Mon, 21 Nov 2005

Meanwhile, Back on the Home Front ...

Those of you who know me have probably detected an undercurrent of something bordering on despair in this blog of late: and I must confess that your apprehensions would've been dead on. It's wearing me down, slow but sure.

The delivery business has stopped growing - we're not shrinking, but any new customers we're adding are simply replacing those who are leaving. And I can pretty much put my finger on right when the growth trend reversed itself, and hazard a guess as to why: Labor Day weekend, and the high gas prices engendered by hurricane Katrina.

Hmm, let's see: do I want a quart of good milk this week or an extra gallon of gas?

And even now, as gas prices have returned to something resembling reasonable levels, the price resistance is seemingly growing stronger rather then diminishing. I don't think folks believe that prices will stay down, and I think I'm seeing a microcosm of the fabled "consumer confidence" indices. If I am, it doesn't bode well for the economy as a whole.

Topping all this off, we had several more truck problems last week, culminating in the S-10 being put into the shop for a possible blown transmission. By the time you factor in repair costs whatever profit I've been making on the delivery business fades fast.

One expects this sort of thing whenever one starts up a new venture, and I'd be willing to hold the course if I could see some light at the end of the tunnel, but I am becoming increasingly fearful that the old adage "it takes money to make money" is rapidly coming into play: without money for advertising, the business won't expand, and without expansion the money won't come in to pay for it.

For right now, I'll hold my own and see. But if this goes on ...

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