It's Happening

This is the type of week I've been waiting for. Tangible things actually happening - we're starting to go from theoretical to actual progress! Let's get into it!

From the field:

A lot to get to here - I was back looking at a trailer last week, and it seems like it's going to do the job for me. And here's something - two different people called about this trailer within 24 hours after I went and looked at it. But the sales rep had told me he'd hold the trailer for a few days while I got funding secured. I've had a few of these types of moments throughout the process of growing this business where it just feels like I'm on the right path. I had originally planned on going up Friday morning, but some things fell through on the schedule so I went Thursday instead. Good thing I did - it might've been spoken by Friday morning.

I was also able to swing by a storage unit run by a good friend of mine from back in my childhood. He's trying to create an option for me, so we looked at a few different ideas around his property. I followed up with him yesterday and let him know my trailer could be pushing 13 feet high, so he's going to go to work and figure something out to accommodate.

While I was there, I may have found my other drone pilot for the upcoming season! His nephew is interested in the opportunity, and he's both large in stature (strong) and good with fixing things that break (mechanical). These are two very valuable skills to me, as I possess neither.

Monday morning I had a call with a seed/chemical dealer and they essentially scooped up the last available acres in my book of business! I'm glad that's out of the way for year 1, however, that process is far from over in the long-term. The plan is to go through essentially the same exercise in year 2, where I try to double the size of my operation. More calls to make, but at least I can put that off until next winter.

About an hour after this comes out, I'll be going to sign the final documents at the bank so that I can officially take possession of the drones and trailer. I'll then go get the drones on Thursday, and the trailer on Friday.

Now we're starting to enter a different phase of the business, where we're going from theory into the practical application. This is the part I've been most concerned about all along. It's not that I don't think I'm capable of learning all these things, it's just that I haven't done them yet, so it's a little scary until I actually do it.

I've never driven a vehicle with a trailer attached to the back of it, so Friday will be a banner day. But, like most things, it's a skill to be learned - I can get good at it, I just need to spend the time doing it. When I first bought my huge truck there was definitely a learning curve attached to it, but now I feel very comfortable driving it. I'm sure the same will go for the trailer, and I'm sure the same will go for the drones. Just need to invest some time and effort into each.

As a side note - I’ll be driving the trailer directly to a local business to talk through with them the fabrication of the trailer. I’m hoping they can turn it around in a month, month and a half, and I’ll have some real time to get used to the setup before we go live.

From the office:

With all the activity from the field, it's been all I can do just to keep my head above water on the office side of things. My focus this past week has been understanding inventory so that I can better help companies project the cash flow impact of purchasing/using it.

I will say I'm learning a lot of things I never thought I'd have a lot of use for. I'm becoming more well-rounded in my knowledge base, which will hopefully prove useful in generating new future business.

I'm starting to appreciate Upwork more, because in addition to growing my skillset, I'm able to keep my existing skillset sharp with the actual building/maintaining of financial spreadsheets.

What I'm reading:

Something I hadn't really considered when making the leap into business ownership was health insurance. There just aren't a lot of great options out there for those that are self-employed. Let me rephrase that - there are good options, they just cost an incredible amount. Dental insurance is the same way.

So this week I'm reading about different insurance options, because we're not thrilled with the one we have right now. Nothing is covered until you reach a $1,500 threshold it seems, so we're getting hit with all sorts of $200 here, $400 there costs that won't be reimbursed, and we're still obviously having to pay the monthly premium.

Little rant there, but I'm no fan of insurance in general. I see the purpose, but how many times does it end up working out in one's favor? Later in life? Sure. But now? A lot of times it just ends up being a sunk cost. We have it now and likely always will, but these are the things I think about.

Thanks for hanging in - until next week!