I Gave Myself 9 Months to Make This Business Work... Was It a Huge Mistake? - February 17, 2025

Nine Months In—Is It Over?

Nine months ago, I gave myself a simple challenge: make this business work. Nine months should be enough, right? After all, there are people who’ve spent 10, 15, even 20 years building their businesses, but I thought, nah, I got this.

Spoiler: I did not, in fact, have this.

A Sign of Desperation? Or a Strategic Move?

The other day, I did something I never thought I’d do again—I had a job interview. Yep, a real, actual, virtual job interview. Not because I want to abandon ship, but because my bank account has been sending distress signals.

“Help me, I’m poor!”

I knew this moment might come, which is why I had contingency plans. But instead of enacting “Phase Two”, I figured I’d test the waters. Maybe I could find a job that complements my business—a place to learn, make connections, and still keep this thing alive.

That sounded reasonable. Until they told me the pay: $13–$15 an hour.

Excuse me? I pay my contractors more than that. I left my corporate job for this?

But here’s the thing—my ego isn’t too big to accept this opportunity if they call me back. I think my poker face is decent, but it’s possible I had a visible reaction when they mentioned the pay. Still, there are some real reasons I’d consider taking it:

• Pipe and drape. In the interview, they mentioned doing a ton of it—something I’ve been looking to implement, especially for the slower summer and winter months when people are hosting more indoor events.

• Equipment insight. I want to see the type of gear professional organizations use to move equipment around. There’s got to be a better way than what I’m doing.

• Management experience. Watching how they handle logistics and manage teams could be valuable for scaling my own operations.

• Flexible scheduling. It’s a part-time role with shifts scheduled in advance, so I can work only when I don’t have jobs lined up.

• Potential talent pipeline. This is a physical labor job, which means the other employees are used to the kind of work I do in my business. I might be able to bring some of them over for contract work.

So yeah, the pay is laughable. But knowledge and connections? Those could be worth a whole lot more.

Was This All a Huge Mistake?

Honestly? Maybe.

When I left my corporate job, I knew it was time. It was supposed to be a short-term role anyway—two years max. But things changed at the company, and I realized I wasn’t going anywhere I actually wanted to be. Worse, I was bringing work frustration home, something I had always avoided.

So, I had to go. And for the Seinfeld fans out there, this video sums up my feelings perfectly:

What followed was months of playing Uber driver for my kids while taking client calls in between. It was painfully slow. And now? I'm still Ubering for my kids… but the phone is finally ringing. Figuratively speaking. The only problem? I’m still not making any money.

Shocking, right? Turns out, I have not built a million-dollar business in nine months.

To be clear, the business has generated more revenue than I ever made in corporate. But since this business is capital intensive, I haven’t been able to pay myself enough yet to make it truly sustainable.

So, Is It Time to Call It?

Let’s look at the facts:

• This business is really hard. The amount of effort required just to scrape together a small profit margin is borderline ridiculous.

• I feel like I’m expending maximum effort on low-return ventures. But I’m choosing to see it as my tuition—paying for my education in business, just in a different way.

But here’s the thing…there are parts of this I actually love. Among them:

• I love having a direct impact on revenue. Essentially, I eat what I kill.

• I like working outdoors (sometimes). After 20 years of sitting down behind a screen, this is a welcomed change.

• Tent people get sh*t done. And events people are ridiculously hospitable. I don’t know if I fully fit into either category, but being around them? It’s refreshing.

So, am I shutting this little project down?

Well, I've already got jobs lined up in December.

So let’s just say…the story isn’t over yet. Stay tuned.

Daily Business Update

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What did I actually do today? Well, the kids are out of school this week, so it’s been tough to stay focused. I’ve got a bunch of quotes out right now, and I’m being more conscious about improving my closing rate. Last year, it was around 15%. While I’m mindful of not underpricing and devaluing the industry long-term, I know my closing rate is a metric I need to improve.

I also managed to get out of the house for a second and picked up 36 card tables for a Mahjong tournament. This is the second year we’ve done this event, and the client actually referred us to another group for a similar event.

The venue is 45 minutes away (on a good day), which is a little far for my liking—especially for such a small order. The first year I took it because, in this business, you can’t say no. I didn’t even own the tables when I accepted the job. Now? I’ve got these very specific tables used primarily for this very specific event.

Here are the numbers for this one:

• Revenue: $780

• Job-Related Costs (ARA Calculator): $385

• Contribution Margin: ~$395 (51%)

It’s below what I’d consider a healthy contribution margin, but in this business, you take the wins where you can. And honestly? I’ll take being out in the world over sitting at home waiting for things to happen.

More tomorrow. Stay tuned.