lurtsman Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 As many of you may recall I'm planning on moving this Summer or Fall. That is a major issue for me because I want everything to go smoothly. I'll be moving to another state, so I'll be selling most of my vending business. Therefore I need to prepare things for my arrival there (jobs, master's program, finding an apartment), and I need to prepare my business here for sale. There are a few factors there. One is that I want all the machines on location. I can make some money until I sell it, the locations add value, and the buyer won't have to physically pick up machines from my garage (or have me deliver them). In the interest of living up to my own standards, I've started working 60-72 hours per week. In that context, I have a few hints to help other vendors be effective. 1. Create lists of what you want to accomplish and assign duties to each day. When you assign things, ask yourself this question: What would happen if I just said "No"? 2. Tackle your dragons first. When you look at the list and see something that just makes you sigh and fills you with dread, tackle that *** and destroy it. I like to have those things crossed off by 8:15 in the morning. The rest of the list looks massively easier and the emotional weight is off your shoulders. It can go from looking like a 16 hour day to an 8 hour day. 3. Use timers. When I'm dealing with the "unknown", I like to set a timer. Sometimes that timer reflects "I will press my face against this wall for X minutes today", and other times it says "After X mintues, I will not spend more time on this". The first allows you to do things you otherwise would procrastine, the later prevents you from wasting time working on a project with diminishing returns. For me, pressing my face against things was a great technique. I frequently tackle non-vending related issues that are extremely complex and require vast amounts of knowledge that is not publicly available. The uncertainty of these issues makes them hard to face--I'm scared of working on them and then failing. I often don't know where to start. By setting a timer I can just browse the subject and look for ways to attack it. Examples: Getting unemployment while running a business. This is legal and ethical, but most people don't know you can do it. - Depends on STATE law. Getting benefits extended for taking classes at a community college: This is entirely legit, but few people take advantage fo the opportunity. Getting instate tuition for a program in another state: It can be done, it is legal, and if you actually intend to stay and meet the requirements, it is ethical. I have other examples as well, but those characterize the difficult things I've had to tackle and learn about. Using timers has made it easier for me to study the problem, think about it, and cross something off my list. I can't require myself to win at a difficult project the first time I touch it. We can't expect to land every location. We can try to rig the numbers in our favor though and make sure we keep putting in the effort. Those are my tips, what are yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will.vend Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Good info lurts! Although some of it is a little more disciplined than me. Best advice an old boss gave me... How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musser Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Excellent advise and outlook!! I have always been amazed at how few people in this biz really study the work effort of individual tasks. Time is money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I usually make a list , points 2 and 3 are great advice.I am going to get me a timer in the morning for my vending shack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Great info. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Excellent advise and outlook!! I have always been amazed at how few people in this biz really study the work effort of individual tasks. Time is money. I have a customer that has this phrase framed on his wall " Time is not money. If you run out of money, you can make more. You can't do that with time. Use it wisely". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Thanks for posting Lurtz. Wise words indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caserri Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Thanks for posting Lurtz. Wise words indeed. What did you expect from a 2,011 year old man? Seriously, he's 2,011 years old. It says so right there in his profile. Sent from my Android using Tapatalk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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