How can I leverage this strength?

[Colleen Lewis]

One of my major strengths (at least I think so!) is my attention to detail and inability to cope with an untidy living space. I apologize for the long thread but I wanted to try to paint a picture as best I could.

For example, a few years ago I was dating this girl. She was incredibly untidy. Her apartment was so bad that every time I was at her place I would feel physically uncomfortable. I'm talkin' clothes EVERYWHERE (She was a manager at a fashion store and thus had a mind boggling amount of clothes), kitchen a disaster, things strewn about all over the living room and bedroom. She had bought these 2 shelves from IKEA but they sat un-assembled in her livingroom for weeks. Her apartment was extremely unkept, but she worked so much that she didn't have time to clean it up. The mess clearly didn't bother her, otherwise she would have cleaned it up, however it was absolutely unbearable to me. I could not be at her place without cleaning something up.

One day while she was at work, I tidied up and cleaned her entire apartment top to bottom, built both of those shelves and populated them, put things away, cleaned up the kitchen, put all of her clothes that were laying around into a huge pile in the bedroom. She had 2 cats, and this pretty nice big floor rug, which had cat hair basically embedded throughout. To illustrate my compulsion I used her cat-brush which was like these fairly fine wire brushes designed for pulling hair out of your cat and keeping it in the brush, to literally brush her entire rug while vacuuming it at the same time, several times over (because that's how much it took to get the hair out) until it was literally a different colour when I was finished. The colour it was intended to be!

When she got home from work, she was basically mouth agape, like "whoa" but the first thing she said was "but that's not where the shelves are supposed to go."

I was mildly crushed in that moment. My thoughts were basically "Really? That's the first thing you say? That's not where the shelves go? What about "Wow, thank you so much." That was one of the first indications to me that the relationship was likely not going to work out. I could live with her being a messy person, some people just are, and that's the way they are and I am OK with tidying up. But that was kind of a nasty thing to say after how much work I had done. Later that evening I also said hey, you have an ungodly amount of clothes. Maybe we should go through them and sort them into KEEP, DONATE, DISCARD piles and whatever you keep we find a place for. She was onboard with it and it was a nice bonding activity. We threw the discard pile into the dumpster, took the donate pile to goodwill, and found a place for everything that remained. Sadly the relationship didn't work out in the end (for several reasons but mostly because it was long distance and I couldn't afford to keep seeing her)....but I digress.

Another example is much more recent. I'm staying with a friend of mine and to give us both some space, and myself some space to set up my computer workstation etc, I tidied up and cleaned out the entire garage and workshop by myself in 2 days. It's difficult for me to paint a picture for you, but the space was an absolute disaster. He treated the workshop and garage basically as a dumping zone for things he didn't want to bring in the house. It was filled with trash, boxes, clothes, old girlfriends' things, random things that should be at his business' workshop, tools, just....absolutely horrific in my eyes. I even assembled all his old girlfriend's things, called her myself (she's somewhat of a mutual friend) and was like hey, there's all this stuff here, I'll send you a whole bunch of photos and you can tell me what you want to keep and I'll bring it back home (we are all originally from the same town) and give it to your parents next time I go back. She was like whoa, wtf? I left all that stuff there? crazy. Yeah, ok, I'll go through it and let you know.

I use it as my office now, complete with enough space to use my VR headset, with plenty of room to spare.

My buddy had not actually been in the workshop since I tidied it up because he never really has any reason to go in there but he came in the other night and was like whoa...it's so clean in here! I'm just like yep. You literally could not even see the floor when I started. To go from the entry door to the garage you had to climb and walk over stuff.

Anyway, with the backstory complete, does anyone have any ideas how I can leverage this strength. This... compulsion for tidiness into a business? Cleaning companies already exist, there are several of them set up in this city already. My friend has one come to the house every friday morning. So, just being another cleaning service, I don't know...unless I can set myself apart in some way.

