Results tagged "Business Services"

I could be über pessimistic about this…

But that isn’t going to solve anything.

When I started designing on my own I was squeezed into a 2nd bedroom that shared several guests…. Jump forward 5 years I was in a lofty barn with wood floors and exposed piping… a designer’s dream… another 5 years later, I was alone in a 10×10′ room with more equipment and office supplies than anyone should be allowed to possess. Last year I found myself back in a similar 2nd bedroom with guests AND a toddler that loved to wreak havoc on anything computerized. It was time. I picked it all up again and descended to the basement… Several months later I am still in boxes and crates… more than half of my work is displaced throughout the house… disorder, anxiety, chaos.

The time has come and I started today… I am making this space into a design friendly room that will also work for my son and husband (who like to use the room from time to time too… )…

How I waited this long, I will never know.

Mm ba ba de  Um bum ba de Um bu bu bum da de

Pressure pushing down on me
Pressing down on you no man ask for
Under pressure – that burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets
All right stop
Collaborate and listen
Ice is back with my brand new invention
Something grabs a hold of me tightly
Flowin like a harpoon daily and nightly
Will it ever stop?
Yo–I don’t know

Um ba ba be  Um ba ba be  De day da  Ee day da – that’s o.k.

The IDEA of stealing is easy. I was thinking about this the other day when the Bell Ringer Security company showed up at our backdoor asking to do a routine check of our alarm system. Apparently it was broken… which was not only news to me because I’ve never used it, but also because I don’t know anything about it. I mean nothing. The Alarm Guy, who was obviously depressed that he was the “Alarm Guy” was not very friendly, and quickly grew impatient with my lack of knowledge over what is apparently a very sophisticated system. “You don’t know the code to your alarm system?” — “No, but here is my social AND my first born…” “Where is the Main Alert?” (laughing) “ALERT? You mean like ALERT ALERT” – I pictured myself running around yelling… ALERT ALERT. He was not amused while suddenly it occurred to me that I hadn’t checked any of this man’s credentials before entering our house… “Everything is in the basement” I blurted, while locking the door behind him as he went down to check… running to look at the van in the driveway. He was legit. But WHAT IF HE HADN’T BEEN! He was already IN OUR HOUSE. I calmed myself down quickly and heard him banging to be let out of the basement… “Oh – sorry, that key must have jumped out of my pocket and done locked the door by itself. Sorry about that.” Again, he was not amused and moved on to rummage through our personals before leaving this little piece of advice to wiggle and jump like a fish all over the kitchen until we kicked it out… “I advise that you become familiar with your alarm system, you do live in a highly trafficked area”. While I giggled and pictured a bullet riddled street corner in the depths of despair… um, not really (at the risk of sounding enormously moronic).

I forgot about Alarm Guy’s little words of wisdom until reading the local news from one town over… “Police: Burglar Photographed Himself with Stolen Laptop”

I still haven’t learned to use the security system.

In the spring of 2005 my former design studio was in the midst of a new business partnership–And about a year into it, things were going very well. I managed all aspects of design while my partner handled most of the business side and website programming. We were approached by a Client, one that we had previously developed an ad campaign for. Although he was a builder by trade, he had a grand idea–a new publishing venture– a new Hamptons based publication. This was to be a glossy but sophisticated glimpse of life on the East End of Long Island… The beauty and artistic nature; the earth’s core of what makes our location so unique–beyond the fame, night clubs and society parties. It was a great idea, but it wasn’t just a project — it was a whole new company and it was up to us to recreate this vision.

