We went into this project thinking that Tyrone and I would discuss the brand, his books and the business that he and Judy built together. We had a really good time talking about the business and great stories along their eventful ride, however a couple topics really stick out. I think the story of picking up the pieces from a set back is inspiring. Have we not all been at a challenging cross roads? Have we all not experienced some sort of defeat and had to ask ourselves how am I going to move forward? The couple is humble, we had to spend a lot of time talking to get Tyrone and Judy to talk about their success along with their challenges. The best illustration of their humility is the quote by C.S. Lewis, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." As a company, we all have the most respect for the people they have inspired, mentored, and touched our lives. As a person, I am grateful that they have let us share their story, I hope you enjoy it nearly as much as we did listening to it.
Summary/Introduction: Tyrone and Judy White
Tyrone and Judy White traded pennies for wealth in the space of 15 years, thanks to strong partnerships, perseverance, faith, and their ability to seize the opportunities that lay before them.
As the most successful Independent Distributors in New Point Media’s history, this exceptional man’s story is a testament to the American dream and an example for all who come after them.
dy White Tryone & Ju
Tyrone and Judy packed up a moving W hen van and pulled out of Corpus Christi,Texas in 1985, they had $200 in their pockets.
“We’d lost everything we had,” remembers Tyrone. And indeed they had. After spending 24 successful years in management for J.C. Penney, Tyrone and
“We didn’t know it was coming...
”
his wife Judy took on the risk associated with starting a small business when they opened up a furniture store.
“It was going well, until they closed the road in front of our store,” says Tyrone. Due to long term roadwork, access to their growing business became severely restricted.
“Our customers found other ways to get what they needed,” says Tyrone. “We didn’t know it was coming, and neither did the bank that lent us the money.” The couple, who until that point had perfect credit, was devastated. They took whatever was not tied up in their loan for the store, packed up, and headed for Clear Lake, Texas.
Judy on Starting Over: We were sitting in the cab of the moving truck and we started talking about how low we were and how we were going to get back up. So, while we were driving, I got a notebook out and said, “Ok, we’re going to set our goals for this year, what’s it going to be?” And he came up with a long list of things we intended to accomplish. Now, the only thing we were unable to do, was get the ten thousand in the bank. We were able to do everything else on the listI got it out after a year and was shocked to see how much we’d accomplished. Now we write down the things we want to do, because it taught us the importance of having purpose.
day after they arrived, a friend whose advice unbeknownst to O nethem, would shape the rest of their lives approached them. “George Mayo told us about The Real Estate Book and told me I needed to get involved,” remembers Tyrone.
“George
Mayo told us about The Real Estate book...
”
“He said, ‘Tyrone here’s what you do, you walk into the realtor’s office and you say, I’m the guy with the little digest size color magazine and I do not guarantee it to be in full color but it is a color magazine and I’d love to have your business.’ And that’s all he told me and that was the end of it. And he went his way and I went mine.”
So, for the second time, Tyrone and Judy donned the role of small business owners. This time, their gamble paid off.
“I remember we immediately picked up a few pages,” says Tyrone. “People like the Real Estate book- they like the digest size. You know, you can put it in your pocket, you can put it in your purse. If you pick up a Homes and Land magazine for instance, you’ve got to carry it in your hand or put it in the seat of your car, take it home and throw it down with all the other magazines. And it’s NOT that way with the digest size magazine.”
Their first book quickly grew from 16 to 40 pages despite the presence of a severe real-estate crisis. But Tyrone adds that this sort of growth is always the goal.“If you had 16 pages, your goal was always to go up an additional 8-16 pages more or else you just absorb the cost of those initial 16 pages.”
When their popular book hit the 40 page mark, they hired their first employee to help with distribution. When they got to 64 pages, they hired in-office help.
Richard R
omito &
Lanette S Tryone
tephens &
Tryone
woman who basically W eputhiredthe abooks together for us,” says Tyrone. “She stayed with us for over 20 years- she basically ran the place.”
Two years after they opened their first book, Tyrone managed to beat his
“...determination and confidence...”
competitor, his competitor could not remain competitive and closed their black and white magazine.
Tyrone said determination and confidence were vital to their success.
Our Employee
s
“If you don’t have confidence in yourself and confidence in the product, you really don’t stand a chance,” argues Tyrone.
Tyrone on Confidence: “You’ve got to be positive about what you’re doing and you have to know that they’re going to say yes. And if you don’t have a story that’ll get a yes out of them, then you’re not the right person for the job. You have to believe that The Real Estate Book is number one.
