bill_schubert: (Default)
[personal profile] bill_schubert
This is the 15 minutes that the weather in central Texas is nearly perfect.  As much as I love the cold I found for the first time in my life that the few days of 35 degree weather made me want it to be in the 40s. It is 48 now on the way to 88 (well, ok.. maybe the 15 minutes is already up).  The sun is just up, birds are noisy as is the dog in the background and the diesel rumble of the truck delivering its load of children to the child care center next to me.  I can hear all of this as I've got my office door to the outside world open relishing the short time of cool fresh air before I have to close it and focus on getting some work done.

Reading the news I find my mind constantly drifting to thoughts of joy when Trump stumbles.  How imature is that?  I clearly remember thinking of how stupid McConnel and his cronies saying the first week he was president that they would dedicate themselves to ensuring that Obama failed.  It made no sense then and it makes no sense now I'm on the other side.  But it is so difficult to NOT react with glee when my Commander In Chief bungles the job.  Were it not for the dark shadow of Bannon I'd not worry and more enjoy the ride.  I'm afraid we're in for a massive stock bubble and some bad inflation.  I'm in as good a fiscal position as I can be but I'm not optimistic about the end of the decade.

Speaking of which, owning a small business means never really knowing what will happen at the end.  It is so easy as a cog in a wheel.  There is a natural progression to retiring out of a job. There is nothing like that in a small business.  It is a complete mystery to me over which I have little control.  I did a quick check to see what selling the business might net and as of the moment the initial indications are that it would sell for less than $200K.  IF I could sell it.  And the building where I live and work might net me another $100K.  Not at all sure about that.  So, best case, if I get out and sell everything to the top bidder I'd have social security, military pension and health care and maybe $300K to last for however long it had to last.

Fire all of your guns at once and explode into space, indeed.

Ah, well, time to make the doughnuts.

Date: 2017-02-22 15:35 (UTC)
susandennis: (Default)
From: [personal profile] susandennis
One thing I never did but really wish I had, was to formulate what I wanted to do when I retired. I killed a very stressful 2 years floundering that could have easily been spent way more productively and happily. What would you do after the first 6 months and where would you do it? Maybe conjuring up that would help navigate the other end of how...

Date: 2017-02-22 15:57 (UTC)
susandennis: (Default)
From: [personal profile] susandennis
And I think your ss+mp+hc+300k might be very doable. Really.

Date: 2017-02-22 16:20 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] goddessdi.livejournal.com

I also get some joy every time he stumbles but I have fears over the people controlling the puppet strings. They are far worse imho than he is. They have true bad intentions. He's just a fool.

Date: 2017-02-22 23:21 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bill-schubert.livejournal.com
Yeah, it reminds me of Bush,jr and his axis of evil, Cheney, Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld. Chaos ensued.

Date: 2017-02-23 00:00 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pinmedown.livejournal.com
what about changing your role... taking yourself out of the every day business running and making it more passive so you can both retire and keep the business. have you ever read the book "the e-myth"?

Date: 2017-02-23 00:21 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bill-schubert.livejournal.com
Gerber and I spent a bunch of time together early on. Reality is not quite as easy as he makes it seem. As of last week I've got three people working for me. Once the latest addition gets up to speed I'll be doing only the tech I want to do.

The most difficult part is the financial. Having a bookkeeper that knows what the hell they are doing is nearly impossible in a business my size. If I grown by another 30% over now I might be able to afford it and the path we're on is heading that way.

At that point I'd mostly be doing marketing. Newsletters, blogs, general computer guy around town. I've got a guy now that could run the business in a year or two and I'll likely set him up to take over. He's a better businessman than I am and he's only 24. Just lacks experience, confidence and some finesse. That is likely the path. But there are so many potholes in that road.

Anything else, I guess, would bore me though.

Date: 2017-02-23 00:23 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bill-schubert.livejournal.com
So the funny thing is I have no idea what I'd do.

Spend some time in Seattle. And Massachusetts and Des Moines, I guess.

I have no practice at doing less and almost no outside activities. That is a problem I've recognized.

Maybe take up knitting.

Date: 2017-02-23 00:35 (UTC)
susandennis: (Default)
From: [personal profile] susandennis
Oh I didn't say it was easy. I had no practice either. My non work activity was watching TV. It was great for the first six weeks and then it was just depressing. In a really really not fun way.

My suggestion is to spend some quality time thinking about how you will fill your hours. Close your eyes and think of the odd Tuesday. What will you do today. Followed by Wednesday. What will you do then. Knitting is good or maybe really get into the pottery thing or maybe ... work part time for someone doing something fun... but, get a plan.

But as Grandpa would say 'I'm not akiddin' you...' this is a bigger deal that just finding the funds.

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