Nice people thread part 4 - sugar and spice and all things

michaels

Don't worry - I only ever get to read if I am working somewhere with a train commute or on holiday and as I have no work and can't afford a holiday that is a long time since I read anything other than the economist or the local free paper...aside from six million books about chip and biff...

I always like lots of bright light which then works best coming from above - can't be bothered with 'mood lighting' - may be because my eyes aren't so good so no candles here either. I think we will go for the centre fitting and no wall lights nor the recessed spots as they don't provide much flexibility. A switch by the bed is useful but it does then tie down the bed position...{thinks}

Cash is king (until you have so much you can afford a string of failures) but on the other hand make sure you are doing what you enjoy rather than doing it for the money, once the time has passed doing something you dislike you can never get it back.

fc123 wrote: »

Am I the only NP that is OMG lemon J reads soooo many books and now feel a bit feeble as it, I confess, has been 5 whole weeks since I finished a trash novel (and am waaaaay too embarrassed to post the title here....but it was really good despite having some pastelle pink and gold embossing on the cover).
I must go through the list to see if anything grabs.


Lights....someone removed the pendant from half our lounge (and we never got around to putting it back) and it's a PITA. The other half has a pendant but the non half just has wall lights. Keep the pendant in with a nice fitting then it's there of you need a bright light sometimes.

....and moi? Well, after much very heated debate we made some very key decisions today after some v good news. Scary ones as they involve going 2 steps back to go 4 forward ...and I always worry that we will trip over when we do stuff like that.

On a risk level....mmm...they are up there on the top guys but they feel right. Doesn't involve taking on debt (as if ?!!!) but does mean giving up a significant turnover of a sum I would be too ashamed to post.
But I am looking for affirmation from the NP's that turnover is vanity and margin is the main man.

PasturesNew

Generali wrote: »

I'd like to get into some more C19th stuff but that gets a little more expensive. I'd love to get into the earliest cook books: a lot of the early US cookbooks have been reprinted and are available on Amazon as have things like Hannah Glasse. A lot of it you need to buy the originals and that ain't cheap.

Help yourself to them free as public domain .... the ones on Amazon will simply have been somebody who did that then jazzed them up with a few fonts, some nice graphics and an e-book cover

PasturesNew

elona wrote: »

...if you can get the "old" into a hospice then you know pain management will be there,as will the constant attention a hospital cannot give, especially if the partner is demanding attention at the same time.

Had the doc out last night as I wanted a pro opinion on whether the "C" one needed urgent nutritional injection/pampering.... on call said "see daytime Doc" and we expected day Doc to say "we're carting you off" and the old was up for that... even though in great pain, managed to get down the little suitcase and give it a dusting in case there was no time for that before the ambulance came .... I was angry and said "of course there'd be time you fool"

Then there was no carting off.... but it's something I'll pick up with the "M People" when they turn up. What's out there, options, when/why that decision is usually made etc. There's not much provision round here though... but there's something just 20 miles away.

If I'm lucky, I could get them both carted off for 2-3 days, give me a rest

silvercar

But I am looking for affirmation from the NP's that turnover is vanity and margin is the main man.

Profit is the bottom line. We had an opportunity to increase turnover 3 fold, but profit would only increase by say 20% overall and workload would triple. So I said no. I guess if I needed every penny it would have been worth doing, but the work life balance would be totally destroyed.

I don't know though, is turnover more imp if/when you come to sell the label later?

Not sure on this. Which is more valuable, £1m turnover with £100k profit or £3m turnover with £120k profit? and by how much. TBH not wasted too much time thinking about this part of it, partly as I can't see anyone prepared to pay for it.

fc123

lostinrates wrote: »

I got six from the library on last Thurs I think. I've got one left. Nothing hard going though, one a long bath and bed time.

(of them so far favourite is certainly. The Orange Girl, picked up because I quite liked Sophies world.).

edit: LJ is in a different situation, he has to fit in with his conventional work hours.

Not sure how successful the library thing is going to be for me. There is an online search facility that tells me nothing I've asked to reserve is available. the reservation is seventyfive pence IF they have them in the area in other libraries,which while not bad could add up quickly...when you also count petrol to go in and out. not sure how much from outside the area, but think might be cheaper to buy used on Amazon. , I'm going to persevere for a few weeks though.





Sounds exciting. Margin seems good for your captaining this ship...I don't know though, is turnover more imp if/when you come to sell the label later?

