Rush and Romny to the rescue

[Mac1958]

One recommendation is to find your local SCORE office. Service Corp of Retired Executives. Free counseling on every facet of starting a business, from a business plan to marketing to purchasing to pricing to competition to bookkeeping. All free, all people who know what they're talking about. I'd strongly recommend putting together a good plan before jumping in, a lot of crap will pop up.

High end furniture is a cool segment.
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Thank you for the advice.

I am on my third attempt at a business though, the previous two were fails but not spectacularly so. Wrote a program that did automated investments in the currency markets that initially was designed to exploit the Swiss Franc pairing to the Euro, but once they revised their paring we revised it to work on market retraces, which are fairly predictable. The company that was giving us access to the market was apparently a bucket shop so after making $1200 gross profit, we folded the tent. If you cant trust your market ECN, there's no point to it. My partner is now working for serious Wall Street banks on HFT software, and he laughs now at what we were doing before. Says we were simply lucky. Meh, retraces are not luck.

The second effort was to build a turnkey solar farm and sell it to a power company. We were moving ahead well with our planning, had some property picked out that would allow us to avoid construction of flood control mechanisms, had priced some solar panels and I had designed a cheap framework for holding the panels that could be easily cut and assembled from steal L beams. But that got called off because we discovered that no power network company was willing to give us access to the grid, even though we had recruited a solar panel experienced, certified electrician to oversee the whole thing. All the machines we would have used are standardized and would not have posed any risk, and they could have inspected everything to their satisfaction. That was when I realized that the solar panel promotion by the Obama administration was just a gimick for his corporate cronies to milk money from the federal teet and there was never a real intention to allow private individuals to get in on the action.

So this third venture will hopefully pan out. I can make the furniture, I just hope my friend can really do the marketing like he says he can.

Holy shit, cool stuff. The HFT world moves so quickly I don't know how anyone can stay on top of it. And yeah, solar can't stand on its own yet, so you'd be immersed in so much red tape and game-playing that it's just too early.

Third time could be the charm! Don't ever be far from your Excel spreadsheet, stay on top of the numbers (!). Good luck, success reports here are required.
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[JimBowie1958]

Third time could be the charm! Don't ever be far from your Excel spreadsheet, stay on top of the numbers (!). Good luck, success reports here are required.
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Hah, if I become a gazzilionaire, they gonna have to pay me to post here, roflmao.

 

[Mac1958]

Third time could be the charm! Don't ever be far from your Excel spreadsheet, stay on top of the numbers (!). Good luck, success reports here are required.
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Hah, if I become a gazzilionaire, they gonna have to pay me to post here, roflmao.

But if you do, don't forget, YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT!


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[Rustic]

Savage wasn't bad value.

Michael Savage is a bit of a ranter as well, but at least he has some original material and I think he is being genuine, enough, with his audience.

Rush was for years slamming on drug addicts and playing up his conservative credentials to his audience while being a drug addict himself. Forget him; there may be an occasional gem of fact or him putting an issue into a clearer context occasionally, but he is not doing it to convince anyone of anything other than that he wants you to think he is a genuine conservative and thus get you to tune in.

Maybe he in fact is a real conservative, I dont know, but I do know all his comments are spoken with the single goal of driving up his ad revenue, not to educate the public about what is going on in DC.

He only distracts the Middle Class listeners while the establishment of both parties fleeces the Middle Class.

For example, he constantly argues that corporate taxes need to go down, but they are already way down proportionately from their highs in 1950. That year corporations paid $2 for every $3 that private citizens paid in federal taxes. Now that ratio has gone to $1 in corporate tax for every $4 of private taxes paid in. IF Rush were really conservative, why doesnt he argue as much for Middle Class tax breaks first? He doesnt because he gets more corporate advertisers that way as they want to help him promote the corporate tax break line of horse shit.

My oh my! You've written something that isn't completely opposed to reality. It's refreshing. Now...let's carry the thought a little further and refine it a bit.

You speak of how Rush has played the middle class for fools while the establishment of both parties fleeces the middle class. Isn't that amazing! You are not differentiating between those middle class Americans who made Rush rich and influential and those who have never believed a word that he's ever said. That....my fine conservative friend....is very convenient.

