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Starting Something New Tuesday January 15, 2008

Posted by gingerbreadman in Me and Mike.
10 comments
Mike is finally ready to start his own business.  Hooray…I think. 
 
He’s a diesel mechanic, has done that since he was a teenager in his Dad’s shop before going on to work for some big companies.  Now he’s in a crappy shop with an unappreciative boss who overworks him while underpaying him…and Mike puts up with it to keep the family afloat.  For the past 4 years, he’s gone out on service calls – doing repairs on truck and trailers down on the road or stranded at a truck stop somewhere.  It’s called a Mobile Repair Service and that’s what he’s going to do on his own now.
 
Luckily, my parents ran their own business when I was a kid; I had to learn basic bookkeeping skills to help my Mom out, and took accounting again in college…I always loved the business classes.  And since I’m at home all the time anyway, I ‘get’ to be the dispatcher and bookkeeper now.
 
It’d be ideal…my last installment of my backpay for my disability claim helping to start out a business we’re in together, if I felt like WE were in it together.  But his brother wants to be involved, since he ran the same type of business in Indiana, and both the diesel mechanics are trying to dismiss my business ideas, questions about legalities and the like but assigning me all the grunt work of calling around for all the prices for all the things that have to be purchased, counting on me to set up advertising, web pages, manage the books…but I get this "We know what we’re doing about everything and you’re just our little secretary".
 
Ummm…not when it’s my money starting up this venture.  Not when this was Mike’s dream with me until Russell showed up.  I’m beginning to get very frustrated and angry at Mike’s attitude.
 
I’d come online wanting to say "Hey, all you self-employed business guys…gimme some advice!"  "Hey Kat…who are the really dependable insurance companies?"  "Hey, SAAM, Gina…how do you juggle running a business AND taking care of your house, kids and yourself?"
 
Then today, Russell remarked that it was "nothing" what I was going to be doing…."a piece of cake". 
 
Russell:  I did my own dispatching, books, went on the calls, no problem!
Lynn:  Okay, it’s nothing?  Did you have to come home and cook for 7 people while you were answering phones, faxing invoices, dealing with Comcheks and pissed off truckers who are waiting for their mechanic, Russell?   Did you answer the phones and do the books while doing 4 loads of laundry a day?  Did you have to schedule your calls around doctor’s appointments for the kids?
Russell:  (laughing)  No, it was just 3 adults all doing their own thing.
Lynn:  Well then…Fuck you, Russell, but don’t tell me what I’ll be doing is nothing.  You won’t even cook a meal after working all day. 
Mike: Hey, Lynn, he’s just saying it won’t be as hard as you think…
Lynn:  No, he’s saying what I’ll be doing is nothing, just like what I do NOW is nothing.  Russell did the dispatching, the books and the calls all by himself…FINE HE CAN DO THEM WITH YOUR BUSINESS.
 
We aren’t having a good day.  Heh.
 
I feel like we really should have a production companies and cameras in here.  I think this is going to be quite the drama for a while.  Stay tuned for the next installment of Lynn and Mike…will they or will he?