Never give up, never surrender! :- )

Re: Canberra Bombers – yeh! You’d probably draw a bit of attention in a multi-level carpark…they spew out enough smoke on start-up to rival a nuclear winter! :- )

Cheers

Stephen G

I always wondered why the RACV wouldn’t cover my Canberra Bomber. Now I know. Never could get the old girl to roll start, either…

Happy times, nonetheless.

In my vain attempt at metaphor blending, I attempted to use ‘props’ both literally and metaphorically (i.e. ‘props’ as in ‘theatrical properties’ or contents of my stage/cirucmstance). Somehow, I reckon ‘turbines’ may have been a tad more confusing. :- P

Your kind words of support continue to be a balm and an inspiration, for which I continue to be very grateful.

Cheers

Stephen G

PS I have always liked the old Canberra Bombers. I have even worked on a few (showing my age again :- P). I love how the engines are started…an electrically ignited cartridge (one for each engine and each start), is fitted to the front of the engine. Each cartridge contains the equivalent of about 4 sticks of dynamite; so the engines literally explode into action :- )

It was highly adaptable and set a world altitude record in 1957. It remained in service until 23 June 2006, 57 years after its first flight.

I’m confident you’ll do similarly well.

A jolly book indeed…but unfortunately, like war heroes, the jolly books are only a small proportion of the myriad and ONGOING Small Business stories we hear about.

I’ve been around long enough to know that, although the ‘props’ in my spluttering ‘bomber’ may be unique to my situation, that the smoke, flames, trajectory and the sound it makes when it hits the ground are all too familiar and far, far too common.

With all our ’smancy’ new words and methodologies and multi-mediated analytics, the statistics for Small Business and their fatalities remains pretty much unchanged:

Excepted from a presentation called “An Overview of Australia’s Small Business Sector” by Professor Michael Schaper
Dean, Murdoch University Business, to the Council of Small Businesses of Australia – February 2008 ( http://bit.ly/4ejaAo ):

The Consistency Rule

- Patterns remarkably consistent over time.
- Only minor variations in figures from one
period to another.
- No significant changes for Australia over last
twenty years.

Exits & Survivals – Australia
“Exits” includes cessation, liquidation or
receivership, change of ownership, mergers.

Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates (1997):
• Average rate: 8.5% p.a. of all small firms.
• Exits are highest in retail industries,
partnerships, & new businesses.
• 18% of businesses exit after 2 years
• 24% after 3 years
• 35% after 5 years
• 55% after 10 years
• 65% after 15 years
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2007):
• Of the 1.87m firms operating in June 2003, 65.0% still
trading in June 2006 and 58.4% in June 2007.
• Least likely to survive are new firms, non-employing
firms,low turnover firms
(Sources: ABS (1997) Business Exits in Australia, cat. no. 8144.0, pp.5-12; Counts of Australian Businesses,
Including Entries and Exits Cat.no.8165.0 Canberra: ABS, p.19. – http://bit.ly/4ejaAo )

I don’t have to tell you about the pyramid shape of and inherent imbalances and inequities (arguably undepinned by individual vested interests), in our economy?

But we are the ones making it up aren’t we? I mean only 100 years ago (less in some places), we were still working 8 days a week and sending our children to work in mines, weren’t we? And it’s taken US this long to move to a 5 day (though be it still a 400 hour) week? (Well it’s a progress of sorts…at least fewer children are in mines…at least in the Western Countries). My point is, WE create the ‘Economy’, don’t we?

Is it worth mentioning here that ‘ecos’ comes from a Greek word element ‘oikos’ meaning ‘Home’? (Ref: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eco)

So, although I’m fortunate enough to have this fine platform in which to vent my spleen and the fine moral support of the good folks here, I hardly consider myself or my concerns ’special’ in the ’scheme of things’.

What’s the answer? There isn’t ONE. There are MANY little ones, and they are US. We could start with removing the ’stigma’ around talking about ‘actual’ money and stop hiding our ‘financials’ under our beds with our ‘porn’ books that we think our Mums don’t know about.

We can better monetise the so far hidden (or ignored), intrinsic values that an operating small business has and generates in the community and economy. Hopefully this might result in Insurance Companies, Banks & Financiers assessing ‘REALITY’ and delivering ‘TIMELY’ services (including micro-loans), that are assessed against the cost of the business dying, rather than against the banks balance-sheets and underwriters prescription drug intakes. They do it with big businesses…why not the little ones where the ‘real’ and larger proportion of money, costs AND PEOPLE are?

