to pick yourself up from out of the chair and start working on a project that will pave the way for you to become an expert. Not everything is connected to your daily job, so becoming an expert on anything from antiques to zoo animals has the potential to become useful and profitable. These guys know their stuff and have knowledge a very small number of people do. That’s what makes them interesting — and profitable.
3. Get to know people. American Pickers are friendly but business-like.
In one segment, they realize the owner is only willing to sell his collection to someone who values it as much as he does. This is much different than trading stocks on a computer. They sit down with people and get to know them, regardless if they are in Louisiana or Kansas. Social networking is very popular, but how profitable is it? And the answer to this question is not always about money.
4. Don’t judge by appearance.
Though this applies to the pickin’s that are being shopped, it also applies to people. Most people wouldn’t give a second thought when driving by most of the stops on American Pickers but hidden inside of the raggedy looking outside is often a gold mine. Frank and Mike have enough collective experience to know what the potential of a place is a few minutes after walking in the door. If you do that with people, you will be able to discover gold when everyone else thinks it’s a waste of time.
5. Don’t be so quick to part with your family history.
The world of digitization has had people believing the value of something can be stored and even reproduced digitally. But a common thread most of the collectors have is that there are memories attached to every item. Sometimes they forget about what is stored in their barns or buildings, but a visit from American Pickers often jogs their memories. This is one reason why collectors sell them to Frank and Mike: because they want the memories attached to the items they sell to be appreciated and taken care of.
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