100 mph - 0

[CMCarlin]

Also, if you go up to a person to sell your work, you are selling you! If you are down and negative, people pick up on that and that makes it a hard sell. If you walk with a bounce in your step and hum a little song with a smile on your face, you will put off a positive energy.

I hope this helps.

Amen to that! Attitude is everything when you are selling. A positive outlook will be more inviting to the prospect. Always keep your head up!
:smxG:

 

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[Runum]

kolwdwrkr, some observations. In just about all you posts you keep reiterating woodworking. I truly get it that you are good at woodworking and you have had a successful business in the field.

I, too, have a craft I love, metal working as it relates to motorpsorts. I love building racecars. However, hand crafting racecars is slowly becoming obsolete due to more sophisticated CNC equipment. The computers are able to measure and quantify the craft and duplicate the end product to the nth degree. The machines never complain, ask for a raise, or steal your business. I also have been in manufacturing for 22 years. The corps make far superior product now with less labor costs than they did when I started in the 1970's.

I could make a living at what I love, metalworking. It would put food on the table and pay the bills. It would also wear my body out. I figured out that something else would have to be my long term plan. If I wanted to continue on my path with metalworking then I needed to become a businessman, manager, salesman, etc. I needed to learn new skills.

My main point is you are going to have to learn new skills to grow. Your past methods of solving your problems may not work now. The rules have changed for all of us. That's why this forum is so valuable, we all can share what has changed for us and help each other grow and adjust.

Woodworking may be what gets you back on your feet but you may need other skills to get that cottage. Good luck. :cheers:

 

[1mancrew]

update?

 

[msa1]

Great story on what not to do. I caught myself making some of those very same mistakes with my own contracting company. Were still going and this month is looking good but I do have alot of debt to climb out from under.

To you I would say, congratulations on failing and being aware enough to see your shortcomings. Now go on more with your learned knowledge and try again.

 

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[Bobo]

I'm reading and rereading a lot of this and there is an 800 pound gorilla in the room that isn't getting much notice.

The wife left.

It's a major kick in the groin and takes a long while to get over emotionally. One of my dearest friends is STILL trying to get off the floor from that after several years and it does for your attitude what molasses does for your gas mileage.

So, here's a thought... you've gotten a lot of sound advice on what needs to be done to put the financial house in order but you really need to spend some time on rebuilding your psyche and getting over that groin kick. Divorce can be hell to deal with - even when you don't care for the person very much.

So... Read a few books, talk to a counselor, if you can't afford a counselor, talk to a member of the clergy or join a divorce recovery group but let's not forget that your attitude and focus are critical to your business success and neither is going to be very good when you just took an emotional beatdown. My reading of some of your posts is that you are feeling a bit bewildered and sorry for yourself - not beating you up for that, you are human. When shitty things happen you feel what? Shitty. Welcome to humanity.

The good news - this too shall pass.

I don't mean to neglect your very real financial issues here but the others have attended to those. Focus some energy on your mental well being, take out some of the stress at the gym, eat better, drink less, ...you'll sleep better and frankly you will get your act together more quickly if you do that.

Hang in there.

BTW- love your avatar, you have an amazing talent... start there as the first brick in building yourself back up.