A few years ago I tried to turn this compulsion into a side business while working my normal job. I set up a facebook page and regularly posted in the city's community facebook group. I made the idea a little more broad and called my facebook page "Let me do that for you!" It was likely the wrong approach, but my idea was that in this particular city, there were a lot of people with excess money (it was an oil town) and not a lot of excess time (many had families and worked long hours). I thought, hey, if I have a bunch of free time in the evening, I can use that time to do things for people. Run their errands, clean up their house or their office, etc. I didn't recall having any inquiries, but looking back at the email I associated with the page I did actually have 1 request from a person from out of town asking me to go serve a legal document that required it to be served in person, not mailed. After obtaining some more information from the potential client, I was concerned for my own safety in this task and turned it down (the people he was asking me to serve this document to were reportedly violent drug addicts he was trying to evict. His own words. Yikes). As my normal job's demands increased, this idea fell by the wayside, and since I wasn't getting any requests, that was an easy thing to ignore / let go. Checking Facebook now, I can see there are actually a few pages with that same name, one of them still appearing active. At the time I made my page I didn't see a single page with that name, so maybe people saw mine and stole the name idea

Lately, since I'm now unemployed, I've been again trying to think of how I can leverage this strength. A cleaning business in and of itself is not fastlane though, and I'm not sure it really satisfies CENTS.

The main one being that it doesn't divorce my income from Time, unless I charged by the square foot or the room instead of by the hour. Then I could work as fast as I want. Entry is kiiiiinda weak. I mean, basically anyone could start a cleaning business. It's not the EASIEST thing to start, but it's pretty easy. Get some supplies, throw it in your car, do some advertising, start a facebook page, voila. But would they have my level of attentiveness? Doubtful. My skill is more detail and organizational than just cleaning. I've been mulling over how I could spin this and I'm just struggling to see anything beyond starting a more specialized cleaning service. I was hoping some outside eyes might have some different ideas.

I think I actually hate cleaning up, as funny as that might seem. A lot of the time my own personal bedroom is a mess, up to a certain point, but then something just *clicks* in my brain and I go into this almost delusional mode of hypercleaning and can't stop until everything is immaculate and in the perfect place. I'm talkin' the coasters on my coffee table perfectly aligned in adjacent corners (at least to the eye). It's not so much the process that I enjoy, it's the feeling. The end result. Looking at the space and thinking wow, I did this, or wow, I got rid of all that useless stuff? How great! I love getting rid of stuff! Whenever I step foot into a messy place, I often have to stop myself from tidying it up because it's not my space and people might take offense.

Honestly, if someone said "I will pay you $X to go through my unruly garage and make it into a usable space." with free reign on what to keep or get rid of (using my common sense, of course, I would sort any questionable items into piles for further consideration by the owner) it would be a freakin heyday. As long as the price was right

Thinking back, I'm kicking myself that I didn't take before and after photos of both my x's apartment and my buddy's garage. I could have used them for this idea! I just wasn't thinking about that at the time. I might actually have one more opportunity with his back yard shed which is an absolute disaster as well...

I also think a professional organizer service would work. But first check out the demand and competition in your area. Maybe you can target a particular niche, like organizing homes for sale, before they go on show, or getting vacation homes stocked & organized before they are occupied for the summer. Whatever you do, record on video and post on You Tube. You could be the next Marie Kondo.

 

[Neko]

It really pissed me off being called an "action faker." Probably because you were right!

It prompted me to get business cards made up same day service and walked around my neighborhood. I was really scared, because I've never gone door to door before. I approached houses that were for sale or had someone outside in their yard or garage... So nerve wracking!!

I didn't get any clients but I handed out a few cards. It kinda feels like a kick to the groin when someone is like no, and won't even take your card either...I just need to get over it and keep going. I need to come up with something proper to say because I really did not sound very professional and was kind of stumbling with my words. I didn't have anything prepared and was just excited to get my cards and go out there.

Practice makes perfect though I guess so I will come up with something I can say without thinking too much and go back out again.

Congrats for getting out there pal.
Some peoples are dicks. Don’t take it personally.

BTW I’m not trying to humiliate you. I’m trying to help you.
There is a truckload of action fakers on the forum and out there.
I was an action faker too. I still am sometimes.

For you’re script :

Think about the benefits you’re customers can except.
Benefits are way more powerful than features.

Think about common objections and prepare answers.

Think about ways to look professional in the eyes of the prospects. For example, in the way you dress, the way you speak and you’re stance.

People will trust you more. That’s important. You are asking to enter their homes to organize their things. If they get the impression you’re shady and trying to rob them you’re going to get rejected 100% of the time.