It’s an embarrassing planet at times…no wonder so many are so keen to blow it up?

I’ll take a breather here…

Cheers

Stephen G

Is this where I say “Be careful what you ask for? :- )

Butt Seriously;

Hi Malcolm :- )

Thanks for your inquiry.

I have to be a bit careful to keep this in perspective, as you are only hearing my side of the story…hence my previous brevity…not to mention that I didn’t want to put anyone to sleep; nor do I wish to appear as either a matyr or a pariah…a whinger I can cope with :- )

Oh and just to save you reading the following for nothing, I don’t know why they are threatening to sue, beyond an apparent and heretofore unacknowledged breach of the contract.

Elaboration:

The really sucky part is that the Training Provider (Government contracted Service Provider), is using DEEWR to threaten me…the actual contract is with DEEWR. I haven’t spoken to DEEWR at any point so far. I would say that the Training Provider may have the capacity of ‘contract manager’, but I’m not sure.

The Breach – Apparently, my business has taken too long to ’start-up’ according to a clause of the contract (not to mention a rather anal interpretation of it). I have fulfilled all of my obligations to the best of my abiility and under the advice and guidance of the Training Provider’s previous employess, including attending all scheduled (and contracted), meetings where my circumstances as they changed and/or not, where reported and placed on file by the previous employee (NEIS Program facilitator); who incidentally was very helpful, courteous and with whom all was well. Recently the Training Provider sacked all the old staff and hired new employees.

My gripe is that the new NEIS Program facilitator, whom I met for the first time last week, who admitted not having read my file, opened the meeting with “You are suspended from the NEIS Program”. From then on it just got worse, including threatening that if I did not provide the information (already on file) and rework my business plan (which I have neither the time, resources nor inclination to do right at the moment), I would be removed from the program and sued to recover all NEIS Payments I have received to date (this represents my entire income for the past 9 months – somewhere around $8000.00). Try starting up a business on that? :- P

Every time I tried to explain anything she simply said “You’ve read the contract haven’t you?”…not getting anywhere, I left the meeting and I think you know the rest.

Re: Secret to a great pizza – I ‘wholepizzadly’ agree Malcolm…I’m a self confessed ‘meatosaurus’ and a pizza without meat is compost as far as I’m concerned :- )…but as we both know, my customer base will not consist of just you and me :- )…so I will start with some good quality basics and respond to the caprice of the market; which my little business is designed to be extremely good at.

As it happens, tonight is rather auspicious. I’ve spent the last 3 days curing the oven (i.e. burning it in to remove embedded moisture and to set the compound bonds), and tonight I’m cooking my very first noSh-it! Wood-Fired Pizza test pizza…I’m the scientist and the guinea pig :- )…wish me luck.

Oh and I just got a reply from the bank…they declined my request to increase my Credit Card limit. So I’m 2 weeks out from launch, after 6 months of delays (largely attributed to the bank), I’ve had my income summmarily removed, I’m down to my last $1000.00 and the bank reckons I’ve reached the limit of my capacity to repay my Credit Card (based on my initial application 9 months ago). They don’t seem to be interested in what is happening now. And this is called reality? :- P

But as you say, “Live the dream”…I’m wholly focused on continuing with my launch as best I can. I’ve come too far and I’m too close to even hiccup at this point…if anything, all this ‘Small Business Support’ has served only to strengthen my resolve…Yeh! I know it sounds corny, but it’s true…and even I’m impressed with just how strengthened it is… :- )

Chocks out, flaps up, hats off, stand back, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em…noSh-it! Wood-Fired Pizza is about to hit the fan, regardless :- )

I have to say that the support I’ve received from the folks here has infused my resolve with high grade titanium…thanks again

Cheers

Stephen G

I have been away on a conference for last week and it appears I have missed a lot in just a few days! Stephen if you feel so inclined could you please explain a bit more about the training and why they are threatening to sue you? Sounds really strange.

The secret to a great pizza is meat, meat and then meat covered in egg, onion, salt and bbq sauce. Kind of a healthy living sort of thing. Great for the Saturday night munchies around 3.00am……

Live the dream Stephen, you ar emaking me hungry!