Up and Running-Ish

Did I mention the Arizona Department of Real Estate gave me 90 minutes to get my business up and running? 90 MINUTES!

I was told four weeks. Experience suggested it would be six weeks. The three weeks, six days and twenty-two and a half hours might have made a difference. Just saying.

Instead my logo wasn't done. My business e-mail address wasn't ready. My web site still isn't done. My business cards and signs were contingent on my logo. My listing agreement for my house I have wasn't completed. My bank account wasn't open. And the list goes on.

Above all that, I have taxed the patience of Scott my graphic artist, Sarah my marketing rep and I have no idea what the girl at the sign company might be saying about me, but I am sure it isn't pleasant. Usually I am pretty easy going, but because this is for my brand, I am super-fussy. "Can I see this sign with the blue on the bottom. Would you please bold only my name and make sure my phone number is a font smaller. May I see the same piece with green instead? Please use a serif font for my tagline and a sanserif font for my logo. Now may I see that the text the other way please? I just want to verify.

I am a true delight.

None of this of course comes for free, though Scott didn't charge me nearly enough for the work he did. The sign company throws in the cost of the artwork for "free." I owe my marketing rep lunch, dinner and babysitting at this rate. If I had the extra three weeks, six days and twenty-two and a half hours, I could have budgeted for this much better. Instead, I had emergency start-up costs. Necessary, but geeze! Isn't bureaucracy supposed to take longer than promised not shorter? I suppose this is a happy problem.

I have given myself through the end of this week to get my business up and running. Then I need to go make some money.