Drugs, (and absurd job updates)

[Beany]

Aside, but semi related, I thought I was low on money this week so I've been not checking my bank balance and not spending much*

Need to get a mech to do bits on the car but payday tomorrow so I thought I'd call then.

As it's payday tomorrow, I checked my account because it's safe to know that I'm skint when I get paid tomorrow*

£300 in there. Could have had the car sorted this week.

Being extremely poor gets you into bad habits/expectations, kids.

*Yes, this is counter-intuitive and stupid, but spend most of your life having no money and see how much you like to check your bank accounts.....

[Gavster]

That's an awesome feeling, surely like finding £300 in the pocket of an old jacket?

[Delphi]

Aside, but semi related, I thought I was low on money this week so I've been not checking my bank balance and not spending much*

Need to get a mech to do bits on the car but payday tomorrow so I thought I'd call then.

As it's payday tomorrow, I checked my account because it's safe to know that I'm skint when I get paid tomorrow*

£300 in there. Could have had the car sorted this week.

Being extremely poor gets you into bad habits/expectations, kids.

*Yes, this is counter-intuitive and stupid, but spend most of your life having no money and see how much you like to check your bank accounts.....

It may never actually leave you. When I started my first business, I was very poor, to the point where I'd try and get £10 out of an ATM to be told to bugger off as I didn't have £10 in there. To this day, there's a small part of me that is still surprised when an ATM actually lets me have some money.

[Beany]

Yeah, that shit gets engrained in you and it's hard to shake off.

Also, completely forgot to call the mechanics. Sigh. Job for tomorrow now.

[drcarlos]

Hope you get to work on Schindlers Lifts too for the lols.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that giggles about that when I get in one of their lifts.

As for the business thing, after being on holiday with my friend for 2 weeks he's told me he's going to give his garage another 3 years and then assess it, he's basically feeling the same thing. There's 3 of them there, 2 mechanics and an admin (part time) and it's ageing him massively all of the things G mentioned. Then added to that the customers expecting jobs for free, new parts that may fail and need warranty work that they have to change for free. He was still working while on holiday at times. Then you have all the bureaucracy and red tape, it just doesn't seem worth it sometimes.
Really it will either take a change to expand (he'll need new premises and financing to do it) with very big cahones needed in the current climate or to get out and go back to being an employee somewhere. Neither option is easy and a tough decision.

[mr_jon]

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Not very good at new job location.

[Beany]

That doesn't look like it was taken on a potato, get it out of my fucking thread

[jamcg]

Depends on the focus, if the aim was to photograph the seagulls on the rocks then it’s the perfect thread for it

[mr_jon]

The missus took it, as it was a whatsapp it was then only one with a small enough file size for upload here, without any faff. Dude in the foreground is a heron who sleeps on the same rock every night.

[Sundayjumper]

...I'd try and get £10 out of an ATM to be told to bugger off as I didn't have £10 in there.

That reminds me of my time as a student, there was one - just one - ATM that always had fivers, which was handy at times when you had less than a tenner of overdraft left.

[KevH18]

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Not very good at new job location.

West Coast of Scotland Jon? Sorry if I've missed that you'd already mentioned where it is.

[speedingfine]

The missus took it, as it was a whatsapp it was then only one with a small enough file size for upload here, without any faff. Dude in the foreground is a heron who sleeps on the same rock every night.

How long have you been there now Jon?

[Carlos]

...I'd try and get £10 out of an ATM to be told to bugger off as I didn't have £10 in there.

That reminds me of my time as a student, there was one - just one - ATM that always had fivers, which was handy at times when you had less than a tenner of overdraft left.

Cardiff Student Union had one. I've never had a fiver from a cashpoint machine since

[duncs500]

Congrats @Gwaredd, good work. I've often thought about being self employed, the the whole not working = not earning stuff would feel like a big weight to carry. You really get the sense of relief in your post.

My job is pretty stressful, there's something I could do (and I'm probably better at) than I do now which would be so much easier, but massively reduces my chances of further progression. Just can't bring myself to give up on further success at this point, but I expect I'd get that similar weight off if I did.

