Thank you for visiting my store. This "Grand Opening" features less the 50% of my inventory, Keep visiting for frequent additions.
My name is Jack Martin and from 1976 to the present I have served the Networking Infrastructure and Security Marketplace in roles ranging from Junior Sales Rep to President and CEO. My expertise is my ability to recruit, hire, develop, and mentor HIgh Performance Field Teams. The backbone of these teams has always been the partnership of the Systems Engineer and the Sales Rep. I have enjoyed my own special relationships with some of the smartest people on the planet who together we handpick which Sales Reps and Systems Engineers will bring the best out of each other. My formula for success has always been the same in every company I have served and in every role I have been entrusted with. This approach has provided my teams world class results regardless if my employer is a Fortune 25 company or a start up with 25 people in the company. I have learned that the best way to lead people, those that are assigned to you as well as everyone else you encounter - customers, consultants, partners, fellow employees assigned to my team, and fellow employees who report to someone else, as well as my boss and other senior leaders, including from time to time board members. So, what is the secret sauce? Lead all my Serving them, teach them to lead by serving others, teach and model that we are not focused on our own success, we are not even focused on our customer's success. Together with our customer we focus on how our efforts will impact the success of their customer, and once we get their customer on the team, we align our combined energy and creativity on the best way we can serve our customers' customers with the shared vision and focus on the success of the end user rather than our own. Then, get out of the way and let this machine that has a foundation built by myself and my technical partner, which ultimately it becomes a self motivating, self disciplining, self healing, , and self organizing machine. Of course, my partner and I must watch over our machine. But, rather than being forced to do boring management "stuff" we instead lead, as servants to those that we acknowledge as the reason for our success. In fact, one of most important and fun roles is to give away all of the glory for success and take all of the blame for the rare temporary setbacks. We spend our time meeting with our customers in an effort to understand the real problem. Not the technical challenges they face.. Our focus is on the challenges they face in our shared goal to serve their customers. We spend time mentoring our fellow team members, and we learn as much from them as they do from us. Buy a bunch of pens from me and I will explain to you why "smart and lazy" employees are the best ones to build a machine like this.
When I started all of this in 1976 we were putting handsets in couplers attached to teletype terminals and we were so excited as we were finally using 2400 baud modems, double the speed of the 1200 baud modems. I can now do some consulting, have fun with my pens, and take a degree of satisfaction in that I can point to very specific examples where my teams changed the world. These various roles I have served in have taken me all over the world. As a result I have met thousands of people. I am 100% focused on providing each of you, along with your friends and family, the pen that portrays the image you want to emit. I am 100% committed to providing you pens that you can proudly use and give as gifts. And then watch with pride when you see the look of satisfaction of the recipient. And for many of them you recognize the amazement they feel when they hold in their hand, for the very first time, a quality writing instrument. I know you recall the first great pen you owned. Pass it on!
So, as I focus on your continued success I do so with the faith that you will spend a little time focused on my success.. Everyone has a two pen quota! Just kidding, not kidding!
You will see that even though I am currently a one man show, I am still committed to the elements that resulted in consistent success over many years, Customer First! - Customer Last!, Fast and Accurate Shipping, White Glove Service, Memorable and Fun Branding, a Fair Price, Value to YOU Beyond the Physical Product You Buy From Me, and as always, one more time - Customer First! Customer Last!
Take care,
Jack Martin
Cool Sales Guy
Give me a try! Put me to work! Let's have some fun!
September 30, 2022
For the past ten years I have enjoyed hunting and acquiring collectable pens and the typical items associated with pens, such as ink, refills, desk pen holders, etc.
Then about seven years ago I made the decision to change my end game strategy from putting together a world class collection of financially accessible pens and sharpened my focus from hobby to investment. I have a couple of key goals.
1. I enjoy pens and collecting them. I had a substantial collection in place and it made sense to leverage it as part of a important need to stay busy and challenged.
2. About seven years ago I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. I anticipated that the relentless progression of this disease would result in an "early retirement" from my lifetime role of building and developing high performance sales and support teams for various companies in the network infrastructure and security sectors. The facts are harsh. People with Parkinson's Diseases (PWPD) are hit with depression and dementia at a significantly higher percentage than the general population. I put a plan in place which would be fun and challenging to start, but if built ight will be easy to operate and due to a large but still finite inventory, which my plan does not call for new purchases, I expect that this little endeavor will keep me challenged, active and busy, for the next 5+ years and then wind down on its own. The fun and stimulation along with my exercise plans should go a long way in holding some of the "Bad Stuff" off. Once JAXPENS runs its course, we will see what's next.
3. In May of this year my employer and I came to an early retirement agreement. I set OCT 1st as launch day - and here we are. But I must also be aware of how this change in employee status effects my wife of 48+ years, who told me- "I took you for better of worse, but not for lunch." Cheryl is already shouldering a larger load than I would like. Caregivers suffer in different ways than the patients, but get little sympathy or assistance. And, those of you who know me well, also know that I can b a handful, with 12 new ideas a day and she has to deal with a lot of overhead in keeping an already entrepreneurial sprit grounded in reality. I have ignored reality my entire life, why start now? Don't misunderstand. This is not a hobby. to keep me busy. It is a real biasness with some big bucks at risk. It also is my SOP to take on a big goal and put myself in a position that is challenging. I have never failed. And, as a bonus, Cheryl still has a highly motivated partner with something new to prove, and she knows that this is when I am at my happiest and healthiest.
3. I have always been a risk taker, it makes it more interesting. So, while others went with conventional retirement planning I have taken what many consider a high risk approach. My investment thesis is simple. Buy pens, primarily Limited Edition pens with my focus on the under $100 price point. Store them for 3+ years. Sell them at what I must "guess or bet" is their peak market value. This provides me a ROI better than the stock and bond market. Selling part time over the past several years has provided me with very positive results and validated my ideas.
As stated on the "Why I started JAXPENS tab,, I aim to be at or just below the market. I also said I want an easy to operate machine. I don't want to play the name the price game forever. I want to figure out a way to keep prices fair and give you the ability to buy when you feel like it in the middle of the night. I am trying to come up with a way to make pricing auto adjustable. We shall see. In the meantime, let me know if you think I am out of whack.
Give me a try! Put me to work! Let's have some fun!
Almost every pen I have his New and Never Used. Most are sealed, some are new and are in their opened original packaging. A small number are new and no longer in their original packaging, and a very small number are used. I will always clearly identify the status of a given pen. I rarely take a photo. It takes too long, my pictures' are poor due to shakiness, most of my pens are sealed, and you can't beat the stock photos.
Give me a try! Put me to work! Let's have some fun!
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