Our Business Baby

Summer is flying by so fast! Mostly I think that's due to this crazy adventure we've set out on of owning a painting company. What a job! I have to say it has been harder and so much more work than we ever bargained for. The potential in this is great, but so is the price that must be paid. Many days we wake up to the buzz of text messages or phone calls right around 7 am. Just like a charm. Customers and painters alike are looking to the head honcho for answers to their questions. Days are spent running logistics and solving everyone's problems, not to mention trying to meet new customers and make sales for the next week. As the evening approaches there's finally time to start answering emails and returning other phone calls. Dinner at 9, try to clean up the house a bit, and then back to bed. It's a grind, no doubt.

There are days I feel like we must have been crazy to have bought this thing. The pressure can just crush you. I am continually amazed at Ryan's ability to press forward. I can't say how many times I've thought to myself that this just isn't going to work. But I have more faith than that. We both felt confirmations that buying the business was the right course of action, so I went into the whole thing pretty calmly, and actually excited about what we were doing. The business has definitely taught both of us a lot about our strengths and our weaknesses as we are often pushed to our limits. The best thing in the world is that we are doing this together and can help each other through the hard days. Luckily we don't usually both feel discouraged on the same days. What I love most about working this company is that I get to see or at least talk to Ryan frequently throughout the day. It's great to feel so connected on something like that.

Ryan has some natural gifts with running a business and we've definitely seen the effects of that. We are making sales like crazy! I'm keeping the books and it's incredible to see how much money has flowed in and out of the bank account this year. We've had a lot of struggles, but I'm happy to say that July was our most profitable month thus far, and I think August is on track to be really good as well. When people say we have so much free time because we don't have any kids yet, I just tell them that we do have a baby. Our baby is a painting company. It takes all our money and all our time. :)