Day Nine: It Takes One Friends Enthusiasm

Getting back on the horse is one of the hardest things you can do, a phrase that I have just made up but it’s how I’m feeling right now. The lull that i was feeling before now is, well hopefully, moving away. All it took was one of my friends to be really enthusiastic about the idea and it just made me want to work. For the last couple of days this whole starting a business thing is a bit of a chore. I wasn't having fun, I was starting to be kind of embarrassed at the whole idea and cursing all my friends who went off and got proper summer jobs that pay!

Back to the business sides of things, the website on the verge of working which is a brilliant plus, so many times over the past week or so I've been tempted to say "Sod it" and fork out money (that i really don't have) for someone to make it for me. My persistence and cheapness seems to be paying of (touch wood). I believe I've got the frame works of the shopping cart system sussed out now which I’m pretty chuffed with. I should be receiving the mock-ups of the packaging tomorrow which is great as that will be another major hurdle out of the way.

Got some great prices from my suppliers and currently a third of the way to getting the minimum amount before I actually open my shop up for business.

Day Eight: Doubt

Doubt is setting in, I don’t know whether it’s because I’m probably three weeks away from going “live” but I’m currently starting to consider the “ifs and buts” of this little project. Then I remembered all those people who said I couldn’t do it, even my own mother wasn’t exactly supportive. Just to show them a single customer would be just sensational. This imaginary feeling is what is currently fuelling my desire to continue.

Today I looked at some potential competitors and did some smashing research. The wording of their website and locations of their images is all on purpose. They have succeeded in creating companies that have been running for several years so it’s great to be able to see what works and what doesn’t. I’m back to the drawing board on my website design but it’s for the best.

Got another meeting with the funding people tomorrow so much luck is required! 

Day Seven: Realisation

 Still lacking motivation for some reason. I decided to do more of the “fun” jobs that I had planned. I got a tad excited about designing business cards then realised I wouldn’t really have a business if I kept doing stupid things like this. I manned up and actually went back to the real work. Got a stage closer to getting my packaging situation sorted out which is some good news also replied to some potential suppliers and deleted my daily dose of spam.

 Really thinking about a date when I could get the business live. Still waiting on my friend who is doing all the illustrations to get them done so I can’t really set a date until they are done. I think that’s one lesson learned: Don’t expect friends to instantly complete work they said they would do for you. You’re not paying them and they are doing you a favour, remember that. Starting to realise that the fun-ness (I hope that’s a real word) of starting the business and writing this blog is slowly declining as its starting to feel, well, it’s starting to feel real.

Day Six: Moronday

I don’t know what happened over the weekend but today was awful. Spent most of the working day working on a future update for the website so people can actually buy my product. You would think that that was progress for the business however today was not a step forward at all. While playing around with a few back-end website settings I managed to delete the majority of the work I had completed over the past week. I actually made the same mistake twice and spent a good 10 minutes with my head in my hands in awe of my own stupidity. These mistakes cost me about 2 hours, which was incredibly frustrating.

After a week of my companies email address being live, spammers have found it. It would seem my spam filter enjoys watching me waste time as the only email it let into the junk folder was an email from one of the Japanese suppliers I’ve been trying to contact. I was going to adjust the settings of the junk folder but then realised today is probably not the best day for adjusting settings.

Stressed and annoyed I left the library earlier than usual, mainly so I don’t do any more damage. Good food, cheesy film and an early night is my prescription. No side-effects would be great.

Day Five: PGMHOFD

The fifth day or “potential get my hands on funding day” as it became known to nobody but myself (hence forth known as PGMHOFD.) In my head I had all these scenarios planned out that mainly went along the lines of talking to the big bad manager of the funding scheme and being outwitted in my shoddy small talk then having my business torn to shreds in front of my very eyes while he counts all his money that I won’t be getting. Thankfully this was not the case. 

Actually I could never have predicted the actual case that unfolded before my bewildered eyes. Yes, I explained my business. Yes, the manager was a fantastic, enthusiastic yet down to earth guy. Yes he gave me sound advice to further progress my quest for funding. However (this is a big however – note the subtle change of font size and the less subtle bracket telling you it was a big “however") I didn’t think for a moment that the man entrusted with the faith to guide young businessmen and businesswomen would also be a founding member of a 70’s tribute ect. Actually that’s not to unsurprising, it was more the fact that in this tribute act all the members wear huge black afros while singing their tunes. I may have to repeat that one more time for the people who aren’t paying attention. Huge black afros. 

To demonstrate the hugeness of this afro I’ve drawn a nice little sketch for you.

 It was probably my favourite funding meeting I have had to date mainly because of the high number of big black afro anecdotes and secondly because it’s my first funding meeting. I do hope all future funding meetings have huge black afro anecdotes involved.  I'm meeting with Huge-Afroman again soon to hand over bank details and ID. Promising. I don’t know when I find out if I receive the funding but it’s nice to be taken away from the office library to talk with real life human beings rather than being on the wrong side of a payment processed email. And thus ends PGMHOFD.