As for £5 cash machines, they were essential as a youth! They are still around, I drew out £50 fairly recently and it gave the lot to me in fivers, which was partly actually pretty handy (suspect it might have been Santander).

[mik]

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Not very good at new job location.

West Coast of Scotland Jon? Sorry if I've missed that you'd already mentioned where it is.

Ooh - I remember you saying something about an opportunity one of the western isles (Mull?) but didn’t realise you’d made a decision.

[Gavster]

Congrats @Gwaredd, good work. I've often thought about being self employed, the the whole not working = not earning stuff would feel like a big weight to carry. You really get the sense of relief in your post.

My job is pretty stressful, there's something I could do (and I'm probably better at) than I do now which would be so much easier, but massively reduces my chances of further progression. Just can't bring myself to give up on further success at this point, but I expect I'd get that similar weight off if I did.

As for £5 cash machines, they were essential as a youth! They are still around, I drew out £50 fairly recently and it gave the lot to me in fivers, which was partly actually pretty handy (suspect it might have been Santander).

The problem is that too many of us go self employed without breaking out of the cycle of exchanging our time for money. We become freelancers. That's why I'm desperately looking for avenues of my work which can scale, either by deferring responsibilities to others, or creating products (physical/digital) that can sell. That's the difference between being a self employed freelancer and creating a business. If you can take six weeks off without your income tanking, then you've built a business.

[Delphi]

It's not often you get to say this, but after reading this thread over the last few months, Beany inspired me to do something.
...

So, no more Steele Signs. No more late nights. No more chasing money in. No more deliveries to old addresses! Onwards and upwards as they say. Here's to a stress free life, and here's to you Beany, for finding the courage to better yourself, you inspired me to do the same. Cheers!

Totally missed this! Congrats, mate! I suppose lifts are a god send to you with that wooden leg and all!

I've been a regular permie employee for over a year now, and I really enjoy not having to deal with VAT, accountants etc and the fact I know I'll always get paid, have paid holiday and sick leave really takes the pressure off.

[duncs500]

Congrats @Gwaredd, good work. I've often thought about being self employed, the the whole not working = not earning stuff would feel like a big weight to carry. You really get the sense of relief in your post.

My job is pretty stressful, there's something I could do (and I'm probably better at) than I do now which would be so much easier, but massively reduces my chances of further progression. Just can't bring myself to give up on further success at this point, but I expect I'd get that similar weight off if I did.

As for £5 cash machines, they were essential as a youth! They are still around, I drew out £50 fairly recently and it gave the lot to me in fivers, which was partly actually pretty handy (suspect it might have been Santander).

The problem is that too many of us go self employed without breaking out of the cycle of exchanging our time for money. We become freelancers. That's why I'm desperately looking for avenues of my work which can scale, either by deferring responsibilities to others, or creating products (physical/digital) that can sell. That's the difference between being a self employed freelancer and creating a business. If you can take six weeks off without your income tanking, then you've built a business.

Absolutely, building a business like that might mean you can take time away and it still functions, but I'd say unless you've got exponential growth there's going to be a number of years before you get to the point where you'd feel comfortable to do that. In the mean time you probably have to work even harder than a freelancer, have even more skin in the game and risk, and have things like other employees to worry about as well as yourself (plus most people behave in strange ways at the best of times).

I admire you for going for it, and hope you nail it. All I see in that situation is risk and stress, but then I'm naturally risk averse. If it's professional services and you can grow it organically taking a cut from temp staff that's the only way I can picture it not being a headfuck.

[mr_jon]

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Pretty hard to get across in 350kB but, ja, we moved to Islay on Saturday to make whisky. If you 'know your malts' you'll be able to guess who I'm working for. Amazing so far, weather good, both kids into the High School, missus has landed a job at the school despite bringing her old job with her on a remote basis, so will sack off the same sh1t company I used to work for. I don't start until Monday so the reality will bite then, but I'm looking forward to the challenge and just have to tell myself I know my stuff after 25 years; I just need to learn the new industry, people & technology.

We visited two beaches today that put 'The Beach' firmly into the shade, truly paradise.

The weather is due to turn shit this w/e so I expect it to feel a bit more real then.

[mr_jon]

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