good days and less good days

Some days are golden, people tell me how awesomely cool my boats are. My spirits soar and I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. More often I am working on some new thing (alone) and noone is cheering me on. I just keep marching on, taking care of business.

Orders come in and I feel validated. No orders and I start to worry a little. The day to day fluctuations don't mean much, all businesses have ups and downs. What matters more is the long run. Will I sell enough boats to stay self-employed? Or will I have to get a J-O-B to supplement my income and keep my head above water?

As you might guess, the prospect of getting a job after nearly 20 years employing myself is daunting and in a low moment a bit depressing. The job market is tight (I hear) and I am in my 50's which makes it even harder to find a job. So I keep moving forward praying for a miracle... or a great marketing idea.

If you have any ideas, I am ready to hear them, I'm listening.......

filling in some holes

Pardon me if I drift off topic. I was laying out the past few years. So I developed a product which I believed would be well received. I figured I needed to make a video and when the world saw my boat all hell would break loose. (It still might.) Yes it was simplistic thinking and I knew it probably would not be that easy but I am in uncharted waters so I just don't know for sure.

I made more videos and got a little traffic on my website but the website needed to be easier to use. I spent some more money and got a nice shopping cart feature added. It helped and I sold some boats.

I am still making videos. I never cared much for photography, I didn't like to see the world through a viewfinder. My Sony Handycam has made it easier, I can view a little screen and still glance up to see firsthand whats going on.

I am only making simple videos to convey simple concepts. I think abouit producing something more complex perhaps with a plot and maybe even a script. Tell a story about a corogami adventure.

In the testing process I have had a few adventures. I wrapped a kayak around a partially submerged tree in a creek (happy ending: the boat popped back into shape save for a small crease and I was back to paddling in no time). I also got caught by a freaky summer pop-up thunderstorm while out on carlyle lake. I was glad I had my PFD (lifevest) on.

So now I'm up and running. I still work to make my boats better. I am designing new products made with the technology I have developed and advancing that technology. I still don't hire out much. I like to understand things well and nothing generates understanding like doing it yourself. I hope to find others who want to be a part of this adventure to help grow this thing.

I've heard that overnight success only takes 10 to 15 years. That's a pretty big adventure.