Who me?

As I have written over the past several months, I am associated with a group in California that is setting up a new company. This is literally ground floor stuff. In other words, we have nothing set up. This week the little inventory we have is being moved from Anaheim to Temecula CA, the phone is changing, the address is changing, I think we are still in the same time zone.

This adventure is new to me. Everywhere I have worked before has the infrastructure needed to move the business along. The computers were all linked, the invoices were issued, the purchase orders, the pick tickets, the inventory counted, the phones were installed, the mail was delivered or picked up, the bathroom was cleaned, the coffee cups were washed....by someone else.

We meet and I tell them what I need to do my job, and as I am saying it I can see the look on someones face that I am loading them down with another task, another project that needs to be done. I'm trying to be sensitive to this, but as my bride will tell you, sensitivity is really not my long suit.

On my end, I am finding myself developing customer lists, dividing territories, developing spreadsheets with forecasts, thinking up sales promotions...then typing them up..myself. It is so odd to think of something that needs to be done then realize I have to add it to my list of projects. Sigh. And all this without getting a paycheck. You see, this is a start up and no revenue until we ship something.

So I am hit by the realization that if it is going to get done, I have to do it. Not all bad, though. For once I am getting to set this deal up as I would see fit. Process developing is one of the things I do really well. Of course some day, if this thing survives some punk kid will step in and just assume that all these plans and protocol just appeared for his convenience. I don't like him already.

Godspeed out there for those who are starting over. It is not all bad, it just doesn't pay all that great...or at all.
Don