I thought I would be able to relax after being downsized in August. Nothing could be further from the truth. Since being emancipated from the "King of the Amazon", I have been busier than ever. I can't seem to say "no"... Plus I have to keep the lights on somehow.
I did take a short break in August. After finding out I couldn't rent out my condo (some hokey by-law in the Condo Association docs), I decided to put it on the market and find a part time consulting gig to make payments until it sells. It was definitely a downer because I had hoped to move back home permanently, and having that taken away was hard. So I spent 6 weeks in Seattle at home, then drove back to LA to start working.
This consulting project is very interesting. I am working for a friend who owns a flavor house, and luckily I know that business. He is an entrepreneur through and through so he also has a million other ideas that he wants me to commercialize. There are some good ones, and some not-so-good. My role is to help where I can with these initiatives plus manage the technical labs. The staff is great...all hard-working, friendly and helpful. It hardly ever goes that way, but I will take it! The commute is not so great...1 hour each way in traffic. Bleah! I know why road rage was invented on the LA freeways. The things you see daily are enough to curl your toes!
Besides consulting, I am helping get a couple of companies off the ground. Both need investment, but both are market winners. I can't wait to see how they turn out. One is an invention that will re-set the coffee world, and one is a ready-to-drink beverage that is uniquely positioned. Let me know if anyone wants to plunk a couple of million bucks behind either of them!
I have to sit down each morning and make 3 different lists of to-do's, because I need to keep them all straight. Each requires a different set of skills and are at different stages, so it can get confusing and time-consuming. It feels like I have 3 full time jobs.
But I would not have it any other way. What I have learned about myself over the last 12 months is this: 1) I have skills to offer small companies that are just starting out, and 2) I love the excitement and energy of a start-up. No more corporate job for me unless it is a position where finding and buying these types of companies is the job responsibility. I wish it had steadier income (or income at all), but the risk/reward juice is intoxicating.
Stay tuned for updates and news!
Chow!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
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