Going crazy waiting on subbed out work!!!!!!!

[jlwilliams]

If I may rant for a moment....

OK, it seems straight forward enough. I have an idea for a brand. Not just a product, a line of products within a brand that focusses on an under served market. These people are buying stuff that is branded and marketed toward a related market, but no one has put out a line directly to serve their needs. I am driving to be that guy. The entrepreneur who serves their niche. Sounds simple enough?

The first big slow down was the lawyer, followed by the state. I decided not to do the DIY approach to creating an entity. Seemed like a bad place to save a couple hundred bucks. I hire a lawyer who came recommended by local business people. He does good and diligent work, but he's kind of slow. Fair enough, but it left me chomping at the bit while the research got done and the papers got generated. Then the state took the time it takes for the wheels of bureaucracy to turn and grant me the damn LLC. Finally, after I don't even remember how long, I had a legal entity and a tax number. Hazzah for capitalism!

All seemed good to go. I open an account and fund it with a couple thousand dollars that I have squirreled away for seed money. I register domain names. I'm ready to build a web site, get product manufactured and packaged, get some stuff delivered to Amazon so they can spread the goodness. But........ before I can build a site and before I can create packaging I need some images. The labeling is going to be critical to this product. "Images" doesn't convey the marketing significance here. I need iconography. I need the concept art to convey the image I have researched deeply. I need the customer to feel what I'm offering when he sees the label. The imagery is as critical as it is simple, and I don't want to start with whatever a designer that I have never met comes up with based on a phone call and some emails. I want to convey an image, and it has to have impact or I may as well be selling lollipops. I am working with an artist (local tattooist) to create the images that I will take to the graphic design people (who are ready to go at the manufacturer). I'm having trouble getting my artist friend and myself in the same place at the same time.

THIS IS KILLING ME!

I just want to get a page of artwork created. I need it for the labels. I need it for the web pages. I need it, and I don't have it.

I'm months into this, and the project just keeps dragging itself back against my pushing it forward.

I'm hoping to see the artist tonight. I know he's busy, and I know he is thinking about what he will put on paper to convey the emotional content I have discussed with him. In my heart, I know this takes time and is worth doing right. I know this tattoo artist can deliver the feeling in ink that my intended customers will respond to. Still, I sit in front of the computer this AM with nothing I can really do to move this enterprise forward; so I came here to rant and rave about it.

Maybe I'll offer him more money......

Rant off.

 

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[ilrein]

Money talks.

 

[ZCP]

So there is no one else on earth that could put together some images to move this forward?

What if the images you have waited for so long for turn out to not be the right ones?

If this was a $200M company, do you think they would wait for the local artist and do you think they would only have one set of images to review? ....... then why should you?

 

[theag]

Money talks.

So simple and so beautiful.

 

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[randomnumber314]

I'm months into this, and the project just keeps dragging itself back against my pushing it forward

If this tiny hurdle is causing months-long delays, you're going to have a real bad time when you run into a legitimate problem.

Do you really need the images made by this guy? You can't find someone on elance in 5 minutes that will cost much less?

You spent money on having a lawyer incorporate for you, rather than just file the paperwork yourself for $65 or so bucks. Sounds like a recurring theme of you handing off stuff you don't want to do as an excuse for inaction.

 

[rivertucky]

Never used the site yet, couldn't the imagery be sub'd to fivver.com?? or equivalent??

 

[jlwilliams]

Thanks for all the input. I'm getting a few more people to submit designs so I can pick through them.

Randomnumber, good observations. While it's not this one tiny hurtle hanging me up, it's one small hurtle after another hanging me up after another for time that is adding up; your point is well taken. My rant didn't really expound on all the details, just a couple that were front and center in my mind. The consistent theme is that when I hire people to do stuff, I get frustrated waiting. The only place I disagree with what you posted is I don't think filing a DIY business entity without any sort of legal council is as prudent as hiring a professional to make sure that the LLC was the right way to go and that all the forms are in order. If someone has done a bunch of LLCs and knows the ropes in their state, cool. I'm not that guy. I wouldn't want to file the wrong entity or file the right one wrongly. I paid for professional legal service; which isn't the same as palming off stuff I didn't want to do. On the other hand, I do have to look at the mirror and be honest with myself. Am I passing blame off for my own inaction? Thanks for the check.

 

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[LightHouse]

Why are you waiting on things? There is a lot to do when starting a business and a product line... Why did you wait to incorporate to start building a site and getting images done? Why are you not writing copy and drumming up connections for marketing while waiting on the product and images?

 

[ZCP]

How many have you sold?