Well, I haven't been having that much fun, but the time has certainly flown past. I think most people I've spoken to have said the same thing about how quickly the year is passing us by.
I didn't launch the JGF Project that I mentioned in previous posts - the economic environment wasn't conducive to a new niche business (in my lay person's opinion). I've got everything ready to launch it; marketing material, domain names, smart-phone phone numbers, yada, yada...but I'm not in a hurry to get on with it. The work and the resulting $$ would be most welcome, of course, but I'm just not convinced I'd be doing the right thing by jumping in to it right now.
So, the search for my groove continues.
I have a few ideas. There's one idea that I particularly like (we'll call it the DSW Project), but it involves my total reliance, well in the beginning at least, upon my husband's qualifications, and I'm not quite sure I want that. I think I want to get out of the construction industry. I've grown to really hate it (the residential side of it, anyway). And this little idea would only entrench me in the industry further. On the plus side, however, there's the possibility that should demand be strong enough (and on my limited market testing thus far, it appears there may be), a good, systemised, structured business could be formed. A business that could eventually be run by others with me taking a strategic role rather than a hands-on-in-the-trenches role. The other downside to this idea, though, is that it would almost be considered to be discretionary spending, meaning that it would be hugely effected by economic factors and market confidence.
I did do some limited testing of the demand and the number of calls I received was surprising.
So, that's one thing I'm pondering.
I've explored going back in to the workforce as an employee, but I don't know how I'd cope with that. Afterall, I've been self employed since I was 22 years old (I'm a few months from 40 right now), so that's a long time! And, how would I manage the school drop off/pick up thing? I struggle to comprehend how others manage it. I find myself spending up to 4 hours (2 hours in morning, 2 in afternoon) doing the whole drop off/pick up thing, and I'm not even spending any time at the schools socialising with other parents. That time is literally spent on the roads on Sydney. Granted, that's in part a consequence of where I'm living in relation to the schools, however, it's still a huge chunk of time.
I did go for an interview or two, but I shouldn't have. They were both in the real estate industry, which is where I started my working life back when I was 17, and there's just no way I'll ever get paid a) what I need; and b) what I'm worth in the real estate game unless I'm the employer and not the employee. And even then that's questionable.
So, this is an option that's also not really an option.
I find it really curious though, that whenever I think about going back into the employee arena I always go back to the real estate game. I wonder why that is?
I've also started thinking about re-establishing my business that I'd sold off back in 2000 (or whenever it was). Again, back in the real estate game (I'll call it TRS). Last week I recalled out of the blue an article I'd read about a particular part of the industry still being a cottage industry. I was also reminded of the dreams and ambitions I had when I initially established TRS. Then I stumbled across another article about the largest player in this sector selling to another party enabling this purchaser to become the biggest service provider of its kind in the country. I can't help but think either one of those 2 companies is sitting in my chair. A few sessions of number crunching and a few (daydreaming?) thoughts about how I could run it better now that I'm older, wiser, more experienced and thoughts about re-establishing it started taking hold. Afterall, it's definitely a business that can be run (profitably) with or with out me once it's properly systemised and procedurised.
I cast my mind back and couldn't even recall why I'd sold TRS in the first place. I asked my mum. She said it was because I wanted the $$ to join up with hub in the property development arena. I distinctly remember that that's what happened. I decided to double check with my husband and a girlfriend about what they remember of my reasons for selling. Both of them said that I just got sick of dealing with whinging people!
Well, that hasn't changed much in the years since I have to admit.
Naturally, this has stopped my thoughts in their tracks. How can I possibly get back in to TRS if I can't stand dealing with whinging people? Would it be the same though? Back then, I was at the coalface. I was servicing clients on both sides of the service coin, both of whom had conflicting interests and motivations and I was a lot of the time the meat in the sandwich. But my recollections are that I actually enjoyed it and obtained a great sense of satisfaction in closing a deal with a new client and actually delivering what I'd told them they could expect to receive. I got a kick out of growing the business from nothing to something that I sold at a multiple that was, back then, a record; and a multiple that many struggle to achieve today.
So, that's tossing around in my head, too.
Or, I can find something totally, completely, utterly different to do....but I don't know what.
In the meantime, I'm doing what I'm doing with hub. We're still working that juicy little commercial job that we got just before last Christmas. We'll be winding that up soon, and again, we have nothing to move to afterwards. So, expect the stress levels to be ramped up a few notches.
I almost feel like it's too late for me. I'm pushing 40. No, 40's not old, but I can't help but think that if I want to get into a new business and grow it into something substantial that I've missed the age boat. Don't these things normally get started when people are in the mid to late 20's to early 30's? I feel like I don't have time on my side any more. And that's frightening. Almost as frightening as being almost 40 and not knowing what I want to do with my life.
Till next time...
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