For Rush to have any influence on a particular individual's brain....that individual must be receptive to his message. That individual needs to be unwilling or unable to give a shit about facts. That individual needs to have a propensity to blame others for his or her own problems.....often times those others are minorities, poor or otherwise marginalized citizens. One wonders why there are very few.....if any....examples of Rush-like figures grabbing the attention of liberal middle class Americans while there are many successful Rush clones on the right. Any thoughts?

I know. This is an unpleasant topic of conversation for many. It's rare, in fact, to find a conservative who recognizes Rush's true nature. I've got to at least give you credit for that. I am going to recommend a book to you....for enjoyment. It's a work of fiction....but covers the Rush phenomenon well. It is called "Talk" by Michael Smerconish.

Rush is a just an entertainer a successful one at that, he has capitalized well on it and continues too...
He never has said he is anymore than that, More power to him.
As far as that little weasel Michael smerconish, he should be pistol whipped in his sleep... He gets shit ratings... Anyway

 

[LoneLaugher]

Third time could be the charm! Don't ever be far from your Excel spreadsheet, stay on top of the numbers (!). Good luck, success reports here are required.
.

Hah, if I become a gazzilionaire, they gonna have to pay me to post here, roflmao.

But if you do, don't forget, YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT!


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He didn't build the road that was used to bring the wood to his shop. Simpleton.

 

[Rustic]

Third time could be the charm! Don't ever be far from your Excel spreadsheet, stay on top of the numbers (!). Good luck, success reports here are required.
.

Hah, if I become a gazzilionaire, they gonna have to pay me to post here, roflmao.

But if you do, don't forget, YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT!


.

He didn't build the road that was used to bring the wood to his shop. Simpleton.

Ya, some contractor was paid to build that road not the federal government. dumbass
Lol

 

[Wildman]

...Huh?

EXACTLY !!

 

[LoneLaugher]

Best wishes. 58 is young. Stay positive, focused and GO GET 'EM.
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Might have an opportunity to start my own business. A friend of mine is a marketing major and I may start making certain kinds of furniture that can sell for as much as $5000 a piece. I have come up with a design that I think is more functional and would only cost about $250 in materials and could be sold for about $2k according to him.

Maybe I'll focus on that instead.

If you are going to make furniture, I can probably be of some help. You won't need a marketing guy, for example.

ITs a niche market that will have to be sold over the internet, and I dont know much about that at all, and though I could cram a lot of reading in, I prefer experience to book theory.

But thanks for the advice. Maybe I'll milk him for all he knows then drop him like a hot rock and restart solo? Lol, nah, even I cant stoop that low.

I have a couple customers who make custom furniture. They don't need a marketing person because they are selling individual pieces. If the markups that you spoke of are accurate, then you won't need to sell more than a few pieces per month to sustain a business. If you think you'll have a large demand for this item ( not likely at 5k per pc ) you'll probably do better selling the design to a large manufacturer. Get a design patent and take the rest of your life off.

 

[LoneLaugher]

Third time could be the charm! Don't ever be far from your Excel spreadsheet, stay on top of the numbers (!). Good luck, success reports here are required.
.

Hah, if I become a gazzilionaire, they gonna have to pay me to post here, roflmao.

But if you do, don't forget, YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT!


.

He didn't build the road that was used to bring the wood to his shop. Simpleton.

Ya, some contractor was paid to build that road not the federal government. dumbass
Lol

Paid by who? Dumbass.

 

[Rustic]

Third time could be the charm! Don't ever be far from your Excel spreadsheet, stay on top of the numbers (!). Good luck, success reports here are required.
.

Hah, if I become a gazzilionaire, they gonna have to pay me to post here, roflmao.

But if you do, don't forget, YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT!


.

He didn't build the road that was used to bring the wood to his shop. Simpleton.

Ya, some contractor was paid to build that road not the federal government. dumbass
Lol

Paid by who? Dumbass.

By the taxpayer not the federal government. dumbass

 

[LoneLaugher]

Hah, if I become a gazzilionaire, they gonna have to pay me to post here, roflmao.

