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Kev Williams
10-26-2018, 5:17 PM
.......I've posted up many threads lately about my personal experiences in dealing with a recent spate of issues, good and bad, with my machinery and computers that I hoped might be of a little interest and possible benefit to others involved in this hobby-slash-business. The sad truth is that the lack of interaction seems to indicate that they're neither. Nothing wrong with that, it's just a fact. Another truth is, at this point in my business life I'm so overwhelmed with the work that just keeps endlessly coming into this place (and the recent spate of issues and the time needed to resolve them) that I seriously have no clue as to how to keep up with it all. So it's apparent to me that I need to re-examine my current priorities, and the obvious immediate change to make would be to spend less keyboard time online, and use that time getting the work out, the email answered and the machines and computers in running order. I can read a lot faster than I can type so I'll always be lurking, and if I think I might have a useful answer or suggestion I'll offer it up. Meanwhile, there's jobs on 10 machines and they're all screaming my name... :)




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Ian Stewart-Koster
10-27-2018, 7:13 AM
It's so easy to procrastinate... once you get in the habit of checking the internet forums or social media...!

Frederick Skelly
10-27-2018, 7:18 AM
I always read your posts and enjoy learning from them, even though I don't have a laser.
Good luck catching up on the work - plenty of work is truly a good thing!
Look forward to reading more of your thoughts here one day soon. :)
Fred

Scott Shepherd
10-27-2018, 9:02 AM
Completely relate Kev. That's why I don't post much anymore. It's easy to pop in and read a couple things and pop out. Too much stuff going on and things that need to happen that are important to our business.

John Lifer
10-27-2018, 11:49 AM
I usually check during the machine running something that takes a bit. Guess that is why some of my posts are error prone, but still want to comment. Yep, learned a bunch here, from most of you guys, Kev for sure from you.
You've got to take care of work, FIRST, then here or elsewhere after that...

Ross Moshinsky
10-27-2018, 3:08 PM
I've done some ball park numbers in my head based on how active you are doing jobs, the level of work you do, and the difficulty of work you do. I've also taken into consideration your assumed expenses.

You should be making "screw you" money, in relative terms. If you're not, that's your problem more than anything else. My gut says you are WAY too cheap and you say "yes" to just about any job. This means you're working all the time and while I'm sure you do well for yourself, you're not rewarding yourself properly for the job you do.

You could and probably should increase your prices 25% across the board. I'd be surprised if you lost 25% of your business and even if you did, who cares? You're making the same money doing 25% less work. Now you've got time to yourself to spend a few hours on the internet or spending time with family or friends.

Joe Pelonio
10-27-2018, 6:56 PM
When I was at that point I hired an artist who worked nights aa a bartender to help out, trained her and paid her $12/hour, back about 2006. It was full time when needed, less when not as busy. Don’t overwork yourself, it won’t take much of a price increase to cover the labor cost, just a bit tricky to deal with employee paperwork (withholding, SS, L&I etc.) if you haven’t done it before.

Mark Davison
10-30-2018, 5:26 AM
I've done some ball park numbers in my head based on how active you are doing jobs, the level of work you do, and the difficulty of work you do. I've also taken into consideration your assumed expenses.

You should be making "screw you" money, in relative terms. If you're not, that's your problem more than anything else. My gut says you are WAY too cheap and you say "yes" to just about any job. This means you're working all the time and while I'm sure you do well for yourself, you're not rewarding yourself properly for the job you do.

You could and probably should increase your prices 25% across the board. I'd be surprised if you lost 25% of your business and even if you did, who cares? You're making the same money doing 25% less work. Now you've got time to yourself to spend a few hours on the internet or spending time with family or friends.


I dont think OP was asking for pricing advice, he works how he works.

Trey Tull
10-30-2018, 8:04 AM
Kev, I have always enjoyed reading your posts and have learned a great deal from you. Thank you for all of the time you have taken to enlighten some of us. Now go and clone yourself a few times and one of you get back on here while the other 2 are running machines.

Paul Brinkmeyer
10-30-2018, 11:13 AM
Kev
I too will miss following your "adventures".
I live in a very depressed area, so I can not post about issues like you do, but I sure enjoyed seeing how you run your shop.
I too have learned from you and I do, and will continue, to re-read many of your posts looking for ways to help me.
Thanks and good luck to you.

Bert Kemp
10-30-2018, 1:42 PM
Kev I can't tell you How much I've learned from your posts and your personal correspondence to help me thanks so much. We all know how much time you spend here and I (we) understand how it can take away from work time. Your family comes first then your business then us Get those in order. Hope you don't completely disappear tho we need you.

Scott Shepherd
10-30-2018, 2:42 PM
I think everyone that Kev's taking time out of his day to help should do a couple jobs for him. Then he'd instantly have a couple 100 people doing the work for him and he could get back to posting his adventures!

Trey Tull
10-30-2018, 3:52 PM
I think everyone that Kev's taking time out of his day to help should do a couple jobs for him. Then he'd instantly have a couple 100 people doing the work for him and he could get back to posting his adventures!

Send the work my way Kev.

Tim Bateson
10-31-2018, 8:40 AM
I recognize the position you are in Kev. The last few years have been overwhelming with work. Up at 5am, squeeze a few minutes of laser business in, Day job, home at 4pm, laser business until midnight, repeat. I actually removed my phone number from all of my websites. Took at least 6 months, but traffic did slow down. This year - Late summer there was an odd lull, work dropped to a trickle. It was kind of nice to have something people call "Free Time". That extended.. until I decided to take a real vacation. Then as I had guessed, the flood gates opened wide. Great European vacation, but working my tail off to catch-up now.