“That’s that Hawaiian burger joint. I hear they got
some tasty burgers.“

And
so we set off… A small group was formed and–considering that none of
us had any experience in such a start-up–meetings were ridiculous.
Topics ranged from font sizes to distribution to what’s for lunch–Hey
someone call and get us a table for dinner… drinks, laughs…. There
was nothing very serious about what was going on — except that someone
was beginning to spend unthinkable amounts of money. There were city dinners,
Hampton Classic Tables, meetings with minor celebrities, random gifts,
parties… You name it. Personally, I stayed out of most of the
debauchery.. not my style, but what I saw happening was grandiose, and
we hadn’t even published an issue yet. Admittedly, I turned a blind eye
on the spendatures… I was being placated with visions of success. 
Never ending dollars–someone, somewhere out there was funding us. 

“Mmm-mmmm.
That is a tasty burger.“

Upon
the publishing of our first issue (Memorial Day 2006), my business
partner very suddenly decided to take his exit. We had been moving at a
fast pace, and I know things in his personal life were changing… but
we were right there — on the threshold of what we had been working so
hard for. Before things became unpleasant, he told me that he would be
happy to stay in the partnership but could not be associated with the
owner of the magazine anymore and therefore couldn’t have anything to do with
the project. He then went one step further to insinuate that he had
attempted to sabotage the whole operation by not completing the
publication’s website in time for a nationally televised plug on a syndicated morning show. Horrified, I resented him immediately and requested his
departure. There were some legal dealings for a few months, and then he
was gone. I immersed myself, once again, in the creative development of
the next 8 issues, collateral and other projects of the design firm.

“But
I do love the taste of a good burger. Mm-mm-mm.”

A
few issues in — things were looking good. Advertising was a stretch,
but we were gaining readers so the owner decided to up the distribution
to include NYC and scattered Barnes & Nobles from Philadelphia to
Boston. He also started making hiring and firing decisions on a weekly
basis as well as salary increases. Money was still being spent like
there was no end… and I continued to not question where it was coming
from–Honestly, I had an idea, but didn’t really want to know. Mostly women were hired and referred to as “the gals at the
office”… Along with this came rumors of the owner’s various infidelities. He
had become a friend, however, so I dismissed ideas that this “family
man” was capable of such behavior. After much discussion, a proposition
was verbally offered to me — make my design firm part of the overall
magazine in exchange for lofty partnership shares in the company as
well as a top tier executive role… I mean we were going to be picked
up soon by Time Warner or Condé Nast for a few million, right? “Where
do
I sign?” “Oh – the contract is being drawn up… let’s just get
started running your financials through the magazine on Jan 1 to avoid
tax problems” “Oh, Okay.”….

I’m not one of those people
that runs outside to see upon being told that ‘the sky is falling’…
Thing is that I had a business partner going into this whole thing
and really didn’t like running the design firm on my own. I thought I
had thought it through — and I sincerely trusted this man.

“You
know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in France?”

I continued to not only direct, design and layout and occasionally edit every issue
that was going to press, I was also managing clients that the design
firm catered towards… it was too much. I asked for help, but funds
were becoming tight, what with the Christmas party coming up and all.
There were major politics at hand– cut throat… people being thrown
under the bus on a daily basis. It was all consuming. It was so
consuming, in fact, that I can’t remember
very much of what was happening in my personal life at the time. At
some point I renewed my passport, went on vacations–blackberry in hand,
and… early in 2007 became pregnant. My husband and I  — our
families, everyone was ecstatic. I did the whole waiting thing — not
telling anyone at the publication until I had made through the
first-tri to the safety zone…  

“A Royale with
cheese.”

Around
the same time as my exciting personal news, the publisher was let go
due in fact to his alleged marking up of printing costs, reimbursable
expenses and, in short, embezzlement. A new publisher, formerly a sales
“gal”, decided to push editorial and creative to focus on fashion and
NYC– not so much local… And the owner had, in fact, left his family
life and had taken up with a newly hired editor — another gal from the
office. I do not claim to be a saint–far from it actually, but I was
caught up in a whirlwind of disgusting behavior. I decided to, once
again, turn a blind eye and work until the baby–then retire…
But
wait, people were not getting paid. Why stay?
But wait, he has my
company.
It
was a Friday in April and I requested a meeting with him… Still no
contract, fashion, crazy egos, and by the way I’m pregnant… He
replied “you are the last of the Mohicans… I’m not doing this
without you.”
A nice hug, so proud — happy for you and yours… Later that same day,
he called to yell at me about the website not being finished.. I
explained that our programmer was up to his ears in Client projects…
projects that were making us money. He accused me of mismanagement and
suggested that I resign. After a good cry, I called and asked his
office manager to let him know that he could expect my resignation on
Monday. Apparently, she handed him my message on a post-it. He then
denied ever suggesting such a thing.

