Overcoming the wife factor...

[TheTuna]

I've been with her now for almost 5 years, and I know her all too well. She's going to tell me I can't do it....

Any tips for convincing the little lady that YES, actually, this is a very viable business?

She knows that years ago I was in the WSR business, but she thinks I dropped it because there was no money in it. The fact is, my business partner died and I was too young and stupid to run a business properly.

How do you convince a woman who was raised in the J O B school of thought and is very strong minded?

[Coitster]

Hey Tuna,
Go buy her a book called Rich Dad Poor Dad and have her read it. Jobs are sure not where it is at.
David
Coitster

[scratchy]

You can't convince anybody of anything. You just go out, do it and bring back results. If you look at the risk many people have taken borrowing tons of money to start a restaurant or other form of retail establishment, WSR makes even more sense. The one thing I know is that people can't compute "Mobile Service." If you pay $1000 per month rent and tons more for insurance and employees then they think its a business. This is an advantage though for the committed WSR tech. I think mobile service is the wave of the future with internet, email and cell phones at everyone's disposal.

[TheTuna]

Coister... I wish it were that simple. I should probably give a bit more explanation reguarding the underlying issue.

When I met her, I was making 90k + a year as a software developer. Throughout the time we've been together, I made that much or more money a year. After 9/11, the job market for my field crashed hard. I went a long time without income. Too long. She had to support us and it really was a major struggle.

The investment in new WSR equipment is minimal, a drop in the bucket really. Combined right now, we make about 50k between us. We're not hurting anymore, but we're right on the edge. For me, sales is easy, but she's never known me to do sales. She doesn't think it's my "field". She's almost obsessed with me getting back into software develoment full time. For now though, I know its not realistic. I can triple my personal income right off the bat if I jump back into WSR, but convincing her of that will be a difficult sell.

I'm going to sneak it in the back door by purchasing things I need a little at a time, then start doing it part time on the weekends. This will prove it.

I'm just frustrated because I really dislike my job and every day is miserable to me knowing what I COULD be doing....

[TheTuna]

I agree with you scratchy, the service industry is a prime money maker.

[Coitster]

Have you tried to explain to here that the market is falling out of the software engineering field. Its all going over sea's. I wish you luck buddy.
David
Coitster

[TheTuna]

I've tried...

[scratchy]

I think one root is the gnawing desire for a glorious job. Some get them and some don't. Some MAKE them and some don't. I bet when Coitster whips out the portable tent at the corporate office park just to fix one shield the customer is thinking holy smokes its red carpet treatment time, not to mention a perfect repair.
I have spent good $ on pro lettering, embroidered shirts, great tools and training. All of it put together makes for a good show for the customer and good profits for the business. No shame in that. Everybody has to reinvent themselves at one time or another. Some of the greatest people I have known are just as successful sellling apples as supervising in a industrial setting to running a charter boat service. Work is the media, greatness comes from within.

[Pat]

Well the way I see it when you are married it is a 50, 50 proposition. Set down with her and let her know this is something that you would really like to pursue. Work up a cost of what it will cost to get started in the business and then show her a realistic goal that you can reach. Then this way you can show for how long it will take to break even if you are doing it part time.

[TheTuna]

Pat, that's the thing, it SHOULD be that easy, but I know better. Thanks for all the input, but I'm resigned to doing it my way...

I'm going to slowly gather my stuff, an injector here, a bridge there... resin next week, a lamp after that...

It stinks to do it this way, but I know how stubborn she is, and the fight isn't worth it!