I don't think we are anywhere near being able to 'sell'.......the only value is the inside of my head...which isn't for sale anyways.:D

michaels wrote: »

Don't worry - I only ever get to read if I am working somewhere with a train commute or on holiday and as I have no work and can't afford a holiday that is a long time since I read anything other than the economist or the local free paper...aside from six million books about chip and biff...

I always like lots of bright light which then works best coming from above - can't be bothered with 'mood lighting' - may be because my eyes aren't so good so no candles here either. I think we will go for the centre fitting and no wall lights nor the recessed spots as they don't provide much flexibility. A switch by the bed is useful but it does then tie down the bed position...{thinks}

Cash is king (until you have so much you can afford a string of failures) but on the other hand make sure you are doing what you enjoy rather than doing it for the money, once the time has passed doing something you dislike you can never get it back.

Gosh..are you me in disguise? Sounds like part of my 'heated debate' with OH on my reasons to get shot of 'x'. I agree 100% though for many years had no choice as the bacon had to be brought home however which way.

silvercar wrote: »

Profit is the bottom line. We had an opportunity to increase turnover 3 fold, but profit would only increase by say 20% overall and workload would triple. So I said no. I guess if I needed every penny it would have been worth doing, but the work life balance would be totally destroyed.



Not sure on this. Which is more valuable, £1m turnover with £100k profit or £3m turnover with £120k profit? and by how much. TBH not wasted too much time thinking about this part of it, partly as I can't see anyone prepared to pay for it.

Oh thanks for the vote of confidence Silver car * said with a smile and head to one side*. Might have one day, you never know though unlkely as we lack 'maxing' out skills I think.


One of biggest weaknesses is we never really have strategy / business plan going as such. Instead, we run with opportunities or deal with disasters as and when they present themselves.

I think PN would get what I mean.....there wasn't ever a time that we sat down and said 'Hmmm, I know let's invest in X and make X into whatever'.
Things just came along (we saw a nice shop to let and took it on for example) and we worked hard to make them as A* as we could.

I typed up all the numbers this week so we could look at them without the emotion and it helped a lot....but , for me, the new fork we have decided to take was from how I feel about everything we have been involved in....much of it made me uncomfortable.

Slight snag is it is a much harder (and riskier ) path when it could be easier short term to stay the same. The easy path long term though will kill us off.......and quite quickly too.

silvercar

Oh thanks for the vote of confidence Silver car * said with a smile and head to one side*. Might have one day, you never know though unlkely as we lack 'maxing' out skills I think.

The difference is that you have a passion for your work and you enjoy doing it. I enjoy mine only in the sense that it provides a decent income and gives me a flexible lifestyle. The work itself isn't anything to get excited about - I buy, I sell, the contracts are all set up and there is just a hell of a lot of paperwork in the middle. Nothing creative at all.

silvercar

TBH not wasted too much time thinking about this part of it, partly as I can't see anyone prepared to pay for it.

To be clear, this was talking about my business.

fc123

silvercar wrote: »

To be clear, this was talking about my business.

I know I saw that after I read it back :rotfl:.

Very few small biz's can ever be sold for much unless they have assets (like a freehold) as they are so tangled up with the owner.

The Superdry story is a good one but one of the owners was a real financial wizz plus the originator was absolutely passionate about what they did/made and did it very well. Magic combination.

fc123

silvercar wrote: »

The difference is that you have a passion for your work and you enjoy doing it. I enjoy mine only in the sense that it provides a decent income and gives me a flexible lifestyle. The work itself isn't anything to get excited about - I buy, I sell, the contracts are all set up and there is just a hell of a lot of paperwork in the middle. Nothing creative at all.

I kind of envy that as I hate the emotion sometimes....it kind of takes over and makes me feel 'not normal'.
Had a friend (who I am going to back off from for a while as she is very self obsessed) dig me out recently over not being 'available' for her social events etc. I can't socialise when I am in the zone at all and when I stop I just feel wrung out....so stay at home and hide for a time. All of my more empathetic friends understand totally.

I am enjoying the SAGE though......can't believe we took so long to get it now.

neverdespairgirl

Generali wrote: »

The flat stages go through beautiful places and the mountain racing is exciting. The sprints are for loonies of course.

OH wore a yellow jersey cycling last weekend.....

He did the nutters bike ride, London to Dunwich, overnight. In 8.5 hours, too - not bad for 120 miles