I’ve had a really good last couple of days. If you read my last post you might have noticed I got my sales tax license and my trade name. Today I went to my bank and opened my first business checking account. Those big business checks are cool and I have a bank card with my business name on it, Patesco Service & Supply.
The banker lady asked what I was selling. She obviously new I was in the service and supply business but of what sort? Well, I really don’t want to limit my options here, thus the ambiguity in the name. Some of the things, as I’ve mentioned before, will be pest control, power-washing, lighting, janitorial supplies, etc.
I ran into a family friend, Allie, at the YMCA, she mentioned that she has a friend who runs a cleaning business, mostly homes, but wanted to expand into commercial cleaning as well. Hiring a salesperson seems like a necessity but she cannot afford it. This is the kind of thing I want to do, hire myself out as sort of a non-core services provider and sell whatever seems like it would fit the product portfolio.
Also, another friend of mine, Phil, asked me to record a chamber music group coming to town, actually playing at our church. I said yes and when they showed up it was actually a bunch of young men from the Netherlands, DeCool Singers. Apparently modesty is different in Europe because I walked in on these young men changing pants in our fellowship hall in full view of about 30 other people. It’s kinda weird to meet someone for the first time when they strip off their pants to reveal boxer briefs. Strange indeed.
Anyhoo, I got paid for the gig, a full $250 much needed bucks. And the DeCool Singers gave me another $20 to ship them a copy of the CD and told me to keep the change.
After the bank today I went and spent some cold hard cash at Office Depot on essential boring goods such as file folders and manila envelopes. I wanted to buy a printer or some software but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Here’s something interesting about owning a business versus being an employee. As an employee when you get paid you want to buy items. But as a business owner you want to stretch every dollar. I don’t want to spend, I want to find a way to take the $250 sitting in my bank account and turn it into $500, then $1,000. I’m not looking to spend, I’m looking to multiply. I wonder if all business owners think this way. I truely believe that most do and it’s what separates the haves from the have-nots to a large degree.
Lastly, I need to develop some sort of generic brochure or catalog. I need something to show prospective sub-contractors. This is absolutly essential. If you want some free publicity and you happen to do commercial printing or graphic design let me know. I’m a cheap bastard. Besides, I only have $250.
This post is truely unfunny. I suck. Sorry. I leave you with the current total of the project. I took my mom out to lunch for watching the kids so I could record the DeCool Singers, thus it’s a business expense.
| Income | Outcome | |||||||
| Item | Price | Tax | Total | Item | Price | Tax | Total | |
| Owens Corning | $60.00 | $60.00 | Parking Garage | $9.50 | $9.50 | |||
| De Cool Singers | $250.00 | $250.00 | Trade Name | $75.00 | $75.00 | |||
| Lunch | $18.53 | $18.53 | ||||||
| File Folders | $16.48 | $0.99 | $17.47 | |||||
Broke 
Hi Tim,
So glad lunch applied as a business expense. I fully support you in your endeavors. Go for it and go big! I know full well you have enough intel, experience, and personality to fully succeed. Next time I watch the children while you go to work, I’ll let you take me out to lunch again, only next time, I’ll eat a bit more!
Love,
Mom