To say I'm stressed out right now is an understatement. If I'm looking forward in 2019 things look good. We have our regular Halloween project coming up. We have an installation happening this month in Los Vegas, next month in Cardiff, and then as long as we are awarded them we have Chile and Tokyo also in 2019. From another client we are on deck for a project in VA, and then another one in London. We are in talks with a new escape room company here in Southern California as well.
However, I haven't been able to pay myself a salary for a month now, and I'm having to do all sorts of backflips to get the bills covered in some way, and just trying to keep things held together. I think 2019 is on track to be one of our best years if I can someone keep things together through the spring.
Thanks for listening. I need to get this out somewhere and I don't have too many avenues where I can even say something about the level of stress this is creating.
Oh, wow, ND. Complicated feels about all that. Best wishes for you to come through it all well!
I think I would bet on your survival. You got this. Plenty of future gigs. (($$$$))
Oh ND, I wish I didn't know this feeling so well. Hence my growling reaction when I hear it takes money to make money. It is such an indication of your ability that you have so many exciting projects lined up. I'm so sorry about the 'if I survive that long' factor. Try and remember that you have been through this before and it does work out. Like generally at the very last possible moment, just in time, yikes don't want to go through that again.
I hope you have a routine of some relaxing method to counter the stress. Enjoy your beautiful views, your animals, and your lovely wife. Also, hahahaha, try and get sleep from time to time. Have to recharge the batteries.
Lots of love and wishes for the pieces to fall into place soon.
Money is so f*cking stressful. Sending golden vibes to you down the coast, ND.
The pipeline for work here at my little company is filling up, so the year looks like it will be a good one in the end, but it's still painfully tight in the immediate. I mean things like delaying paychecks tight. It's stressful and overall I do okay, but it's really beginning to take a toll on me. I just want to get through this patch and start to get the company on the real road to recovery.
We had times where we had to delay paychecks, and it really sucked. At least the employees understood that it was better than us shutting down. In the 2008-2009 time period I totally trashed our credit and still don't know how we managed to survive.
Hang in there, ND. Focus on the future.
That's one of the things I've been very diligent about doing. Making sure I'm still filling the pipeline with work going forward. Trying now to book projects in Q1 2020 since I know that's always the painful quarter. Getting more things booked into the fall. Now it's just a matter of getting everything to those marks.
As part of shoring up the company I reached out to a small group of friends looking to raise $50,000 in personal loans with a grace period on repayment. Through this network I got to about $38,000. Right now it's that missing $12,000 that's binding things up at the beginning of May. Things are so close and I am feeling like I'm cracking under the stress. Sigh.
