"Don't get too excited, it will never sell."

I was excited. It was February of 1995, and I had just read Dr. Domsky's preliminary findings where he compared IMAGE 10 to a dozen of the leading polishes and waxes. He reported the test results extremely favorably. In fact, in his closing paragraph, he wrote "you may very well have created one of the finest ongoing maintenance polishes in the world." It was that statement that got my heart and hopes racing.

I knew who Dr. Irving Domsky was. He and his company, Allied Laboratories, were in the news often in the Chicago area in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was frequently quoted in newspapers and interviewed by local television as an expert whenever there was an environmental hazard story: a chemical leak at a Chicago area factory, lead paint in schools, etc. I knew who he was, but had never actually met or spoken to him.

However, after reading that statement, I wanted to talk to him face-to-face. I had to know more. Even though it was right there in black-and-white, I had to ask, "What exactly does this mean?" When I walked into his office, before I could say anything, he held up his hand in a way to head me off. He said, "Don't get too excited, it will never sell. I don't know exactly what you have in it, but Dr. Ya Mazo and I are convinced the raw materials are very expensive."

My original elation at the results was tempered. I left his office thinking back over the last couple of years of heartbreak, breakthrough, and the pride of creating something that performed so well.        << read more >>