I can also recommend reading PRE-SUASION by Robert CIALDINI.

Don’t get discouraged by failures. Each one brings you closer to you’re next success.

Written on my mobile.

 

[WJK]

Congrats for getting out there pal.
Some peoples are dicks. Don’t take it personally.

BTW I’m not trying to humiliate you. I’m trying to help you.
There is a truckload of action fakers on the forum and out there.
I was an action faker too. I still am sometimes.

For you’re script :

Think about the benefits you’re customers can except.
Benefits are way more powerful than features.

Think about common objections and prepare answers.

Think about ways to look professional in the eyes of the prospects. For example, in the way you dress, the way you speak and you’re stance.

People will trust you more. That’s important. You are asking to enter their homes to organize their things. If they get the impression you’re shady and trying to rob them you’re going to get rejected 100% of the time.

I can also recommend reading PRE-SUASION by Robert CIALDINI.

Don’t get discouraged by failures. Each one brings you closer to you’re next success.

Written on my mobile.

I would do a sheet of before-and-after photos of my work. And then, in time, put them on my web site. A color photo sheet is cheap when you print it yourself. And put one or two into a sheet protector that you can show people. They hold it in their hands and then they'll hand it back. Most won't want your copies for themselves. You can start with... "What IF your garage looked like this -- rather than this?" as you wave your hand around. I'd even do some free jobs in exchange for my before-and-after pictures. You must find the fun and meaning in what you do.

For example, I just set up a new office space. It's just for me. And it's been a real pain to get setup. I thought it should be easy after all of the offices I've set up over all these 44 years in business -- yes, it has been that long... Anyway, my friend told me that I'm being a perfectionist. I was shocked. I've always thought of myself as a down-to-earth, get it done person. But, on further soul searching, in this situation, I knew how I want it to look and I knew how I want it to work. It's a very small space so I had to think through how I was gonna use that tiny space for the various tasks. And, most of all, I had to think about what was going to make me happy for the next few years. I'm at my desk, in my new office, glancing out the big window in front of me at the Alaska woods. The birds are flittering around in the trees and it's a beautiful day. The layout and the organization in my office connects me with the wonderful place where I live and my life here.

That's the reason for what you do -- making people happier in their lives. Isn't pursuing that goal worth your discomfort of meeting new people?

 

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[Itsmeantonios]

Congrats for getting out there pal.
Some peoples are dicks. Don’t take it personally.

BTW I’m not trying to humiliate you. I’m trying to help you.
There is a truckload of action fakers on the forum and out there.
I was an action faker too. I still am sometimes.

For you’re script :

Think about the benefits you’re customers can except.
Benefits are way more powerful than features.

Think about common objections and prepare answers.

Think about ways to look professional in the eyes of the prospects. For example, in the way you dress, the way you speak and you’re stance.

People will trust you more. That’s important. You are asking to enter their homes to organize their things. If they get the impression you’re shady and trying to rob them you’re going to get rejected 100% of the time.

I can also recommend reading PRE-SUASION by Robert CIALDINI.

Don’t get discouraged by failures. Each one brings you closer to you’re next success.

Written on my mobile.

I'm not doing well with door to door. I was doing better but I'm not sure it's the right way to go. No one seems interested, so I'm either not selling my service right, or people just aren't interested.

I think I need a different marketing strategy...or just a whole lot more time going door to door to figure out what works and what doesn't.

 

[Itsmeantonios]

I door knocked in the real estate business for years. And you will get better IF you really work at it. Cold calling is the same kind of thing. BUT, I quickly got over my fear of strangers and new people. I learned how to approach people and have a sense of humor about it -- no matter what they said or did. You need to "get your foot in the door." You need a portfolio of projects. You need to get the money gleam out of your eyes. The best book I ever read about selling that helped me the most was "How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling" by Frank Bettger. It's a very old classic and full of good solid tips on how to do it. I read it when I started in 1976 and it's still as true today as it was then.

