After finishing school with Pacific Mutual Life I decided to go out to try to sell both business and life insurance. At the same time I looked for stores to sell, by getting the listing and trying to find a buyer.

One of my first calls was to a namesake of mine, Frank Boudoures. He had purchased a store from a relative of his in the early 1920's at Clay and Leavenworth Streets. I had done a great deal to help this man get started in the grocery business. I helped him take inventory when he bought the business and guided him in his buying. I bought his fruit and vegetables from the wholesale market and carried them in my little Model-T Ford, which I used at that time for business and pleasure. All without charging him five cents.

I rendered these services to him for a period of two to three years. I wanted to see him succeed without having to go through the grief that I went through. So now I went to him and said, "Frank, I'm now in the insurance business, I have a partner who knows the business as well as anybody and I would like to get some business from you." His answer was that he liked me tremendously, that he wanted to help me but what little insurance business he had was handled by another Greek broker and how could he stop him to give it to me.

Being inexperienced and not much of a high pressure salesmen, I saw the merit of his question. I did not ask him to divide his business, nor did I ask him to pay back the time and services I had rendered him. I told him that as time went on, probably some day, he would see his way to do something for me. Shortly thereafter I went back and asked him if he had life insurance. He said "No." I explained to him that he should have life insurance with his brother, his partner in the business. I told him that in the event anything happened to either one, there would be money for the survivor to pay the obligations and thereby be sure to keep the store and not be forced to sell it to pay creditors. I was able to convince him that it was a good idea.

Both brothers passed their physicals, the policy was issued and a few days later I delivered the policy to them. Since they had sixty days to pay the premium, I told them about that grace period and that I would return a few days before the payment was due to collect the premium. In the meantime I had them sign a voucher provided by the company indicating that they had received their policy. A few days before the payment was due I went to see them and upon entering the store I sensed that there was something wrong. I could see the expression on Frank's face had changed and I asked him, "Frank, what's wrong?" He said that a friend of his who worked in a bank in Hayward, where he had lived before coming to San Francisco, had seen the policy, had advised him that it was the wrong kind of policy and that he sent it back to the company.

Frankly speaking, I was very much put out. I was really peeved. I could not stand the fact that a man whom I'd known so long and for whom I'd done so much did not have the courtesy to call me and to allow me to defend myself and to present my argument to this other person. Then he could decide who was right. Also, I felt the man was hiding something, not telling the truth.

The next day the policy was delivered to the company office by mail and the secretary called me and asked me what was wrong. I told him the story and asked him to send me the original envelope that the policy had come back in. It turned out that the person who advised him against the policy was his original insurance agent. He was ignorant enough to use his own envelope instead of a plain envelope. He covered his name with a piece of paper which I was able to remove.

The voucher that Frank signed stated that he, as insured, promised to make the payment within sixty days. I asked my partner, Frank Lamont, to phone Frank Boudoures and to request payment otherwise we would turn the note over to a collection agency. If he asked to talk to me he was to tell him that I was not available. When he was confronted with this threat, he paid the premium. I had no desire to see this man anymore, our friendship ended, and I never went near him again.

All in all I had five experiences in selling insurance and brokering businesses, and three of them ended badly. I lost all interest in pursuing this type of business even though I loved to be on the outside, meeting people. It was a cleaner and nicer business than the retail grocery trade.