Today is the day that I start transitioning from my role as the mechanic/salesman/janitor/lion tamer (Sprocket) to that of a true business owner. Sure, I will still be all of the above. However, I am finally going to tackle the new website, add all of our new services to the site, start utilizing Facebook and Twitter, etc. Basically, it is time for me to grow the business. We have so many loyal customers, and new ones every day. However, I am ready to make this store a force to contend with! We now have all of the space we need, with an insane amount of shelving in the new warehouse which will allow us to completely organizing the bikes and products.I found out last Thursday that Daniel has taken a job at one of our largest distributors -- BLUE Competition Cycles. Ironic, huh? HA!... I hired him last summer, and he has done an incredible job as mechanic here. I wish him nothing but the best, and they will be very lucky to have him. He gave me plenty of notice, but I knew that they needed him, so he will start work at BLUE this coming Monday. The door will always be open for him here!
Well, that is the fun thing about life. Just when you make plans, everything changes! HA! A quote I have always lived by is, "You can't control the wind, but you can adjust the sails." That basically summarizes my life. When I was laid off from Motorola, I think I was too naive to understand what I was up against. I said to myself, "I have my side business, why not try to give it a shot?" My last day at Motorola was a Friday, and the following Saturday morning I was open for business.That was over four years ago -- time has flown!
I am using that same mentality now. Instead of thinking about what I don't have, and how much more I will have to work, I look at what I DO have. I have a business which isn't just surviving during this recession -- it is thriving! That is the absolute most important thing. I don't have to go out and find a job -- I have all of the work I could possibly need right here. How many people that fortunate today? I extremely lucky!... Next, I have two great employees -- Nick and Alan. I can honestly say that we have the friendliest staff of any shop in town, and our reviews attest to that! Nick started with no mechanical knowledge -- he was a racer kid when I met him. He has this amazing ability to learn things the first time around, and knows exactly how I want things done here. He has become my right-hand man, and I could not ask for better! Alan helps out whenever needed, and has allowed me to keep my sanity over the last several years by letting me have escapes when needed, and as a sounding board for decisions.
Daniel was a perfect fit for what I needed last year -- that doesn't come along every day. I have had a taste of having weekends off over the past several months, and it was great. However, the MOST important thing I need to do at this point in time is to solidify the business. I realize that I still have a few more years of hard work ahead of me, but everything I have done has paid off dramatically! That is the beauty of working for yourself rather than in a cubicle. You see a direct correlation between the hard work you put in, and what you get back out. I could hire a mechanic now, but I would rather buckle down and reinvest back into the business. I built the business by my reputation -- time to get my hands dirty for a while! By doing that, I can afford to finish the showroom, the new warehouse, and the repair area. I can also bring in more bikes and products at a much faster if I am not paying for a mechanic. People say daily, "It must be great to have this shop -- to work with something you are passionate about." That is true, of course. However, do you really think I would have worked as hard as I did to get my master's degree from GA Tech if I didn't think this business would be at least as lucrative as the corporate world? I do love the bicycle industry, but what I love more is watching something I made from nothing grow into a true entity. The reason I say that is because I am willing to do whatever it takes to make this shop successful. Will I have to work longer hours and work on the website in my off hours? Sure. I will have to work some weekends and I might not be able to take as many vacations this year as I had planned, but it is all a means toward an end. I have an absolutely wonderful girlfriend who encourages me to build this business. Things could be MUCH worse!
Speaking of my incredible girlfriend, this is pretty funny. When we started dating, I said to myself, "She probably doesn't cook, but that is completely fine. She has so many amazing qualities, I can certainly handle it if she doesn't. She can't be perfect, right?" Damn I was wrong! Not only does she cook, but she makes me the most amazing meals -- eating out is honestly a disappointment! She will work in the kitchen for 2-3 hours at times to make dinner. The whole time I am asking what I can do. Her response? "I love cooking. Just relax and do whatever you want." Huh? You mean I can actually read a book or play a video game to decompress? WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?!!! Not only is she perfect in the ways I mentioned, but she LOVES BEER! She even tolerates the brewing days at Brad's, my insane need for toys, and my projects. Yep -- the perfect woman! I am not gonna blow this -- we only get so many opportunities in life, and I know a good thing when I have it!
We took advantage of the nice weather last weekend and drove to the beach to visit her aunt and uncle in Beaufort, SC. While they decide where they want to live, they are renting a "carriage house" (pictured) right on the water. I can't begin to describe how nice this place was! We took a tour of the main house -- straight out of Architectural Digest magazine! We spent two afternoons out on the dock which led straight away from the house. Every time we walked out, the vibrations would send fiddler crabs scrambling in the mud below us! We even saw at least one dolphin out on the water...We decided to rent a car again for the drive, since it would actually save us money due the gas prices. Plus, there is something to be said for not worrying about wear and tear on our vehicles, mechanical issues, etc. Just get in the car and go! One of my Rovers is always in the shop, anyway! HAHA! The only problem we had was that the air conditioning barely cooled us. It was a Honda with less than 7,000 miles, so it must have been a fluke. That one complaint aside, I must say that it really made sense for us to rent the car.
We went to the Taste of Beaufort that Saturday. The weather was picture-perfect, and it was a large turnout. It never ceases to amaze me when I find random photos on my iPhone. Seeing the palm trees reminded me of my visits to see my father in Texas. We will be making that trip next month to get the vehicles, so it will be nice to see Roswitha and help out. The one to the right was accidentally taken when I was trying to juggle a beer and snap a shot of the crowd. Luckily, I only dropped my phone and not the beer -- priorities! (Pretend you don't recognize the Budweiser label -- IT WAS ALL THEY HAD!!!) That night we had dinner at a seafood restaurant with her aunt. None of us could move afterward... What a day!It was such a great trip, and so relaxing. I received the first tan/burn I have had in over four years! I was able to read most of Paul Allen's new autobiography. Basically, it was the rest I needed to prepare for the onslaught we are already having this summer. It is going to be a rough one, but I will survive! We have two trips planned for the summer (TX and CO), and Ali is trying to arrange a fly fishing vacation for us in Montana. It is going to be a great summer!
Bob has been working steadily on the different updates to the shop -- the clothing changing room, the new door to the warehouse, and figuring out how to cover the office walls upstairs. He even has a new apprentice as an electrician -- Sprocket! I am sure he was a huge help.
Brad invited me to join them for pizza last night. two former coworkers from Motorola were playing in the band, so it was good seeing them. Kevin was having a great time building amazingly symmetrical LEGO creations. It was great getting out.Well, that is all I can think of. I get to work my first weekend in a long time tomorrow -- fun, fun! Building an empire ain't easy! HA!