But if you do, don't forget, YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT!


.

He didn't build the road that was used to bring the wood to his shop. Simpleton.

Ya, some contractor was paid to build that road not the federal government. dumbass
Lol

Paid by who? Dumbass.

By the taxpayer not the federal government. dumbass

Wow! You are awesome. I've never been put in my place like that before in my life! I'd better avoid you if I want to save face.

 

[Rustic]

But if you do, don't forget, YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT!


.

He didn't build the road that was used to bring the wood to his shop. Simpleton.

Ya, some contractor was paid to build that road not the federal government. dumbass
Lol

Paid by who? Dumbass.

By the taxpayer not the federal government. dumbass

Wow! You are awesome. I've never been put in my place like that before in my life! I'd better avoid you if I want to save face.

Deflection noted

 

[Iceweasel]

Remember the "Bomb Iraq" song with the kick a homeless guy attitude, on the Rush Limbha show? If we fought Iraq we would win so easy, Rush Limbha use to say. You can't get that kind of advice for free. For those of you still under his spell, sorry to hear it, but I know the feeling. I felt like I was better then everyone else because I knew what those evil Dems were up to.

I have listened to Rush over the years. Obviously you haven't. The kick a homeless, bomb bomb Iraq and tax the poor are parodies to make a point. If you do someday listen, have a grown up sit down and explain it to you.

 

[Iceweasel]

The second effort was to build a turnkey solar farm and sell it to a power company. We were moving ahead well with our planning, had some property picked out that would allow us to avoid construction of flood control mechanisms, had priced some solar panels and I had designed a cheap framework for holding the panels that could be easily cut and assembled from steal L beams. But that got called off because we discovered that no power network company was willing to give us access to the grid, even though we had recruited a solar panel experienced, certified electrician to oversee the whole thing. All the machines we would have used are standardized and would not have posed any risk, and they could have inspected everything to their satisfaction. That was when I realized that the solar panel promotion by the Obama administration was just a gimick for his corporate cronies to milk money from the federal teet and there was never a real intention to allow private individuals to get in on the action.

Dude, you can't do any of that without permits. You would have submitted permits to the county or city and they would have approved or shot it down. The local poco would be the first step, not someone "on the grid". Anything like that would need a bullet proof power transfer switching setup in case of a power failure on the line so you aren't backfeeding power when it's dangerous to linemen.

 

[JimBowie1958]

Hah, if I become a gazzilionaire, they gonna have to pay me to post here, roflmao.

But if you do, don't forget, YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT!


.

He didn't build the road that was used to bring the wood to his shop. Simpleton.

Ya, some contractor was paid to build that road not the federal government. dumbass
Lol

Paid by who? Dumbass.

By the taxpayer not the federal government. dumbass

ITs great to see all of us Americans stand together in a time of war.

 

[JimBowie1958]

Dude, you can't do any of that without permits. You would have submitted permits to the county or city and they would have approved or shot it down. The local poco would be the first step, not someone "on the grid". Anything like that would need a bullet proof power transfer switching setup in case of a power failure on the line so you aren't backfeeding power when it's dangerous to linemen.

I was putting together a business plan, had contacted a local realtor to look for a nice peace of land that I could erect the solar panel farm on and not require flood control construction, and was going through the process of getting to meet the various people I needed to over the phone first to make sure the business plan was viable. Everything was checking out until I spoke to the power grid people. They wanted us to basically give them the farm at less than cost. and my price was not high, I had researched that as well and we were coming in way below the average cost. We couldnt run the farm profitably either because they wanted all the green energy credits and pay us below market average for the power. We were basically told to go **** ourselves.

So no, we were not to the point of getting permits because the business plan was not yet complete. I was being very thorough up front to make sure the concept was viable. It wasn't due to the power grid companies, no one else.

 

[JimBowie1958]

Hah, if I become a gazzilionaire, they gonna have to pay me to post here, roflmao.

But if you do, don't forget, YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT!


.

He didn't build the road that was used to bring the wood to his shop. Simpleton.

Ya, some contractor was paid to build that road not the federal government. dumbass
Lol

Paid by who? Dumbass.

