This may be the end of an era, the computer shop is in the red. The rest of the gang can no more afford to operate at a deficit than I can, and I lost over $100 staying in business last month. I don’t mind because of the overall benefits but I doubt others feel the same. Losing that shop will be a painful amputation. Even operating at a loss, the income from the computers pays for many things that would have to be replaced over here, to the extent that losing $150 per month is a more pragmatic breakeven point.If I recall correctly, the lease is up for renewal next month. My advice to Fred is to tell the landlady the rent must be brought into line with other available properties or we haul ass. There is a corner shop on Tyler for $499 per month and it has tremendous exposure on the westbound one-way. While Fred may have some misplaced loyalty to the premises, I remember when said landlady used the CAM clause to double the rent in early 2008. That was cold and heartless.
So what is the going rate? Considering vacancies are turning entire business districts, especially the outlying strip malls, into quasi-ghost towns, dropping prices to $499 per month for prime central locations. That’s 75% less than a year ago and only a block or two away. Too bad we can’t make a living selling “Going Out of Business” signs. I’ll remind Fred of my offer to get a crew together and move him out in one day. There will be some concern about a move losing our customer base, but the fact is, they haven’t been around in months as it is.
The biggest danger with relocating is linear thinking. We are all surrounded by people who are experts at cause and effect. Unfortunately, for such types, every effect has only one cause—the one that pops into their thick heads. One customer earlier today told us it was easy to start a business. He said, “You just find a good product that people want, buy it in bulk, advertise heavily, and sell each unit for as much as you can.”
If you follow his rules, he went on, success was certain. He gave Sam Walton as an example . “See?” he kept saying, demonstrating his wisdom. But he warned in a cheerless tone, if you didn’t follow his formula exactly, you would fail. He could point out (after the fact) precisely what each failed business did wrong.
The problem with linear thinking is such people have no ability to consider how other factors outside their limited experiences inter-relate. I’ve got one guy who does not believe I have an MBA because I work in a shoe shop. The facts about my health short-circuit his brainwaves because he “knows” why I’m not making $150K per year: I must be a dropout. He keeps saying “a smart guy like [me]” should post a resume on the Internet, something he couldn’t do himself. What a regular Albert Frankenstein.
It may be time to move on, but to what? I’m glad to have experience and confidence [that I’ll find something]. The job supply is drying up pretty fast, though. The businesses that survive will be subsistence level and unlikely to provide much of a customer base for any tertiary business, the only kind I know how to operate. I’ve been on a cash basis for nine consecutive years so at least that won’t be a problem. According to Reader’s Digest, 27% of American don’t own or refuse to own a credit card, so I’m not alone. Just part of a minority.
The same magazine says don’t order drinks with lemon slices. Lemons. Everybody touches them, nobody washes them, they just get sliced and thrown in the liquid you are about to consume. Never thought about that, but now that I do, yuck.
Trivia. In Japan, lumber is expensive. They actually microwave each log and then squeeze the water out of it until it is square. The process takes seven minutes, the resulting lumber is stronger, and there is very little wastage. Be careful, due to different wattages, cooking times may vary.
