Held at gunpoint while selling a private jet!

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·Nov 3, 2024

The first jet I ever sold in my life, I was held at gunpoint three feet away from me. It's a long story.

The first time I saw the jet, I was 23 years old. I flew to America, to North Carolina. We were signing a deal with the Venezuelan buyer. He had two of his henchmen representing him. We signed the deal; they were transferring the funds. We would find the airplane to Miami, and then we were going to make sure the deal was completely closed: the money was received, and they were taking the airplane to Venezuela.

I was getting back on a commercial plane, flying back to Washington, D.C., where I lived. We were halfway from North Carolina to Miami, and the two people on the plane with me said to me, "Steve, we have to talk to you about something." I said, "What's that?"

He said, "We want to get our commission." I asked, "What do you mean you're going to get your commission? You're representing the buyer; there's no commission for you!" He replied, "No, no, we need to get our commission."

I said, "Well, that's crazy! How much money do you want?" I can't remember what it was; it was a significant amount, about the same amount that we earned. I said, "No, there's no money for you." He said, "Well, don't worry about it. When we get to Venezuela, you'll be able to go back."

Andrew Mason at Startup School SV 2014

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Held at gunpoint while selling a private jet!

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