Here's a crazy thought

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion) 10/01/2018 at 03:12 • Filed to: None

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Instead of looking for a Volvo, I could buy a new pickup and start another business. Go back to working for myself.

$20k for a new pickup.

$500 for a good ladder rack.

$600 for a full compliment of extension and step ladders.

$300 for miscellaneous window gear.

$600 for top-of-the-line Husqvarna backpack blower.

$300 for miscellaneous gutter cleaning gear.

$1500 for commercial grade pressure washer.

$600 for miscellaneous pressure washing gear.

$800 for PPE. Fall restraints, eye protection, GOAT, anchors, etc.

About $26,000 to start a business that can easily make double that the first year, and triple the following. Significantly less if I buy a used truck. Keep it low to the ground, prioritizing profits over growth at a 70/30 ratio. Drive sales via SEO, good web design and review-gathering software. Cap off expansion at one additional year-round full-time employee, to keep operations as simple as possible. Jump into the Christmas light hanging business next season, but otherwise stick to windows, gutters, and pressure-washing.

I did alright the first time around, but now... Well. I’ve learned a lot since I started that company six years ago. I don’t really want to stay in this field, but putting in work for something that’s my own is infinitely more rewarding than building up someone else’s business. Stick to the above plan for a while, save some cash and transition to working weekends, then I could go back to school fulltime.

Gaaaaah. It takes me forever to start something. Despite almost always enjoying new endeavors, I still have a deep-seated fear of leaving behind what I’m familiar with. “Objects at rest tend to stay at rest,” and the momentum I gained when jumping into this new position is now gone. As is my passion for being Operations Manager here. Decisions, decisions.

I’m not sure if I’m serious or not. Late-night AIM approaches life and large decisions in a different manor than daytime Aim. That said I’m approaching a point where I’ll need some kind of change. I’d like a career that’s exciting—and dangerous. Or if not that, something I’ve built from the ground up, enjoying every second of it despite the grind . Barring those two options, I’d take a job with a high enough pay that I could push my other desires aside, at least temporarily.

Idle thoughts, or preliminary planning? I don't know, but either way it helps to get this written out. 

whatisthatsound > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 03:24

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I am bouncing between a volvo wagon and a pickup because I’m selling the jag. Welcome to my wagon wheel glad to have you as a joining spoke. 

atfsgeoff > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 03:28

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I’d like a career that’s exciting—and dangerous.

Military?

AestheticsInMotion > whatisthatsound 10/01/2018 at 03:29

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Must be a PNW thing. I hope you’re at least smarter than I am, and not lusting after a V70r

AestheticsInMotion > atfsgeoff 10/01/2018 at 03:32

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Thought about it. If nothing else I should probably take the ASVAB. 

atfsgeoff > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 03:36

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It’ll definitely take you places.

CRider > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 06:23

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https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=496503251&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3FstartYear%3D1981%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceDESC%26incremental%3Dall%26firstRecord%3D0%26endYear%3D2019%26modelCodeList%3DRAMSRT10%26makeCodeList%3DDODGE&startYear=1981&numRecords=25&firstRecord=0&endYear=2019&modelCodeList=RAMSRT10&makeCodeList=DODGE

boxrocket > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 06:40

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Better idea: Buy an XC90 V8 with the towing package, and a small trailer for the bigger ladders and harsher chemicals and whatnot (and it can act as a changing room) . Start same business, but still have the lovely Volvo (and comfy seats) and stand out as someone with impeccable taste with a vehicle that looks like it belongs in upscale neighborhoods, and increase your profit margin by focusing on the upper classes at higher rates than normal .

boxrocket > CRider 10/01/2018 at 06:41

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IIRC those have a payload rating of a few hundred pounds, whereas the Lightning could do over 1000.

TheRealBicycleBuck > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 06:53

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Alternative plan:

Get a trailer of the appropriate size, outfit the trailer, then pull it with a Volvo, or Audi, or whatever you want....

PartyPooper2012 > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 07:04

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Why..... why get a new pickup and whole lot of ladders when instead you can get a cherry picker truck.... never mind... just thought about my old house and its not reachable by anything wider than a sheet of paper.

Carry on. All of us here want a cut for supporting your business. 4 red leaves with your company logo imprinted on them. Thanks! 

shop-teacher > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 07:20

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So, you’re thinking of starting a business that competes with the one you just sold not too long ago? Did you not sign a non-compete clause?

