Why let everyone take my fish?
After a frustrating work week putting all my hard earned skills to use, my boss says that he\ll have to wait on making my payment until he covers some business expenses. Again.
I've been living like this for months. Granted, the man taught me everything he knows about Drainlaying, and I am very grateful, but I feel like I'm sitting on a very marketable skill that is being undermined, and I am damn good at what I do. Yet, payments are behind, and I've constantly settled on lesser amounts in order to get something back, and I think he's gotten used to the treatment from me to always undervalue myself just because I have bills to pay.
"Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day; Teach a man to fish, and you can keep taking his fish???"
I don't know if it seems ungrateful or outright betrayal, but I can no longer afford to live like this. I've learned enough about my trade, and paid attention to the inner workings of business to know that any chump can successfully navigate the bureaucracy, and I just feel a calling to strike out on my own and do it RIGHT. And with enough lessons from this site, I am sure I can create the proper marketing, along with personal word of mouth and a flyer campaign should get my off the ground.
Looks like my Travel Blog will have to wait. My plans have taken a turn toward more pragmatic matters.
FIRST HURDLES:
Funding - I'll be looking up how to get grants and how to create business models so I can get my startup costs hopefully taken care of
Better Employment - As previously mentioned, I cannot afford to save anything to save up for my own equipment; perhaps I can find a fledgling contractor business and blow it up as practice? I know the inner workings, Quickbooks, subsidy/permit application processes and a solid set of core skills. Surely someone will be interested?
Web design - Logo, Affiliations, Publicity, Target Marketing. God I hope this site will help me figure that stuff out.
Business infrastructure - Need t start out basic, and get all the departments consolidated. Hopefully, I can figure out expansion before the market taps out.
THIS WILL BE NO EASY JOURNEY. Hopefully, I can just chip off these problems in bite-sized pieces so they're not so insurmountable. As always, advice is welcome
WISH ME LUCK
---Jonny
Recent Comments
9
Best thing I could suggest is, go see a financial advisor at a bank and look at getting a small business loan.
Also, check out the canadian government website, there should be a section on starting a business from the very first plan all the way through to client presentation.
After you do that, write up a business plan, outlining your model, goals etc.
Then work on sourcing your tools from wholesale direct-to-business companys so you don't have to pay inflated prices.
Your first goal once the groundwork is done is face-to-face cold calling for the business. Get your name out there with clients before you worry about marketing.
Np mate.
I've got a bit of knowledge here. I'm helping my fiance build an online business selling custom baby clothes, so I've had to learn a bit about aussie business (although i knew a bit about it before hand)
I'm sure that you will be able to find a good help line for small business and look for a forum or two that focuses on starting a new business too.
As for your boss, he is a dick. I would just tell him to get screwed and try and pull some of his clients because he's clearly doing a shit job if he can't afford what he's specified. You might even be able to get a court to force him to pay you out, it's illegal to withold pay for 'business expenses' when employee pay IS a business expense
God, I hope it doesn't come to that. All in all, I want no hard feeling, though I'm sure he'll feel insulted that I feel I can do better. We'll see where the chips fall.
well you shouldn't have to sacrifice your living expenses to keep it civi.
he clearly has little respect for you and deserves the same treatment
I consider it an expensive lesson, and a clear indication that the fates have something better in store for me. I have gleaned a lot of knowledge from this past venture and I consider it a worthy payoff: a few weeks worth of pay for a lifelong set of skills. The core basis of a solid trade, plus business know-how since I was especially paying attention. I learned to fish, and the ocean is big indeed.
But thank you for your concern, Dan. I sense you've been burned pretty badly in the past yourself?
not myself but I have known people.
I play completely legal and do it aggressively, I'm not taking a back seat
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Wishing you all the best of luck. Luck alone won't help you make it but sounds like you have the makings of an implementable plan. I would love to be around to see the look on your ex boss's face when you make a success of your new venture.
LOL. There will be no revenging on this. We started out as friends, however, he is a terrible employer. Hopefully, it will all end out amicably, and we become friendly rivals, giving each other tips as we develop our differing strategies.