Tyrone’s tip on persistance: Do what you need to do to talk to the person in charge. “Here’s an example- I’d walk in, pull a little piece of paper out of my pocket, look at it and say ‘Oh man, it’s 10:15, is John here?’ and they’d say ‘yeah go on back,’ because they thought I had an appointment”
L
ooking back on their rapid expansion, Tyrone remembers how much his and Judy’s relationship enhanced their business’s growth.
“At some points I was selling multiple books by myself. And I couldn’t have done it without Judy,” says Tyrone. “She would get up early in the morning and then stay up late taking care of paperwork. And back then, she was doing it all on a typewriter! She also handled all of the photography for our books.” Judy agrees, noting that though they’ve had their differences, nothing has compromised their partnership.
worked together from the very beginning of our lives togethW eer,”havenotes Judy. “I worked at Pennies [J.C. Penney’s] for five years and then we went into the furniture company together. I was completely into details and he was of course into people. Our personalities were different in such a way that we complemented each other. I was in charge of my part and he was in charge of his.”
Beyond business, Tyrone believes that the strength of their partnership helped him bear the many challenges he faced.
Tyrone’s Tip on How to Work With Your Partner: “Well, I think the number one thing is don’t get involved in the very same issues. Because if you do, you’ve got your way of doing things and she’s got her way of doing things.
everybody has to have somebody that makes a difference,” Y ouaddsknow Tyrone. “You’ve got to have that someone who gives you comfort every day- someone you know will be there when you need them.” Truly, Judy knew when she was needed.
One day, during their business peak, Judy initially refused to take pictures in one of their distant locations, she reconsidered after hearing how he was struggling with the task and drove out to meet him.
“She said, ‘Okay, I’ll come tomorrow. You stay out of my way,” remembers Tyrone, chuckling as he recalls the conversation. Judy came, and Tyrone remembered the gratitude he felt.
graduated to the next level of investment with the company T yrone when he purchased his first territory in 1988. “Newpoint Publishing came to see us and said they didn’t feel like the territory was making enough money, so they were going to shut this territory down,” (Houston market) says Tyrone. “I saw potential there, so I worked with Newpoint Publishing on the price and bought it from them.”
“I saw
potential there, so I worked with Newpoint ...
”
After becoming the owner he evaluated his new territory. After a 30 percent increase in costs, he decided to cut out accounts receivable. “The price went up 30 percent because of the new print cost. “So, I immediately told all of my customers that we’d just had a 30 percent price increase.” While price increases tend to be off-putting, Tyrone says that the shift ended up strengthening, rather than weakening, his relationship with clients.
“When I raised the prices the best realtors said to me, ‘we want to do business with you, and we know you’ll be in business if you don’t have accounts receivable,’” says Tyrone. “So it really turned out to be a positive change instead of a negative one. Realtors can appreciate that you are running your own business just like they are.”
Tryone’s Tip on Persistance: “I kept trying to get this one realtor onboard but when I went in, she’d say, ‘You’re with the real estate book, I don’t want to talk to you.’ So I would come back another time but she would never see me. I decided to give it one last try and I went in and she was facing the wall, talking on the phone and laughing. Well, her secretary was at lunch, so I sat down at her desk and as soon as the realtor started hanging up the phone, I picked up the secretary’s phone and quickly dialed her number. When she picked up I said, ‘This is Tyrone White with the Real Estate Book…’ eventually she asked where I was and I said, ‘Turn around.’ But that’s what you have to do- after that she used my book until she retired.”
continued to grow. Shortly A ndaftertheirthisbusiness purchase, Tyrone and Judy bought more books in the Houston area. This rapid expansion continued until they owned approximately 35 books at their peak, with Tyrone often selling into five books on his own. Even in his most challenging moments, Tyrone says, “I never thought I couldn’t handle it.” His adaptability as a salesman was one of
“I never
thought I couldn’t handle it.
”
the many things that made him such a success.
Tyrone on challenging customers: “One day a customer was complaining about my distribution- said he didn’t see the book anywhere. Well, I told him how many I had and what I had around him. Then I pulled up my car, went in his office and said, ‘let’s take a ride.’ And so he got in the car with me and I took him around to about 40 of the distribution sites and I said, “Do you think that’s sufficient? These are all within a half mile of your office.” All he said was ‘yes it is,’ and he used my magazine until the day he retired.”
the times have changed in the Real Estate World, Tyrone has A schanged with them.“Today, you’ve got to tell the story about the internet as well as the print story,” says Tyrone. “And you don’t always tell that same story the first time you go in, but you’ve got to convince the potential customers that you are the very best.
He adds that technology has actually made things much easier, considering that now all I.D.’s have to do is go online to get all of the pictures they need. Tyrone’s adaptability also came to the forefront when he took on the challenge of an Apartment Finder book – an area where many I.D.’s struggle. Instead of approaching it the same way he did the Real Estate Book, he changed his tactics to suit the way the apartment market worked.
