whoa the woes, please

This has been one hell of a month. Our available cash has been cut in half. Wouldn't be such a big thing if we were having a good year but the economic woes seem to have hit us this year after a sparkling last year. We finished up our last big project the end of March and since then, we have had three smallish jobs. We are in the finishing stages of #3, will complete it next week but the installation and designer's percent will come out of the last payment, with nothing pending.

Unfortunately, we had to make two major purchases in July. We had to buy a new lawn mower of the riding variety, something we didn't plan for til next year and we had to get a new central air unit as the 25 year old unit that came with the house was failing, something we hadn't planned for at all.

Most of our immediate problems would be solved if we would just sell the city property, but it is our last ace in the hole. We are loathe to cash it in just yet especially since any kind of investment is unreliable these days.

Now on top of all this, the old computer refused to wake up the other day wanting to know 'where is the hard disc, can't seem to find it'. The first, easiest, cheapest solution didn't work. Now begins the long slog to try and retrieve our data and hopefully, a few programs. I appreciate a challenge but one at a time would be sufficient.

So it seems I'm going to have to make an effort in the marketing area again. See if I can jump start our cash flow. I hate marketing. Without the resources to buy ads and whatnot on a regular basis, don't have a personal rep, I have to rely on personal contact and I've never been very good at that. I'm OK face to face. It's the getting face to face that I have a hard time with, the picking up the phone. I am, at heart, anti-social (yeah, I know, hard to believe, but it's true). And I'm too old far along for the cold call.

I was going to start sending out a newsletter a year and a half ago, a project that got put aside when we got busy. I suppose I'll be resurrecting that idea. We've relied heavily on our website for a few years and I'm wondering now if it was a good idea to get rid of our land line, relying on the cell phone. I've been telling people that we have moved to Wharton but that we still work in Houston. I don't want them to get the idea that they should mark us off their resource list. It's hard for me to know sometimes why work isn't forthcoming, if it's the economy or lack of involvement on my part.

So please, hold up there on any more personal challenges if you don't mind. My plate is full. Or my purse is empty. Or something like that.