Oh, and for the record, I cried every day for the first 3 months I was in the real estate business. People were mean to me and I didn't know how to sell. There was no sales training at that time. The people in my office were brutal to me. I was a very young, tender, and terrified little girl. I can say with full assurance that I-ain't-that-person-no-none-more! I not only survived -- I thrived. Today if I was drop shipped to a strange town with empty pockets, and a box of stuff to sell -- by dinner time I'd be having a good dinner with newfound friends, and a nice room rented for the night. And I probably have a job offer to start the following morning. Oh, how 40+ years of hard-won experience can change a scared little girl's life!

I mean I understand the portfolio of projects, but it's kind of a catch-22 there, just like people say about the general job market. "They won't hire me without experience, but how am I supposed to get experience when no one will hire me!"

I will do some more organizing where I am living and take more photos as if they are new "clients" I guess and do up a small binder perhaps. To have something to take with me if people are interested I can show them some photos like you say. Better off if I just had a tablet to show instead because I hate physical media...but yeah.

I don't follow you with regards to "Get the money gleam out of your eyes." I am not even in desperate need of money right now so I'm not even going after this with a money goal. I truly want to try to use my strengths to help people who have a disaster home!

 

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[WJK]

I mean I understand the portfolio of projects, but it's kind of a catch-22 there, just like people say about the general job market. "They won't hire me without experience, but how am I supposed to get experience when no one will hire me!"

I will do some more organizing where I am living and take more photos as if they are new "clients" I guess and do up a small binder perhaps. To have something to take with me if people are interested I can show them some photos like you say. Better off if I just had a tablet to show instead because I hate physical media...but yeah.

I don't follow you with regards to "Get the money gleam out of your eyes." I am not even in desperate need of money right now so I'm not even going after this with a money goal. I truly want to try to use my strengths to help people who have a disaster home!

 

[WJK]

continued

 

[WJK]

These sound like some good starting points / ideas. I will be looking into it!

Let us know how you are doing. Do something. Start. Start today. Start now. Make it happen without delay. Try one idea out right now... Here's my bottom line -- Sitting on sidelines -- not acting -- is a decision. If you don't try, you have a 100% chance of failing. I HATE those odds. I'd rather fail from taking action than to know I'm gonna fail by sitting out the situation.

 

[Itsmeantonios]

Let us know how you are doing. Do something. Start. Start today. Start now. Make it happen without delay. Try one idea out right now... Here's my bottom line -- Sitting on sidelines -- not acting -- is a decision. If you don't try, you have a 100% chance of failing. I HATE those odds. I'd rather fail from taking action than to know I'm gonna fail by sitting out the situation.

Thanks for your words. My previous job as a pilot has potentially come back into the picture, which is a good thing. I haven't flown since October and it's not a skill I want to diminish...(I have invested $70000 in my pilot skills over the past ~6 years) One of the jobs I had applied for unexpectedly called me back and is going to do a phone interview, just waiting to hear back from him again.

I have an ongoing ad campaign on Facebook and have had 80 total page views out of approximately 3000 people served the ad, but no calls or emails from that interest, so I'm trying to figure out why.

I also have a potential paying customer who contacted me through the classified ad site I had previously said I really did not like using, which was surprising. She said she was going away for a bit but would be back this week and would call me when she gets back, so that may be promising.

I'm trying to get some of the people I know in this town to let me come into their home to do some free organization so I can get some more photos for my advertising arsenal / portfolio, but they all work a lot and keep putting me off.

I will be waiting to hear back from this potential pilot job before spending anymore money on advertising (I'm planning a free consultation ad to play next, as well as go door to door again to promote the free offer to see if I get any takers) because the job will require me to move. It could actually be mutually beneficial to not only my pilot skills but also my business because with that job I will be flying approximately 12 days per month, leaving a lot of time to spend on my own business ideas, and it also puts me in one of Canada's major cities which I think would be beneficial for this type of business.

The only reason I am in the town where I am now is because my friend is letting me stay here for free while I work on business ideas. I have savings, but not enough to last a long time while paying rent and not working a job... So I'm very grateful to him for sure.

I was talking to my mom the other day about this and she said a lot of people are still wary of people coming into their homes because of COVID and that could hamper my progress, which is definitely a valid point. Whether it's enough to completely put me out, I'm not sure. I don't think it's enough to stop me from at least trying, while following government regulations and/or recommendations though.