Tryone’s Tip: Add the Personal Touch! “I personally visited 20 people every day no matter what. If for some reason two or three aren’t available, then they were the first people on my list for the next day. But I made 20 contacts every single day that I was selling books. Email and text? Sure you might get them, but you’ve got to face them. If you face them, you’ll get their business. If you’re number one.”
the real estate business, you always sold your advertising to the I nbroker or to the top 1 or 2 realtors,” says Tyrone. “When I got into the apartment business, the very first thing I found out was that the person I was talking to wasn’t really the decision maker.
As soon as I found that out, I’d bypass them- I’d come by their office and tell them what I was going to tell their boss and once I could get that system going, then I really began to do business.”
This refusal to give up paid off time and time again for Tyrone.
“As soon
as I found that out, I’d bypass them...
“Never give up on customers no matter what the
”
situation is,” asserts Tyrone. “If you’re negative at all, then you’re already defeated. You have to be positive about everything you deliver- you’ve got to know that your product is number one.”
addition to his excellent working relationship with Judy, his adaptI nability, and his determination, Tyrone’s good nature has led to him changing the lives of many for the better. Consider the story of Carol Head, now a successful I.D., but once a reluctant Competitor. Tyrone approached Carole about coming onboard with him and The Real Estate Book.
“I thought, what is that man doing?” remembers Judy. “He was telling her ‘We are going to open up, we are going to have a beautifully colored book. And I’m going to do it whether you come with us or not, but I want you to do it.’ “If you don’t come onboard with us, we will have to put you out of business.”
So, she decided she would do the book. Recently Carol told us, ‘I think back to that day when Tyrone told me he was going to do with or without me, and I am so grateful that I decided to go ahead, that he talked me into doing it. Because it has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“I’m going to do it whether you come with us or not...
”
all, Tyrone believes that his faith in God has been key to his A bove success and an overarching source of guidance in his life and business. “I don’t have anything that doesn’t belong to God,” says Tyrone. “That’s just the way it is.”
When offered praise for his success and his humble nature, Tyrone simply waves it off, denying credit for these exceptional attributes, instead claiming that he was just “blessed that this all happened.” Truly, Tyrone’s faith seems to have kept him grounded and continually aware of his blessings.
you do away with things that are of no real value to you,” says W ell, Tyrone. “That way you can concentrate on the things that mean something to you and also to the people around you.” These days, Tyrone and Judy are finding value in slowing down and easing into retirement. Tyrone, however, says there are days when letting go of the business is hard.
“...letting go
of the business is hard.
”
“Every day I think about a new book,” says Tyrone. “There’s nothing I would like more than to open up a senior magazine in Houston, but it would not be right for me to start it. I need to find the right person to do it.” Judy has noticed his continued desire to start up again, and she attributes Tyrone’s mindset to his desire to excel.
Tyrone on his blessings: “When you ask if I think about all of the people I’ve had an impact on, the answer is no. Because you’ve got it wrong- they made an impact on my life.”
“Yeah, he’s a worker,” says Judy. “He wants to work- he wants to create something. Just one
“...he wants
to work - he wants to create something.
more thing, one more thing. He never stops thinking about money and how to make money work and how to make a job work so that it makes money. It’s a desire to be the best.
”
However, while they manage the two books they still own plus a team of graphic artists, their R.V. gathers dust in the garage and they’ve
found that making time to see their grandchildren is a challenge.
What will be something Tyrone misses? “The number one thing will be the challenge of developing new magazines,” says Tyrone. “Also, I’ll miss being in front of people- being able to talk to people and persuade them that my product was 100 percent the best product on the market.”
will also miss the people, Judy and I have W ebeen very fortunate to work with some of the best people in publishing.” “The Hughes Family has been wonderful to us, from the beginning they’ve always supported us.” “We have known Stuart Christian since he started with the company and now that he and Scott Dixon own the company we feel like the company is on the right track and poised for even greater things.”
“...most
successful I.D.’s in the history of New Point Media...
”
“Overall, we are very grateful to NewPoint Media Group and all the wonderful employees that have supported and helped us over the years.”
Tyrone and Judy White have left a legacy in their wake. As the most successful I.D.’s in the history of New Point Media, they have shown what partnership, perseverance, and unwavering faith can achieve. Tyrone’s humble nature cannot hide the truth of his monumental impact on the people who have had the privilege of working with him.
A note from Judy and Tyrone‌
Judy and I can never say enough about the partners and friends we’ve had that have taken on the responsibility of running and caring for the magazines that were opened. Those people have touched us in a way that we are truly appreciative of.
We are honored to work with such a great group of people.