Posted: Sun 3 September, 2006 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Getting Organised, Own Business, Work-related |
Away again today, up in *cough* sunny Birmingham at the NEC for the Autumn Fair.
It could be a pretty long day, but it should be useful to both of us, as it’ll give Herself a chance to look at various jewellery suppliers etc., and also allow me to check out a whole bundle of art and photographic people, as well as checking out companies that need websites and the like.
There’s been a lot of ideas for us of late, so it’s going to be interesting to see whether we’ve got a chance with any/all of them.
I’m sure I’ll write more about it once we’re back – or more likely, on Monday.
Posted: Sat 2 September, 2006 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Getting Organised, Travel, Work-related |
Got it.
Starting as soon as possible, minimum of a 2-3 month contract, based in Cambridge. Better-than-decent money (OK, fuckin’ blinding money), decent organisation, “better than high” chance of contract extension, possibility of permanent job with it too.
So now I get to tell the council to stuff their vacancy, and the current company can get to fuck as well.
How cool is that? I rock.
Posted: Fri 1 September, 2006 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: 2006 Resolutions, Getting Organised, Own Business, Photography |
Over the weekend, we’ll be up in Birmingham at the Autumn Fair, a tradeshow for all kinds of gubbins at the NEC. We’ve got some specific stuff to be checking out, but I’m also aiming to sort out a couple of those resolutions, and make some contact with a few photo publishers and the like. Should be interesting.
Anyway, because of this I’ve had to make myself look somewhat professional, and get some business cards printed along with getting a useful stand-alone number that I can redirect to anywhere, so I know if it’s a business call instead of a personal one.
The cards came yesterday, and actually look pretty good considering that they cost me about £6 all told. In fact it’s quite surprising how easy it can be to set up all that kind of stuff now, with all the trappings of respectability…
Posted: Thu 31 August, 2006 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Cynicism, Getting Organised, Own Business, Thoughts |
One thing I absolutely hate about starting up a business is : the business plan. To me they’re always a masterwork of bullshit, balancing out all the aspects of what might happen. And yet, over the last week or so, that’s what I’ve been doing. Writing a business plan.
It’s not for anything that’s going to happen just yet. This is stuff that’s all still in the offing. But for once I’ve seen some sense, and decided to get it written down. That way, I don’t have to keep it in my head, and it’s got rather more chance of actually happening.
The business name (well, the potential business name, and the concept that’s linked to it) is sorted, and so it’s more about just brain-dumping the stuff onto some paper, and/or onto a Word® document, so I know where it is. That way it’s just some more space that I can free up in my head, and use for useful stuff.
All the same, dear god, the business plan itself is still a load of old shite. Just figuring out the basic costs, profits, and predictions – it’s all shite. You can say “What If” ’til the cows come home, and basically a business plan is just a way to get banks/investors to lend you money, and so they can have some figures to say “well that’s what you said would happen – why hasn’t it?” Of course, the other side is that you can massively underestimate, in which case the banks/investors might just look on you favourably as being bloody great instead of bloody useless.
But for now that’s a worry for the future. Right now I’m just glad to have it somewhere that’s not in my head.
Posted: Wed 30 August, 2006 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Work-related |
So, my first day in the London office. And it’s taken five and a half hours for them to sort out opening a network port so that I have anything that even vaugely resembles internet access, or anything on a network.
Bunch of fucking clowns.
Posted: Tue 29 August, 2006 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Getting Organised, Thoughts, Work-related |
So, today is crunch day for Arsehole Boss. He’s supposed to be doing a presentation to the board about his plans for the company, and in theory if his plans aren’t completely sorted, well thought out, and with lots of detail re timescales, work schedules etc., then he’s out.
Personally I have my doubts that he’ll go. We’ve been through this situation once before and the board went with the Arsehole solution instead of the one that made sense. I suspect they’ll do the same again – even with Arsehole Boss having completed nothing of the plans from the first dose of this crap, and with losing people left, right, and centre along the way. Hell, even the situation’s the same, with Arsehole Boss vs. Chairman. It’s pathetic.
But I’m sure I’ll hear more about it in the end.
As it is, I’m working from home today, and going in to London tomorrow. If Arsehole Boss is still on the scene, I think I’m just going to talk about severance there and then, as I really don’t want to go through all this crap any more. I’m tired of it, and have had enough. Besides, there’s all the Norfolk stuff to sort out, and that interview on Friday as well as everything else…
Posted: Sat 26 August, 2006 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Getting Organised, Thoughts, Travel, Work-related |
So life’s about to get complicated again.
On Friday I’ve got another interview in Cambridge. In addition there’s several other jobs coming up where things are looking promising. At the same time, Herself has an interview in Norfolk. Also on Friday. So we’re both going to be up there, and then figuring out all the other stuff along the way. Should be fun.
And of course I’ve still had nothing from the council. Still, that’s their problem rather than mine – because if I get an offer from somewhere else then I’m taking it, and the council can go sod off. It’s near as dammit a month (it’ll be a month on Friday, in fact) since they made the verbal offer, and since then they’ve been playing silly buggers. So if they can’t organise themselves, then it’s going to be their loss.
Even better, the agency that the council job has come through are being fully understanding, and realise the situation, and are just as exasperated with it as I am. So if I do go elsewhere, the agency won’t cause me any problems. Which is, needless to say, reassuring.