 

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[WJK]

Thanks for your words. My previous job as a pilot has potentially come back into the picture, which is a good thing. I haven't flown since October and it's not a skill I want to diminish...(I have invested $70000 in my pilot skills over the past ~6 years) One of the jobs I had applied for unexpectedly called me back and is going to do a phone interview, just waiting to hear back from him again.

I have an ongoing ad campaign on Facebook and have had 80 total page views out of approximately 3000 people served the ad, but no calls or emails from that interest, so I'm trying to figure out why.

I also have a potential paying customer who contacted me through the classified ad site I had previously said I really did not like using, which was surprising. She said she was going away for a bit but would be back this week and would call me when she gets back, so that may be promising.

I'm trying to get some of the people I know in this town to let me come into their home to do some free organization so I can get some more photos for my advertising arsenal / portfolio, but they all work a lot and keep putting me off.

I will be waiting to hear back from this potential pilot job before spending anymore money on advertising (I'm planning a free consultation ad to play next, as well as go door to door again to promote the free offer to see if I get any takers) because the job will require me to move. It could actually be mutually beneficial to not only my pilot skills but also my business because with that job I will be flying approximately 12 days per month, leaving a lot of time to spend on my own business ideas, and it also puts me in one of Canada's major cities which I think would be beneficial for this type of business.

The only reason I am in the town where I am now is because my friend is letting me stay here for free while I work on business ideas. I have savings, but not enough to last a long time while paying rent and not working a job... So I'm very grateful to him for sure.

I was talking to my mom the other day about this and she said a lot of people are still wary of people coming into their homes because of COVID and that could hamper my progress, which is definitely a valid point. Whether it's enough to completely put me out, I'm not sure. I don't think it's enough to stop me from at least trying, while following government regulations and/or recommendations though.

Flying is a wonderful opportunity for you. Where do you fly?

Is there anything special where you go that would allow for a side gig? I knew a Stew who flew between California and South America. She brought home collectibles from South America on every trip. She had a hell of a business on the side. Over time, she developed a bunch of individual artists from there that she represented in CA.

We live in Alaska, so every trip we take to the Lower 48, we shop and bring home a lot of stuff that we need. The cost of shipping to Alaska is a killer. And there are tons of firms that refuse to ship to us. They don't even know that we are a State...

 

[Itsmeantonios]

Flying is a wonderful opportunity for you. Where do you fly?

Is there anything special where you go that would allow for a side gig? I knew a Stew who flew between California and South America. She brought home collectibles from South America on every trip. She had a hell of a business on the side. Over time, she developed a bunch of individual artists from there that she represented in CA.

We live in Alaska, so every trip we take to the Lower 48, we shop and bring home a lot of stuff that we need. The cost of shipping to Alaska is a killer. And there are tons of firms that refuse to ship to us. They don't even know that we are a State...

I previously worked for a small tourism based operator in northern Canada. During the main summer season we flew customers out to various hunting and fishing lodges scattered around northern Canada, only accessible by wheel plane or sea plane (I fly both). I would say at least 50% of our customer base were Americans. That was one side of the business, and the other was more regular flights to some remote communities that had fairly regular customers. All in small planes (no more than 9 people).

I left that job back in October at the end of the float plane season when the lakes start to freeze over and we can't get in there anymore and the lodges shut down. Then I went on vacation after Christmas to South America for 3 months, expecting to come back home to find another job in tourism..... Only for that plan to be destroyed by COVID, which led me to other things, including the UNSCRIPTED book and this forum. Not a good time for me to leave a job, certainly. But, no way I could have foreshadowed this disaster.

I have significant experience that I qualify for many pilot jobs, however there just aren't many going around right now because the industry as a whole is barely operating, compared to how it normally does anyway. I didn't expect a call back for this job because while I meet the requirements, I know of several other previous coworkers who also applied for it and are more qualified than I am. Just goes to show you never really know, I guess! The company I applied for is just a cargo contractor for one if the major worldwide cargo haulers. I'd be flying smaller regional cargo flights though. It would be pretty low stress which would be good. I would get bored of it very quickly but it would be a good opportunity to keep my skills up to date.