By the taxpayer not the federal government. dumbass

He says its dumbasses, you're saying its tax payers....I'm starting to feel like there's not so much of a disagreement.

 

[Iceweasel]

Dude, you can't do any of that without permits. You would have submitted permits to the county or city and they would have approved or shot it down. The local poco would be the first step, not someone "on the grid". Anything like that would need a bullet proof power transfer switching setup in case of a power failure on the line so you aren't backfeeding power when it's dangerous to linemen.

I was putting together a business plan, had contacted a local realtor to look for a nice peace of land that I could erect the solar panel farm on and not require flood control construction, and was going through the process of getting to meet the various people I needed to over the phone first to make sure the business plan was viable. Everything was checking out until I spoke to the power grid people. They wanted us to basically give them the farm at less than cost. and my price was not high, I had researched that as well and we were coming in way below the average cost. We couldnt run the farm profitably either because they wanted all the green energy credits and pay us below market average for the power. We were basically told to go **** ourselves.

So no, we were not to the point of getting permits because the business plan was not yet complete. I was being very thorough up front to make sure the concept was viable. It wasn't due to the power grid companies, no one else.

I've seen comparisons and solar panels just can't compete with traditional power yet. Seems like government subsidies are the only thing that would make it even remotely worthwhile.

 

[JimBowie1958]

Dude, you can't do any of that without permits. You would have submitted permits to the county or city and they would have approved or shot it down. The local poco would be the first step, not someone "on the grid". Anything like that would need a bullet proof power transfer switching setup in case of a power failure on the line so you aren't backfeeding power when it's dangerous to linemen.

I was putting together a business plan, had contacted a local realtor to look for a nice peace of land that I could erect the solar panel farm on and not require flood control construction, and was going through the process of getting to meet the various people I needed to over the phone first to make sure the business plan was viable. Everything was checking out until I spoke to the power grid people. They wanted us to basically give them the farm at less than cost. and my price was not high, I had researched that as well and we were coming in way below the average cost. We couldnt run the farm profitably either because they wanted all the green energy credits and pay us below market average for the power. We were basically told to go **** ourselves.

So no, we were not to the point of getting permits because the business plan was not yet complete. I was being very thorough up front to make sure the concept was viable. It wasn't due to the power grid companies, no one else.

I've seen comparisons and solar panels just can't compete with traditional power yet. Seems like government subsidies are the only thing that would make it even remotely worthwhile.

Solar panels are becoming very efficient in converting solar energy into power. Some now get as much as 21% and some labs have gotten experimental results closer to 44%, but the older panels that had like a 10% efficiency were obsolete and being dumped on the market.

Since their is no fuel expenditure you can increase your power out put by simply buying more solar panels. Also instead of the latest fancy rigs that follow the sun, we figured it was cheaper to have a 4 panel array that simple sat facing south at a good angle and get more power per dollar invested. It just required more area to set up, and that was cheaper to get in a rural area. We had the numbers for a 1 megawatt plant if I recall correctly that would have cost about $750k to build, but I dont remember the numbers, as it was about 6 years ago. The main money we planned to maek ws to auction off the green energy credits, which was lucrative then.

Here are the latest solar cells efficiencies, so the current crop of solar panels might get dumped as well and offer a good opportunity to go low end construction of a similar solar power farm.
Which Solar Panels Are Most Efficient?

 

[USwings]

Remember the "Bomb Iraq" song with the kick a homeless guy attitude, on the Rush Limbha show? If we fought Iraq we would win so easy, Rush Limbha use to say. You can't get that kind of advice for free. For those of you still under his spell, sorry to hear it, but I know the feeling. I felt like I was better then everyone else because I knew what those evil Dems were up to.

I have listened to Rush over the years. Obviously you haven't. The kick a homeless, bomb bomb Iraq and tax the poor are parodies to make a point. If you do someday listen, have a grown up sit down and explain it to you.

Yes the grown ups, that told us the job in Iraq wasn't finished, that we had to find those wmd's, Mission accomplished, that it was cheaper to leave our weapons behind, and that the war in Iraq is over. No problem there.