Business Updates

It has been a very exciting month on the business planning front.  The company name has been successfully registered, which has allowed for the marketing to be started.  A good company needs a logo, a website, email....and the list goes on.  In my logo research I found a stack off companies that would help, for about $400+.  During the research I did manage to stumble across a company that could deisgn the logo, design all the stationery, design the website, host it for 12 months, register the domain name, create the emails and host them for 12 month, all for a fixed fee of $650.

The logo design was spectacular.  One afternoon I posted up a paragraph about some colour selections and what the business was going to do.  When I awoke the next morning, there was nine funky designs to selection from, and after one iteration the logo was done.

The website has been a little slower, but that is more about my thinking processes.  I did realise after asking some questions that the design house was almost certainly outsourced to India.  Regardless of that, I have zero complaints there. 

The web hosting fine print meant that I missed the fact I couldn't have an ".au" ending.  There was a number of other options, but I felt the ".au" was important.  The company sent me the detail of a domain registration company, and with a few short clicks and a small fee, I was away.

From there everything flowed well, until I found out that the design company had been blacklisted on several spamming sites.  That meant my company emails were often either sent to the receiving inbox under a spam folder, or simply blocked.  Turns out when I ask about this little dilemma, no reply is received.  Thankfully the domain company also hosts, and with a few short clicks and another small fee, I am migrated over to the new mail server.

I sourced a printer and the newly designed business cards look amazing, and they have surely impressed the people who have received them.  I also managed to endure a photography session for some updated profile shots.  Regrettably, I wouldn't recommend that company again.  But he did lead me to a company that digitised my logo and printed it on some hats.  Those hats then got added to the Christmas gifts to my client.  It was very cute to see the boys wearing my hats down the street after our meeting in a local coffee shop.

So for now, I am signing off from my current working location, for a lunch date with some executives from a course we attended last year.  More networking!  Although the weather looks dreary in the shot, the temperature drop from the 40 degree days is a welcome change.

Financial Planning for Teenagers

I have been watching on the sidelines as the young  family teenager navigates her way into adulthood.  Getting a driver's license, enrolling to vote, being able to go out and live

an exciting adult life.  It is what all youngsters dream of, isn't it?

The trick about parenting is making sure that you set up your children with all the skills they need to navigate the world with.  It is certainly my approach with my own child.  I guess I am super aware of how hard life can be when you don't have a parent there to guide you.  I try and make sure that my child has a strong sense of self, is confident, well balanced and grounded.  I want her to be able to navigate life, independently, and my approach to parenting is designed to support this concept.

Back to the teenager.  She has a personal loan for a car, and a trail of part time jobs.  The neighbour up the road regularly drops in mail from when they used to live in our street, many years ago.  I hear whispers that income tax returns are not being lodged, so I made some attempts at helping to steer from afar.  After all these have gone unheard, I bluntly said bring all your stuff here and I will sort you out.

There was relief from the niece as she arrived with a shopping bag of stuff!  So I have been spending some random moments of spare time trying to assemble a financial plan for this disaster!  Turns out that mail arrives from companies, some is opened, some is not.  The reader doesn't understand the contents, or care to.  I suspect there are many reasons, age appropriate ones of this stuff is not that important to me right now, and others like OMG what is this even saying, do I need to keep this, and URGH maybe I will look at this later.

There are many bank accounts, many superannuation policies, and many attempts by many people to try and get something happening from their correspondence.  But the sad end result is that this lack of life skills is actually impacting on the financial future of the individual concerned.  It is frankly quite scary to be watching unfold.

Every few days I send a nag email.  It is like a virtual nag note!  They are little emails with instructions on who to ring, what to ask for etc.  Slowly I will start to build some confidence and understanding about what one should be doing here.  Once we have some basics, a darn good clean up of accounts and some organisation about what to do, and who to ask if you don't know, maybe we can start to get a financial plan happening.

Replacing Vehicles

As I was posting up an article a few moments ago,  this image appeared at the bottom of one of the blogs;

My partner is going through the process of replacing the family car.  Coincidentally, both our vehicles are the same vintage, with about the same mileage on the clocks.  I have been procrastinating about replacing mine for many kilometres!  I had intended to do it a couple of financial years ago.  I see the transaction pop up in Microsoft Money, and I simply push it out another 12 months. 

I really like my vehicle, but as I contemplate the arrival of a new vehicle, it reminds me that I am due for a service, I have an oil leak, the scratch cannot be fixed without respraying the whole door, and a kid scootered down the other side leaving a nice scratch, and did I mention that my blue tooth connection for the phone is also not working?  Seems like a car destined for replacing now doesn't it.