“You mind if I
have some of your tasty beverage to wash this down?”

It ended quickly–June 2007, like a band-aid being
torn off. After fights — crying, yelling, demanding… it was apparent
that I was out. The owner stopped speaking to me and instead sent
threatening emails or verbal rants through the publisher. I don’t know
why I waited– still designing…. but eventually decided to pull my
company out of it all — I kept my employees at the crazy salaries that
he had given them. We were once again a design firm.  He threatened to
“come after me”. He had his lawyer insist that I pay  him back all of
the money he spent on my company when in fact he owed me a great deal
in back pay. There was never a contract, however, and his
actions–unspeakable emails and threats spoke louder than any half-baked
lawsuit. In March of 2008 they offered to let me design for them again
until I had worked back the money that they thought I owed–thus lifting the threat
of having them actually sue me. I politely declined and haven’t heard
from them since…

“Ah, hit the spot.”

And then it was over. They continued to publish up until
the fall of 2008–I would pick up an issue here and there… still
beautiful, but dry and typical. There are rumors of what transpired
over the past years since I left… and many posts
online.. but factual? Who knows. I often wonder if it will reappear should the publishing world see a resurgence. People still tell me different stories
on almost a weekly basis.

What
I do know to be true is slightly unbelievable… My original business
partner in the design firm, as it turns out, was already partners with
the owner of the magazine when I went into business with him and had
been for years. The two of them were also partners with another man and
were dividing up shares of their other various businesses. When the man
I partnered with walked from the publication–they went after him to
retrieve his shares of everything and from what I’ve heard — a great
deal of his money. Therefore, the owner of the publication, his
business partners–including my partner were actually making money off
of my designs for the year before the publication project ever came up.

The owner of the publication– I mentioned, was a friend. We
allowed him into our lives–he took my husband to ball games, took us
out for dinners… invited us to spend time with his family. On many
occasions, he suggested that we invest in one of his many properties..
We never would have, but always acted interested and requested business
plans, which never surfaced. He was so interested in us – my husband
and I –that it was almost too much, but I never wanted to disappoint
him when it came to the magazine. Friendship was the booze they were selling, and I was drunk… while in the end, I’m just a graphic designer.

In keeping with yesterday’s topic on promotion and how we should all be ashamed of ourselves for wanting to succeed in our endeavors, here’s a little shameless self-promo for Breakwater Design Studio. Over the years [including life pre-bwdstudio], myself and a team of talented designers have designed hundreds if not thousands of logos–highly successful brands. It was really hard to choose which ones to present today, so I blindfolded myself and dug into the vault. 

In a few weeks I’ll post more. Now isn’t this fun? Who isn’t having a good time? Dave Sage?

A favorite line from a favorite John Cusak timeless…. but I think we all are.

I have been told since the beginning of my time that I am not good with the numbers. And although, as a graphic designer, I work with measurements and equations on a daily basis… The understanding of THE MARKET seems to escape me. Admittedly, I flunked out of economics, but I didn’t really try to GET IT. I took more design studies to suffice and had a grand ol’ time.

Now I am paying the price… most of what is going on is wah-wah to me and as a small biz owner, that is BAD. As we happily hum along (singing our Breakwater song), the evil cloud of NOT GETTING IT has not yet found our little (signless) hiding place… we will take cover, and hum a little lower…