I went to the last meeting of 2009 and saw great potential to the layout. There isn't one. I saw great potential to the policies, there aren't any. Unlike the current group I'm with, that are so over governed a few members are getting sick of it because they feel like they're back at school.
One member who became pregnant asked for some time off and if it was okay to come back afterwards. She was told "No, you cancel your membership and we open your industry to someone else. If it's still not taken when you decide to come back then you can renew your membership."
Being more than just a business associate to me, she vented her frustration and I agreed that the whole thing was getting out of hand. I was get frustrated with the fact that the system they follow isn't too flexible and accommodating. So I told her about this new group that's started and I also mentioned her to the guy that came and saw me yesterday.
His visit was mainly to chat about the future of mine. See, while the business advisor I spoke to said that my business was a dead end and we all agree that is may be. Yesterday's meeting illustrated that I can always keep the business running but morph it into something that can expand without me having to try anything like hiring new staff or dumping the whole thing and moving on to what I really want to do, and dumping my customers in the same swift move. Not something I'd like done to me, so I shouldn't do it to my client base.
So he said that this new group he's started isn't just about referring work to one another, while that's a part of it, every week will showcase a new guest who's extremely successful and is happy to come to a meeting and tell us small time business folk how they made their millions.
I told him, while I want to be rich, I don't want millions, I just want to be well off enough to pay all my bills and know that I can go away and afford to travel a bit, afford to buy that item I really want and know that I don't have to open my bank book and think "shit, time to figure out how to get paid this week"
I suppose, a lot of my situation has to do with my lack of knowledge on how to run a business. I didn't make a plan. The plan was, work, make money. But since hanging out with successful people, I have learnt that I didn't plan at all. It was just something I said to myself. Not good enough.
I have been working on a business plan for the music school and already things are very clear. I can almost see it operating while I proof read the 15 page document thus far.
So, my visitor yesterday pointed out that I should still plan on getting rid of the business, but rather than dump it, make it a sellable business. Make it something unlike now, which is not a guarantee to a potential buyer. Nothing is in place that commits a client to use me as their IT support. So over the next 12 months we are going to work on putting systems in place that will make my business something my customers can't live without.
The goal is the end will be that the business in 12 months will actually be worth selling to another IT organisation. I'm not sure how this is going to be achieved but I believe in this person and I believe in myself. I know I can do it, and 12 months isn't a long time.
In the meantime, I'm thinking that 12 months is a long time to wait for this business to wrap up and I start the new venture. I'm thinking that I'll be 12 months behind with the new business. Good things come to those who wait. I'm happy to wait.
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