I love flying, mostly I love sea planes ( take off and land on water) but it's not something that is going to make me wealthy. One of my main "WHY's" as MJ says in his book is I want to repay my parents for everything they have done for me in life and give them a very comfortable retirement. They are both retirement age right now (65, 67) and will be retiring soon and I know they don't have a super comfortable retirement. I don't think they will be "poor" but it could certainly be a lot better. I've definitely started late to accomplish that goal but I want to do everything I can to do that, without compromising my own future of course. My sister has also really struggled in life and has always been quite poor. She has had to go to food banks to get food, and go into debt just to buy groceries or pay rent which is not something I can say I have experienced. I want to be able to help her too.

Owning my own operation would be cool but it's extremely expensive to start up as airplanes are extremely expensive (even a small, well kept float plane is around $200,000) and aviation regulations in general are just a gigantic red tape nightmare. So I don't have much drive to operate my own company when it comes to Aviation. As people more experienced than me in that industry have said "if you want to make $1M in aviation you need to start with 10."

As for your situation I feel your pain as far as shipping goes. When it comes to anything coming from the US, unless it is a large corporation with shipping deals and the like, getting things shipped to Canada from the US is highway robbery much of the time. I recall seeing quite often in the past when buying online things like "$9.99 to anywhere on the lower 48" or "free shipping in the lower 48" so I can certainly understand your shipping woes.

 

[Itsmeantonios]

You started this thread with a focus on your ability to clean and organize.

Then as I scrolled through, you mentioned other things such as 3d modeling, building a product and flying airplanes.

You even acknowledged yourself that your "mind is very spread out at the moment".

My intuition tells me that you need to select something, write out your goals, reverse engineer how you'll get there by writing out the steps you need to take, and then act upon those steps.

Also, if I'm 100% honest, I *feel* like you would be better off getting a stable job in a cleaning company, either as an operational manager or frontline worker. Then once you've learned the ropes, begin to slowly venture out on your own.

You should also know this - just because you enjoy doing something, have an obsession about doing it or feel like you're good at doing it, doesn't mean other people necessarily see it as a useful or valuable strength. For example, in the stories you shared, not one person said "wow, thank you so much for doing this, can you also help my friend?" or "this is great, can you show me how you did this?"; you barely received any display of gratitude and nobody was interested in paying you. This should indicate to you that nobody needs what you want to do.

Life can be challenging because not everyone is born with talents such as natural athleticism, acting ability, charisma, good looks, high IQ etc. so it makes it that much more difficult for people to find an area where they can build their fortune without disliking their work.

On the upside, you can 'brute force' success with a lot of hard work, common sense, self-belief, patience and perseverance.

Re-evaluate your life, be realistic (even though many entrepreneurs and wantrepreneurs hate that word) about your strengths, capabilities and what skills you can develop, think deeply about how you can get from point A to C i.e. what are the daily/weekly/monthly steps you need to take? Taking this pragmatic approach will save you A LOT of money, time and unnecessary emotional ache.

I hope you weren't offended by any of the above advice, some of it also applies to me.

Thanks for your reply.

I do agree that my mind has been spread out. When it comes to anything outside of aviation, I no longer want to be an employee. I say that because if I want to continue flying I basically have no choice but to be an employee, and that's fine. Since writing that comment I have focused on two things - my future flying career, and exploring if being an organizer is a viable business.

I know I want to continue flying, so if I ended up getting a job that takes up all my time, being an entrepreneur will go on the back burner. The only reason I really dove in and started learning about entrepreneurism (and reading both of MJs books) is because I was unable to find a job in aviation due to the whole pandemic, and I no longer wanted to work for someone else.

My pilot career is still a question mark due to the pandemic, however I have made headway on my business idea. That lady contacted me today and I have an appointment with her on Thursday. This is pivotal! I need to make an excellent impression on her and hopefully she can provide some real customer feedback, and contribute to my facebook page and get some word of mouth out there.

Her reaching out to me, but also not getting any feedback from my facebook page gives me conflicting information as to what I should be doing, but also conflicting information as far as whether my idea is worth pursuing since I was not getting much feedback from going door to door or from my facebook page. But...getting her as a customer AT ALL shows me it has potential though.

She reached out to me based on a classified ad from the local popular classifieds page, not from my facebook page. So I need to find out what about my classified ad made her reach out to me, especially when there is another person advertising a similar service in my local area on the same classified ad website. I've registered a domain name that redirects to my facebook page for now, but I will set up a website sometime later on. She will give me a critical chance to get some media for my facebook page / website in the form of photos.

