This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0004_01BD2432.BBD057C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable David, You wrote Besides being a Parkie of 10 years, i am a rather serious woodworker. I have been trying to think of a way to bring woodworking to a level that = I could retire from the Oregon Department of Revenue and concentrate on woodoworking. What I am considering is a consignment store for = woodworkers. I think it would go in Salem. Salem has a population of about 100,000.=20 I had thought that I should respond to your posting with a private = e-mail, but in view of the encouraging comments from other other list = members I decided that it would appropriate to put a cautious note on = the list, and if you want to e-mail me I shall be very pleased to = comment in more detail. I spent a number of years advising small business in the UK, = particularly in the start-up phase, and a situation such as you describe = always worries me. I don't suppose that our two countries differ much in = this respect, and in the UK less than 1/3 of start-ups are still in = business at the end of the third year. Also, you say that you are = employed by the Inland Revenue, can you take early retirement with a = pension that will give you enough to live on until the business becomes = established, or have you got sufficient savings to tide you over this = period, and finance the business?. Selling craft work is always difficult, because the selling price = required to give a reasonable living is generally more than most people = are prepared to pay. If you are working from home, with very small = overheads, in the way of rent, insurance, telephone, stationery, = professional fees and so on, you might be able to exist on $16/hour. See = how long it takes you to make whatever you are thing of selling, = multiply the hours by 16, add on the material cost, and then consider if = you have saleable product. Also bear in mind that a significant = proportion of your time will be taken up by selling, administration = etc., and that you only get paid for the time that you spend making = things=20 If you are selling other peoples' products your overheads will = significantly increase because of higher rent, light and power, possible = local taxes, wages and so on. You need to decide the terms on which you = are selling. I wouldn't expect these to be on anything other than on a = commission basis, which will probably be in the range of 15% to 25%.. If = we assume 20%, you will require to sell $5 to cover each $1 of = overheads, including your own drawings. Work out what the total = overheads will be and multiply by 5 to give the required sales. Does = this seem an achievable number?. Before getting too far committed I = suggest that you do a number of "back of an envelope" calculations on = the above lines to see if the proposal makes sense. The conventional advice is to go and talk it over with an Accountant, = and before coming to final decision as to whether or not to go ahead, = you will probably wise to do this. However, at your present state I = don't think it worthwhile incurring professional fees until you have = done a lot more work yourself to establish if what you are trying to do = makes sense. In the UK there is a lot of free advice available from = various Enterprise Agencies and so on, if there are similar bodies in = Oregon, go and talk with them. Also we have a number of craft fares held over here in Village Halls, = and similar premises in various parts fo the country. They are mostly = held at week-ends, and people in a similar position to you rent a stall = and can do a trial marketing exercise. Have anything similar over = there?.=20 A regular income from a salaried position takes a lot of replacing, and = you must recognise that as PWP 10 years down the road you are unlikely = to get any better, also that self employment generally requires many = more hours of work than does salaried employment. Is it possible to do = what you are proposing as a sideline, or paying hobby, before you give = up your present job?. Please send me a private e-mail if you think I can help in any way. With best wishes, Ray ([log in to unmask])=20 ------=_NextPart_000_0004_01BD2432.BBD057C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1 = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D'"MSHTML 4.71.1712.3"' name=3DGENERATOR> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"> <P>David,</P> <P>You wrote</P> <P>Besides being a Parkie of 10 years, i am a rather serious woodworker. = I</P> <P>have been trying to think of a way to bring woodworking to a level = that I</P> <P>could retire from the Oregon Department of Revenue and concentrate = on</P> <P>woodoworking. What I am considering is a consignment store for=20 woodworkers.</P> <P>I think it would go in Salem. Salem has a population of about = 100,000. </P> <P>I had thought that I should respond to your posting with a private = e-mail,=20 but in view of the encouraging comments from other other list members I = decided=20 that it would appropriate to put a cautious note on the list, and if you = want to=20 e-mail me I shall be very pleased to comment in more detail.</P> <P>I spent a number of years advising small business in the UK, = particularly in=20 the start-up phase, and a situation such as you describe always worries = me. I=20 don't suppose that our two countries differ much in this respect, and in = the UK=20 less than 1/3 of start-ups are still in business at the end of the third = year.=20 Also, you say that you are employed by the Inland Revenue, can you take = early=20 retirement with a pension that will give you enough to live on until the = business becomes established, or have you got sufficient savings to tide = you=20 over this period, and finance the business?.</P> <P>Selling craft work is always difficult, because the selling price = required to=20 give a reasonable living is generally more than most people are prepared = to pay.=20 If you are working from home, with very small overheads, in the way of = rent,=20 insurance, telephone, stationery, professional fees and so on, you might = be able=20 to exist on $16/hour. See how long it takes you to make whatever you are = thing=20 of selling, multiply the hours by 16, add on the material cost, and then = consider if you have saleable product. Also bear in mind that a = significant=20 proportion of your time will be taken up by selling, administration = etc., and=20 that you only get paid for the time that you spend making things </P> <P>If you are selling other peoples' products your overheads will = significantly=20 increase because of higher rent, light and power, possible local taxes, = wages=20 and so on. You need to decide the terms on which you are selling. I = wouldn't=20 expect these to be on anything other than on a commission basis, which = will=20 probably be in the range of 15% to 25%.. If we assume 20%, you will = require to=20 sell $5 to cover each $1 of overheads, including your own drawings. Work = out=20 what the total overheads will be and multiply by 5 to give the required = sales.=20 Does this seem an achievable number?. Before getting too far committed I = suggest=20 that you do a number of "back of an envelope" calculations on = the=20 above lines to see if the proposal makes sense.</P> <P>The conventional advice is to go and talk it over with an Accountant, = and=20 before coming to final decision as to whether or not to go ahead, you = will=20 probably wise to do this. However, at your present state I don't think = it=20 worthwhile incurring professional fees until you have done a lot more = work=20 yourself to establish if what you are trying to do makes sense. In the = UK there=20 is a lot of free advice available from various Enterprise Agencies and = so on, if=20 there are similar bodies in Oregon, go and talk with them.</P> <P>Also we have a number of craft fares held over here in Village Halls, = and=20 similar premises in various parts fo the country. They are mostly held = at=20 week-ends, and people in a similar position to you rent a stall and can = do a=20 trial marketing exercise. Have anything similar over there?. </P> <P>A regular income from a salaried position takes a lot of replacing, = and you=20 must recognise that as PWP 10 years down the road you are unlikely to = get any=20 better, also that self employment generally requires many more hours of = work=20 than does salaried employment. Is it possible to do what you are = proposing as a=20 sideline, or paying hobby, before you give up your present job?.</P> <P>Please send me a private e-mail if you think I can help in any = way.</P> <P>With best wishes,</P> <P>Ray ([log in to unmask]) </P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0004_01BD2432.BBD057C0--