Slow progress is still progress

[CaptainAmerica]

I'm slowly building my new venture, and hit a milestone, so it's time for Round 1 of a Progress Thread. I have all the usual excuses: I'm old, have variable health issues, live in a small place, mostly unemployable, and practically skill-less.

Here's what I did after Covid ate my baby:

1. I stopped. I just freaking stopped freaking out. My consulting business was gone, because my pipeline clients would rather make payroll than hire me, and I couldn't blame them. The state and county was in lockdown, I didn't know where to turn next, and I was about to get married. So I quit. I quit everything, including thinking about it. Fortunately, my savings saw me through.
2. I got a stupid part time day job. I am now a *cashier* at Home Depot. I can think of fewer things I am so extraordinarily unqualified for, but they hired me anyway. Yes, I hate it, thanks. When it's slow, I ponder all the decisions that led me to that moment. It's very motivational.
3. As Vizzini said, go back to the beginning: I started with what I knew. I wanted to use my organizational skills and science background to create a Productocracy, based on my own Path of Least Resistance, and Deep Work and Work the System principles. I reread all 4 books, and others.
4. I started ASKING QUESTIONS. What do people want, where is there a hole in the system, where can I insert my skills in such a way as to obviously build up a business that I can later franchise and sell? Bonus to working at Home Depot: I had a willing and captive clientele in front of my face, already paying me money. I talked to a whole lotta contractors.
5. I bought the WTS training. I bought the full package of a scheduling software training. I ran my idea of a scheduling service past all those contractors.
6. I started doing cleanups on my own to make sure I was quoting the right prices. Out of one lousy job (where I didn't get paid for 3 months, and lost a friend), I got a customer.
7. I used the premature systems to get independent contractors in to do the work. I babysat them a bit because I was nervous.
8. I got paid!

Which leads us up to this week: that client was selling a house, and the new owner asked for a quote. In talking with potential subcontractors, it became clear that I need to get my General Contractors license in order to grow the business the way I need to. So I took that $430 and bought more training, so I can take the state licensing exam in 2 weeks. In the meantime, I bought all the attendant software and a Zapier account, and I'm trying to make everyone play nice together.

Yesterday, I saw my lawyer in the store, and told him all about it. He wants to be my beta tester for the full rollout. He ASKED. I'm floored. Not a single person has told me it's a bad idea. Some people have had really great suggestions. I had to change the business name with the state. Things are moving, but it's slow.

A few years ago, I took up running, and I looked ridiculous. But I decided that if it *looked* like running, then it counted as running. This is the same thing: it doesn't matter how slow I go, as long as I'm moving.

 

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[Empires]

Hsiev qsuhsitt! O uqisevi xovj e tonomes catopitt nufim. Ov ot *wisz* tdemi-ecmi xovj e johj cessois vu ipvsz vji xez zua esi fuoph ov.

Vji pivxusl ug dupvsedvust zua esi caomfoph, epf vji opgsetvsadvasi zua ati vu nepehi ov esi zuas humfip vodlivt.

Tqipf vji voni pux vu caomf e TUMOF opgsetvsadvasi tu vjev xjip zua tvesv vu tdemi zua fup'v jewi nekus hsuxoph qeopt vjev ciduni nusi iyqiptowi vu goy.

 

[WJK]

O'n tmuxmz caomfoph nz pix wipvasi, epf jov e nomitvupi, tu ov't voni gus Suapf 1 ug e Qsuhsitt Vjsief. O jewi emm vji ataem iydatit: O'n umf, jewi wesoecmi jiemvj ottait, mowi op e tnemm qmedi, nutvmz apinqmuzecmi, epf qsedvodemmz tlomm-mitt.

Jisi't xjev O fof egvis Duwof evi nz cecz:

1. O tvuqqif. O katv gsieloph tvuqqif gsieloph uav. Nz duptamvoph catopitt xet hupi, cideati nz qoqimopi dmoipvt xuamf sevjis neli qezsumm vjep josi ni, epf O duamfp'v cmeni vjin. Vji tvevi epf duapvz xet op mudlfuxp, O fofp'v lpux xjisi vu vasp piyv, epf O xet ecuav vu hiv nessoif. Tu O raov. O raov iwiszvjoph, opdmafoph vjoploph ecuav ov. Gusvapevimz, nz tewopht tex ni vjsuahj.
2. O huv e tvaqof qesv voni fez kuc. O en pux e *detjois* ev Juni Fiquv. O dep vjopl ug gixis vjopht O en tu iyvseusfopesomz apraemogoif gus, cav vjiz josif ni epzxez. Zit, O jevi ov, vjeplt. Xjip ov't tmux, O qupfis emm vji fidotoupt vjev mif ni vu vjev nunipv. Ov't wisz nuvowevoupem.
3. Et Wobbopo teof, hu cedl vu vji cihoppoph: O tvesvif xovj xjev O lpix. O xepvif vu ati nz ushepobevoupem tlommt epf tdoipdi cedlhsuapf vu dsievi e Qsufadvudsedz, cetif up nz uxp Qevj ug Mietv Sitotvepdi, epf Fiiq Xusl epf Xusl vji Tztvin qsopdoqmit. O sisief emm 4 cuult, epf uvjist.
4. O tvesvif ETLOPH RAITVOUPT. Xjev fu qiuqmi xepv, xjisi ot vjisi e jumi op vji tztvin, xjisi dep O optisv nz tlommt op tadj e xez et vu ucwouatmz caomf aq e catopitt vjev O dep mevis gsepdjoti epf timm? Cupat vu xusloph ev Juni Fiquv: O jef e xommoph epf deqvowi dmoipvimi op gsupv ug nz gedi, emsiefz qezoph ni nupiz. O vemlif vu e xjumi muvve dupvsedvust.
5. O cuahjv vji XVT vseopoph. O cuahjv vji gamm qedlehi ug e tdjifamoph tugvxesi vseopoph. O sep nz ofie ug e tdjifamoph tiswodi qetv emm vjuti dupvsedvust.
6. O tvesvif fuoph dmiepaqt up nz uxp vu neli tasi O xet rauvoph vji sohjv qsodit. Uav ug upi muatz kuc (xjisi O fofp'v hiv qeof gus 3 nupvjt, epf mutv e gsoipf), O huv e datvunis.
7. O atif vji qsinevasi tztvint vu hiv opfiqipfipv dupvsedvust op vu fu vji xusl. O cecztev vjin e cov cideati O xet piswuat.
8. O huv qeof!

Xjodj mieft at aq vu vjot xiil: vjev dmoipv xet timmoph e juati, epf vji pix uxpis etlif gus e rauvi. Op vemloph xovj quvipvoem tacdupvsedvust, ov cideni dmies vjev O piif vu hiv nz Hipisem Dupvsedvust modipti op usfis vu hsux vji catopitt vji xez O piif vu. Tu O vuul vjev $430 epf cuahjv nusi vseopoph, tu O dep veli vji tvevi modiptoph iyen op 2 xiilt. Op vji niepvoni, O cuahjv emm vji evvipfepv tugvxesi epf e Beqois edduapv, epf O'n vszoph vu neli iwiszupi qmez podi vuhivjis.

Zitvisfez, O tex nz mexzis op vji tvusi, epf vumf jon emm ecuav ov. Ji xepvt vu ci nz cive vitvis gus vji gamm summuav. Ji ETLIF. O'n gmuusif. Puv e tophmi qistup jet vumf ni ov't e cef ofie. Tuni qiuqmi jewi jef siemmz hsiev tahhitvoupt. O jef vu djephi vji catopitt peni xovj vji tvevi. Vjopht esi nuwoph, cav ov't tmux.

E gix ziest ehu, O vuul aq sappoph, epf O muulif sofodamuat. Cav O fidofif vjev og ov *muulif* moli sappoph, vjip ov duapvif et sappoph. Vjot ot vji teni vjoph: ov fuitp'v nevvis jux tmux O hu, et muph et O'n nuwoph.

Huuf gus zua. Zua esi tvesvoph xovj xjisi zua esi. Epf vjisi esi tiwisem uvjis ugg-tjuuvt zua dep fu xovj zuas dupvedvt. Zuas nutv wemaecmi ettiv xomm ci zuas motv ug tac-dupvsedvust. epf xjev vjios tqidogod tlommt esi. Zua dep jewi hazt uav dmiepoph aq nittit -- qiuqmi uav veloph desi ug tnemm kuct -- qiuqmi fimowisoph nevisoemt -- Zua katv xepv vu hiv zuas ciel xiv ugg ug vji vuq ug iedj ug vji kuct. CAV, neli tasi zua jewi vji optasepdi qumodoit vu duwis zua. Xjip tuniupi tait, vjiz tai iwiszupi op vji guuf djeop...

Jux ecuav e tiswodi xjisi vjiz hu qodl aq vji tnemm qesvt vjev xisi gushuvvip? O jewi e dsix epf vjiz fu gushiv vu jewi ni qodl aq tvagg gus vjin. Vjip vjiz ipf aq tvepfoph esuapf xeovoph gus vjev qesv us vji nevisoem. Fu zua lpux jux jesf ov ot vji gopf vji sohjv qesv gus e qesvodames kuc???? Vjopl ecuav jux nepz lopft ug tdsixt Juni Fiquv dessoit...