[GZG] Re: OT: Rant, DLD being as slow as dogsnot.......long

I know that I have been slow in getting orders out to folks for the past,
what, year? I try as hard as I can to get things done in as timely a manner as
possible. I am only one person doing the work. Lisa has dropped the Office
duties in my lap, and only she knows how things were done.....Me? I have to
fumble my way through to figure out how she did the computer work. (By the
way, it was her computer that crashed in
March/April, and since I'm not making bank on every order that comes in,

I could not afford to purchase a brand new, high tech, low drag,
computer. And since no one was in the market of loaning/giving one, it
wasn't going to happen soon.)

When we did finally get the new computers, (she had to take out a second

morgage on her house to do so.), they got infected with a few viruses,
because some snot-nose punk had nothing better to do that day, but
create a virus that went out and messed up our computers!

Mind you all, all of our passwords, and information about the company, taxes
everything was in those computers. (not to mention all of Lisas' information.)

That said, we decided, (only because Lisa wasn't going to do the Office stuff
anymore.), that we need to move the Home Office to the shop. Fine.

But the paperwork from 3 conventions were lost to the large pile, or placed in
a very safe place. Now not having had the access to email for
about 3-6 months surely didn't help. And since everyones' information
was on those reciepts, it made emailing......difficult at best. Especially if
I don't have a photographic memory! I barely remember my own name some days!

Orders piled up, none got shipped, then one day, a tech friend of Lisas'

finally figured out what the problem was with the virus. He didn't kill it,
but he went around it. Computer works, now. We did, (actaully it was

me.), find the envelopes from the various conventions. I have been shipping
orders out from the past year. The first batch cost me nearly $70.00 in
shipping....the second, another $60.00, I'm still working on the third batch
and current orders to be shipped. I still work in the shop by myself, I now
have to do the Office stuff by myself, and I've had hardly any orders coming
in........lot's 'o money going out, but not

so much coming in.

Which brings me to this, I appreciate the folks that have emailed me to rattle
my cage. Believe me it helps. I get into a mode sometimes, and
need to be shaken out of it. :-(
Tell me, " Hey, haven't gotten my order yet", or "Hey just wanted to drop a
line to let you know I'm still alive, and lookin' fer me
order."   Now, I'm not stupid. I know how a company should run....and
it's not like that. If I had someone to help trim, (unless everyone wants to
trim the kits themselves, (not being sarcastic, just curious.)), or help with
cutting foam, or even do the Office stuff, it would be a big help. But,
emailing me and being sarcastic, is not going to help me. In fact, I'm just
wasting time writing this, because I felt the need to let
everyone know the ins and outs of _my_ company.

So, now that I've gone and told everyone about just how stressfull my day is
everyday, 7 days a week, let's hope that folks will continue with

being patient. Some folks have mentioned that I am a crook, and just steal
peoples' money, and never shipped the product......in fact, if some of those
folks would recall, when they did get their package, I usually try to make up
for it with some "extra goodies". It may not $100,000,000,000.00 note, but
it's what I feel would "help" ease the concern.

I am one person running a company fit for about 5-8 people. I hardly
have time for myself, I don't sleep well, I stress about everything, because
everything is the company. I work very hard to NOT send folks
bricks of resin, and an x-acto knife, and tell them, "Here, you do it!
Now, give me $30.00!" Life is too short to have it fade away in a cloud of
stress. I have mine. I try to not let others have theirs.

I am trying.

Funny, I don't recall seeing the original of the note; I haven't seen ANYONE
on this list complaining. Closest I can recall were a few words as to whether
your enterprise had gone under. And the usually strong desire to
see everything you produce in three-if-not-more scales...

I think we're all pretty aware of the ways of small businesses.

When I mentioned I'd bought into a game store, and others tried to
dis-abuse me of any get-rich visions I may have had, what I HADN'T
mentioned was the business model included no profits to owners for at least
one year, and I'm pretty sure none for two. Heck, I'd be happy with return OF
investment in my lifetime, not mentioning return ON investment...

Now, I'm pretty sure I can find places to put several thousand dollars where
I'll see at least close to matching inflation, that doesn't involve me
cleaning a bathroom once or twice a week while listening to complaints about
how folks are put out I chose THAT moment to clean, and, by the way, the store
doesn't give out enough freebies...

We're crazed; some folks will just have to deal with it.

Oh, I also recall you already saying you'd be missing ECC. At least some folks
have fond memories of you there previously. *sigh*

This looks to be the first summer in ten years that I won't be attending
either Origins or GenCon.

The_Beast

Take it easy David:) take your time getting you and your company back on the
feet again. Running a one man shop is a big task for anyone and if people
can't see what problems you have been going through.. well they should get
some help..

I for one think that your minis are worth waiting for so take your time;) (and
please do ship more 15mm vehicles off to Jon will you:D)

All the best!

> David L. Dunn wrote:
[SNIP]
> I am trying.

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Gzg-l@lists.csua.berkeley.edu
http://lists.csua.berkeley.edu/mailman/listinfo/gzg-lOn 2/23/06, Claus
> Paludan <cpaludan@tiscali.dk> wrote:

Or maybe they should take a week vacation trip to Calif and *help*. ;-)
Might give them a better appreciation. *grin*

Mk

Indy said
> Or maybe they should take a week vacation trip to Calif

Until you've run a small company startup (or, in my case, been married to
someone who's running one), you won't have an appreciation of it. Work
schedule is "whatever it
takes"--Diana often worked 7am-9pm, and a 7am-2am about once
a week on average. Pay was low, when it happened at all. Any glitch could be a
disaster because you have no reserves in people or money. Okay, you can grasp
that....Now make that *every week* for, say, eighteen months. Lotsa fun.