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 07:33

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Buy my truck and you can start your own business for about $16k:  https://oppositelock.kinja.com/repost-for-sale-1828587951

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher 10/01/2018 at 07:38

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I would think this might be a risk. Unlike just taking another job in the same field, competing directly, depending on the agreement, might attract lawsuits.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 08:23

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/dodge-ram-power-wagon-1988/6699985416.html

Nibby > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 08:38

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buy an F450 dually bro

shop-teacher > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 10/01/2018 at 09:21

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Yeah, a former friend of mine put himself in a very bad situation this way.

BigBlock440 > boxrocket 10/01/2018 at 09:42

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What I’m finding with a quick google, 1,131 for the regular cab, 1,010 for the quad cab.

Hamtractor > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 09:52

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Hazardous materials technician.  Great money, responding to semi wrecks, chemical spills, etc.  I did it for four years, cleaned up everything from hydrochloric acid spills from a tanker to crude oil in the oil patch, and everything in between.  We took care of stuff the local first responders said “Nope, not sending my guys in there”...  It was awesome.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 10:24

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Didn’t you sell your business the first time because you wanted to try something different?

boxrocket > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 13:50

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You’re doing the right thing by l ust ing after a V70R!

You just need two if you buy one.

AestheticsInMotion > CRider 10/01/2018 at 14:25

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$27k for a 15 year old truck? Pass

I've driven a v10 manual truck, fun but not something I'd want to live with. Spinning tires in 3rd gear... 

AestheticsInMotion > shop-teacher 10/01/2018 at 14:26

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I did not. Wooooooo

AestheticsInMotion > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 10/01/2018 at 14:28

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Oh lordy. One of these would make for a hell of a work truck... 

AestheticsInMotion > Hamtractor 10/01/2018 at 14:29

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Hmm. I already work with some hazardous chemicals. I like this idea

AestheticsInMotion > TheRealBicycleBuck 10/01/2018 at 14:30

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Trailers are a major hassle in an area like this. Nowhere to park it is only the beginning of the issues I would have

AestheticsInMotion > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 10/01/2018 at 14:32

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This is correct.

But I miss having money

AestheticsInMotion > Nibby 10/01/2018 at 14:33

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What do I look like , a florist ?

Volvo semi or nothin

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 14:43

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Easy to work on, tons of parts and cheap parts.

TheRealBicycleBuck > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 14:52

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Where there’s a will, there’s a storage unit.

Seriously, I’ve seen people using a local storage place to park their work trailer every night. A parking spot inside the fence is about $75/mo.

CRider > boxrocket 10/01/2018 at 15:02

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The regular cab SRT10 has a payload of 1131 lbs , the Lighting 1380. The Lightning is  higher (and probably a better truck overall) but... V10! Manual!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 15:03

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Riiiiiight...... No one understands that better than me.

shop-teacher > AestheticsInMotion 10/01/2018 at 17:25

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That’s good, but keep in mind this will create some hard feelings and perhap s some difficulties and complications in the future for you.

boxrocket > CRider 10/01/2018 at 19:35

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Hmm, maybe I was thinking towing capacity? Either way, I’ve driven a few SRT-10s, and the 1940s-era Allis-Chalmers tractors I’m helping my uncle restore have lighter and more-engaging clutch pedals. Your left leg will be ‘yuge’ if you drive a Ram SRT-10 more than a couple times a week. 

CRider > boxrocket 10/01/2018 at 20:10

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Yeah, the reg cab isn’t rated to tow anything . It’s a early 2000s Chrysler product so it’s not going to be “refined” and maybe it’s better left as a dream... But that regular cab, manual trans, Viper V10 combo is a once in a lifetime combination that we aren’t ever going to see again.

I think the biggest drawback from a usability standpoint is the wing. It’s fixed to the bedsides, not the tailgate so it stays in place when the tailgate goes down. You’ll never get anything in the bed that you can’t lift over the side.

AestheticsInMotion > TheRealBicycleBuck 10/01/2018 at 22:50

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There's a good chance I'll base the rest of business out of a storage unit this time, regardless of trailer decisions. $270/month for a 20x15 box, sure beats trying to rent a garage somewhere. 

Hamtractor > AestheticsInMotion 10/02/2018 at 14:13

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If the idea of straddling an overturned 5000 gallon tanker full of methanol, while drilling a hole it, while a fire truck sprays you with a water fog to prevent sparks appeals to you, it’s a no brainer.  If wearing an SCBA and a Level A suit (like Outbreak, or Quarantine style) while pumping off a virtual lake of acid, or cleaning the inside of a crude oil tank at the local refinery sounds good, this one is for you!