Life. That's what happens when you're busy making other plans.
You probably know that, for the past few weeks, I've been helping a friend get a little shop up and running in Northampton.
Neither of us planned this. She had originally set up a completely different business in that space, for which she had employed a manager, and she had allowed me the use of a good sized workshop on the same premises.
I was going to use that space to make and upcycle furniture and larger items. I had a studio at home where I did smaller crafts like sewing, jewellery and so forth. Because my husband had a well-paid job in the city, I wasn't under pressure to make pots of money, and could allow things to grow organically.
Those were the plans.
Ha!
The business my friend had set up did not go well and the manager quit very quickly. I lost the use of the workshop space. My husband's company folded and he - together with his entire staff - was made redundant.
So we revised our plans.
We would sell our house and downsize. While my husband looked for a new job, we would rent and live off the proceeds from the sale of the house.
My friend would open a new shop in that space and I would work for her part time, using the rest of my time to continue working on my smaller craft items until such time as I was able to once again gain access to a workshop space. Once the shop was rolling along, she would recruit a full time staff member, and I would revert to being one of the shop's team of suppliers of goods and (in my case) services.
Then those plans were disrupted too.
The sale of our house fell at the final hurdle. My husband's job hunting has (to date) borne no fruit. My friend was diagnosed with something horrible.
So it was time for revised revised plans.
We introduced a phase 1 austerity budget (if things don't improve soon, phase 2 will have to be invoked) at home. The house went back on the market. My husband applied for jobseekers' allowance, although he continues the job search with dedication and commitment. I will work in the shop full time for the next while. My friend will work somewhere else on a part time basis and undergo a treatment programme.
In due course, we hope that the house will sell. We hope that my husband will find a job. We hope that the shop will do well enough to recruit a full time staff member. We hope that the treatment will work.
It has been a very weird time. And there is so much uncertainty surrounding us at the moment. The next few weeks could be interesting, to say the least.
You probably know that, for the past few weeks, I've been helping a friend get a little shop up and running in Northampton.
Neither of us planned this. She had originally set up a completely different business in that space, for which she had employed a manager, and she had allowed me the use of a good sized workshop on the same premises.
I was going to use that space to make and upcycle furniture and larger items. I had a studio at home where I did smaller crafts like sewing, jewellery and so forth. Because my husband had a well-paid job in the city, I wasn't under pressure to make pots of money, and could allow things to grow organically.
Those were the plans.
Ha!
The business my friend had set up did not go well and the manager quit very quickly. I lost the use of the workshop space. My husband's company folded and he - together with his entire staff - was made redundant.
So we revised our plans.
We would sell our house and downsize. While my husband looked for a new job, we would rent and live off the proceeds from the sale of the house.
My friend would open a new shop in that space and I would work for her part time, using the rest of my time to continue working on my smaller craft items until such time as I was able to once again gain access to a workshop space. Once the shop was rolling along, she would recruit a full time staff member, and I would revert to being one of the shop's team of suppliers of goods and (in my case) services.
Then those plans were disrupted too.
The sale of our house fell at the final hurdle. My husband's job hunting has (to date) borne no fruit. My friend was diagnosed with something horrible.
So it was time for revised revised plans.
We introduced a phase 1 austerity budget (if things don't improve soon, phase 2 will have to be invoked) at home. The house went back on the market. My husband applied for jobseekers' allowance, although he continues the job search with dedication and commitment. I will work in the shop full time for the next while. My friend will work somewhere else on a part time basis and undergo a treatment programme.
In due course, we hope that the house will sell. We hope that my husband will find a job. We hope that the shop will do well enough to recruit a full time staff member. We hope that the treatment will work.
It has been a very weird time. And there is so much uncertainty surrounding us at the moment. The next few weeks could be interesting, to say the least.
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