Well that was fun . . .
Ok, I am not sure where the last three months of my life went.
When we last spoke I was heading off to China for a little R&R. One goes to Hawaii for R&R, not China. We traveled down most of the eastern seaboard of China with stops in Beijing, Guilin, Nanjing, Shanghai and ultimately landing in Hong Kong before our return home.
Three weeks later, I returned to the office a little travel weary and with 3000+ emails waiting my attention. Life and business don’t stop simply because we leave the office. So in the midst of digging out of what had accumulated while I was exploring the bargains in Nanjing, my landlord informed us that he was cancelling our lease. Did I mention how much fun being self-employed is?
We rented a work/live space, and the landlord opted to move into the building. Real estate is a premium in SF. So after 5 years, we were looking for new space. So in addition to catching up from my absence, I was now looking for new space and planning a move. I love being a small business owner!!
Then came the flu. Great timing, eh? Now, I was working, looking for a new office and sneezing and wheezing. We found space, I continued to cough and we began to pack up the office. If you ever want a trip down your business’s memory lane, pack up your office. I cleaned out files of client’s who have come and gone. I found pictures from when we open the office and my desk was a ping pong table. And, I found a pack of Twizzlers, date of origin unknown.
Amongst the boxes, we continued to try and run the office. Our move dates was set for January 4th. So after Christmas, I headed to Tahoe for a much needed rest and recovery (trust me a vacation in China doesn’t count - and if it did - the plane ride home takes care of any rest you may have accumulated). We had hoped to get a little skiing in and play in the snow with the dogs. Instead it rained. No, I mean it rained. Ugh!
So the big move day came, I had planned, I had lists, I even had a strategy. Move on Tuesday, set up on Wednesday, and be operational on Thursday. A strategy? Isn’t that cute?
The move itself was fine. I used One Big Man & One Big Truck Moving Co., a local mover that is a member of our local chamber. Support your local businesses!! They were great – timely, professional and efficient.
Next phase was phone and Internet installation. I had scheduled the appointment back in mid-December, I had a work confirmation number, I waited for the allotted period, what I didn’t have was phones. Hmmm, somehow the phone company lost my work order. Twice!!! And you know how much I love the phone comany!
We were without phones for 2 weeks. In addition, we couldn’t unpack because we couldn’t move the furniture and filing cabinets in place until the phone and DSL lines were run. And surprisingly, the phone company didn’t seem to share our urgency.
It’s the end of January, we are settled, unpacked, mailing 1099’s and generally returning to normal (whatever that is). The moral of the story – When you’re in small business, #@#* happens!! When it does, keep juggling!!
To the outside world, it was business as usual. That’s what you do. That’s being in business. I would have written sooner, but I was busy juggling!!
When we last spoke I was heading off to China for a little R&R. One goes to Hawaii for R&R, not China. We traveled down most of the eastern seaboard of China with stops in Beijing, Guilin, Nanjing, Shanghai and ultimately landing in Hong Kong before our return home.
Three weeks later, I returned to the office a little travel weary and with 3000+ emails waiting my attention. Life and business don’t stop simply because we leave the office. So in the midst of digging out of what had accumulated while I was exploring the bargains in Nanjing, my landlord informed us that he was cancelling our lease. Did I mention how much fun being self-employed is?
We rented a work/live space, and the landlord opted to move into the building. Real estate is a premium in SF. So after 5 years, we were looking for new space. So in addition to catching up from my absence, I was now looking for new space and planning a move. I love being a small business owner!!
Then came the flu. Great timing, eh? Now, I was working, looking for a new office and sneezing and wheezing. We found space, I continued to cough and we began to pack up the office. If you ever want a trip down your business’s memory lane, pack up your office. I cleaned out files of client’s who have come and gone. I found pictures from when we open the office and my desk was a ping pong table. And, I found a pack of Twizzlers, date of origin unknown.
Amongst the boxes, we continued to try and run the office. Our move dates was set for January 4th. So after Christmas, I headed to Tahoe for a much needed rest and recovery (trust me a vacation in China doesn’t count - and if it did - the plane ride home takes care of any rest you may have accumulated). We had hoped to get a little skiing in and play in the snow with the dogs. Instead it rained. No, I mean it rained. Ugh!
So the big move day came, I had planned, I had lists, I even had a strategy. Move on Tuesday, set up on Wednesday, and be operational on Thursday. A strategy? Isn’t that cute?
The move itself was fine. I used One Big Man & One Big Truck Moving Co., a local mover that is a member of our local chamber. Support your local businesses!! They were great – timely, professional and efficient.
Next phase was phone and Internet installation. I had scheduled the appointment back in mid-December, I had a work confirmation number, I waited for the allotted period, what I didn’t have was phones. Hmmm, somehow the phone company lost my work order. Twice!!! And you know how much I love the phone comany!
We were without phones for 2 weeks. In addition, we couldn’t unpack because we couldn’t move the furniture and filing cabinets in place until the phone and DSL lines were run. And surprisingly, the phone company didn’t seem to share our urgency.
It’s the end of January, we are settled, unpacked, mailing 1099’s and generally returning to normal (whatever that is). The moral of the story – When you’re in small business, #@#* happens!! When it does, keep juggling!!
To the outside world, it was business as usual. That’s what you do. That’s being in business. I would have written sooner, but I was busy juggling!!