I'm stoked! I can't wait to see how I can help her.

 

[WJK]

I previously worked for a small tourism based operator in northern Canada. During the main summer season we flew customers out to various hunting and fishing lodges scattered around northern Canada, only accessible by wheel plane or sea plane (I fly both). I would say at least 50% of our customer base were Americans. That was one side of the business, and the other was more regular flights to some remote communities that had fairly regular customers. All in small planes (no more than 9 people).

I left that job back in October at the end of the float plane season when the lakes start to freeze over and we can't get in there anymore and the lodges shut down. Then I went on vacation after Christmas to South America for 3 months, expecting to come back home to find another job in tourism..... Only for that plan to be destroyed by COVID, which led me to other things, including the UNSCRIPTED book and this forum. Not a good time for me to leave a job, certainly. But, no way I could have foreshadowed this disaster.

I have significant experience that I qualify for many pilot jobs, however there just aren't many going around right now because the industry as a whole is barely operating, compared to how it normally does anyway. I didn't expect a call back for this job because while I meet the requirements, I know of several other previous coworkers who also applied for it and are more qualified than I am. Just goes to show you never really know, I guess! The company I applied for is just a cargo contractor for one if the major worldwide cargo haulers. I'd be flying smaller regional cargo flights though. It would be pretty low stress which would be good. I would get bored of it very quickly but it would be a good opportunity to keep my skills up to date.

I love flying, mostly I love sea planes ( take off and land on water) but it's not something that is going to make me wealthy. One of my main "WHY's" as MJ says in his book is I want to repay my parents for everything they have done for me in life and give them a very comfortable retirement. They are both retirement age right now (65, 67) and will be retiring soon and I know they don't have a super comfortable retirement. I don't think they will be "poor" but it could certainly be a lot better. I've definitely started late to accomplish that goal but I want to do everything I can to do that, without compromising my own future of course. My sister has also really struggled in life and has always been quite poor. She has had to go to food banks to get food, and go into debt just to buy groceries or pay rent which is not something I can say I have experienced. I want to be able to help her too.

Owning my own operation would be cool but it's extremely expensive to start up as airplanes are extremely expensive (even a small, well kept float plane is around $200,000) and aviation regulations in general are just a gigantic red tape nightmare. So I don't have much drive to operate my own company when it comes to Aviation. As people more experienced than me in that industry have said "if you want to make $1M in aviation you need to start with 10."

As for your situation I feel your pain as far as shipping goes. When it comes to anything coming from the US, unless it is a large corporation with shipping deals and the like, getting things shipped to Canada from the US is highway robbery much of the time. I recall seeing quite often in the past when buying online things like "$9.99 to anywhere on the lower 48" or "free shipping in the lower 48" so I can certainly understand your shipping woes.

I moved to Los Angeles when I was 19 years old to make my fortune. I worked night and day for 30 years. So, I understand your quest. I retired to my home in Alaska when I was 49 years old.

No, pilots aren't working right now here in Alaska either. It's the virus. If you do fly again, could you start taking pictures of what you see during your trips -- create a collection? Is there anything you can collect or bring home?

My personal assistant goes to the beach and collects rocks. She sells them online for $20 for a small flat rate box. It costs her about $9 for the postage. It costs her time to go to the beach to collect them, time to sort them, then pack them up and send them.

 

[Paul David]

It really pissed me off being called an "action faker." Probably because you were right!

It prompted me to get business cards made up same day service and walked around my neighborhood. I was really scared, because I've never gone door to door before. I approached houses that were for sale or had someone outside in their yard or garage... So nerve wracking!!

I didn't get any clients but I handed out a few cards. It kinda feels like a kick to the groin when someone is like no, and won't even take your card either...I just need to get over it and keep going. I need to come up with something proper to say because I really did not sound very professional and was kind of stumbling with my words. I didn't have anything prepared and was just excited to get my cards and go out there.

Practice makes perfect though I guess so I will come up with something I can say without thinking too much and go back out again.

Sometimes you have to be prepared for 100 No's before you get 1 yes. Keep going.