I would love to replace it with the black Range Rover Evoque pictured above.  But the image on the other side talks about business plan strategy!  The accountant says return when you earn $400k or before if one of the other requirements arises.  $400k is hard work and long hours, and frankly not what this Gen X with a mantra of 'Balance' is going to be undertaking.  In deciding how much income is enough, I reverted to my trusty series of spreadsheets.  The retirement planning spreadsheet says I am about a year ahead of my progress goal.  The mortgage spreadsheet says I am six months ahead...BUT...it says that next year that I will revert to being on track, and behind if I do not pull my finger out by the end of the year!

Behind, big frown.  It did make me look at an income tracking spreadsheet.  Things are not as easy with fluctuating incomes streams over multiple clients!  Also, contracting doesn't come with annual leave or sick leave. Despite what you may think, this is an absolute positive.  I control how much I work, and this year I have had more time off than I normally would, absolutely guilt free, and I enjoyed every minute of it.  On one occasion I worked from the resort for a few hours before the family headed out for Thai overlooking the water.  The next morning the adults headed out for a run beside the beach.  It's the control over life that I am enjoying most about consulting and contracting.

Back to the car.  If I replace it now and buy the lovely vehicle my heart desires, then next year I am frantically working my arse off to pay for it and still achieve the financial goals, or I move out the milestone.  But if the milestone moves, then so will the following one.  The one after the mortgage is the retirement plan to the beach.  I want to be able to trek up and enjoy it on weekends whilst the kids are finishing school, then work on more time at the beach and less time working!  The pull to that goal is stronger than the one to the new car.

After $1,000 the car is serviced, and all three oil leaks found have been fixed.  The scratch I can live with for now, and the phone is annoying, but I will get BMW to take a look at that one in the not too distant future.  I may even go and get the car all detailed, just as a special treat for seeing in the New Year :-).

Create Company Update # 1

New Goal - Create Company

 

 

The visit with the accountant was an interesting event.  Even more so when he didn't charge me for the hour long chat.  It turns out that the benefits of creating a company are not as impressive as one would think.  Here are some of the considerations of forking out the $2-3K to kick things off;

 

• a low income spouse that I want to funnel money to
• kids at uni that could do with some cash, almost tax free
• annual income above $400K
• the companies I am working with demand that I have my own company
• I want to provide the illusion that I am bigger than I am
• I directly employ staff

 

Increasing income to $400K, that was an interesting concept.  My partner was surprised to hear that I may be considering starting my own company.  'Aren't they long hours and hard work?'  Nah, I respond with, I think it will be ok.  Squinting at the $400K mark, yes, I do think that would be long hours and hard work! 

 

Thoughts of venturing out on my own are not for capitalist reasons, it is the being more flexible with hours and jobs, to work more autonomously without the influence of some self serving higher manager, or corporate politics.  After all, if you cannot find what you are looking for, then create it, that is my approach!

 

So an interim step feels like a good approach.  Sole trader for now, register the business name and progress onwards with marketing and website etc.  Create the illusion of bigger, whilst trying to avoid the complex company structure on the back end, at least until I need staff or income is above $400K.  Has the basis of a good business plan.

Rear Fencing Project - Completed!

This project took a little time, but that was nothing to do with procrastination on my behalf.  we all love the tradies!  Actually, there is still a number of rather large dirt piles that need to be levelled off, but that was last month, last week, this weekend, or maybe sometime next year!

 

Starting Position

 

Progress Update

 

It looks like we have built an Indian cricket pitch which may need a little rolling to take the weirdness of the bounce.

 

 

They also manage to find a little left over stump from my previous years of wood cutting.  It is really lovely of them to place it in a prime place of position, hoping that it will become some sort of garden feature.

 

 





 

House Painting Update # 2

Mid year update on the house painting progress for the year was fairly uninspiring.

House Painting Update # 1

 

It turns out the hardest part was picking the darn colour.  I painted the side of the house that no one sees, as a trial before you embarrass your self to the neighbourhood.  Worked well, the more I painted, the more I enjoyed the colour.

 

So now I am around the back, over the deck and onto the third side.  Actually, a bit of one side and then a bit of the front.  Turns out the afternoon sun is a scorcher, so I had to dash to the front of the yard for some cooler temperatures.  This of course means I have now started to show the neighbourhood that a new colour is coming to the pink (aka so not terracotta Mr Builder) palace!

 

 

 

Random Ingredients - Figs

My sister was found of a fig and cranberry ball recipe.  I would have to say that it surely wasn't my favourite.  Of course now as I am cleaning and organising cupboards, post her return home, I found a stash of figs!

Taste.com.au, please help me....

Chocolate, hazelnut and fig squares

Now the really interesting thing is the roasting of hazelnuts in the microwave.  Just pop them in an oven bag and shake every minute.  The kitchen was soon wafting in roasted hazelnuts!  I did sneak one just to try before I popped the rest of them into the mixture, they..I mean..it..tasted delicious.  Off to the fridge with the slice, and I shall see later if I rate it better than the fig and cranberry number my sister keeps trotting out.

Regrettably, I still have figs left over, so I will have to search out another recipe.