DAND214 said:
swbluto said:
So If I stopped operations completely right now, I'd incur no operational costs. No money 6 months from now either. They would probably lose $1400.
If I continued operations to completion, I'd incur $400 in immediate operational costs. $500 profit 6 months from now. And they'd earn interest on the $1400, so they'd probably earn $7.
If I continued operations to completion and they kept all the money, I'd incur $400 in operational costs, not receive anything, so effectively would lose $400. And they would gain $1400 plus the interest on it.
So, the question is...
WTF are you talking about? As said before this is just a person rambling on and on. WE have no idea what he is talking about half the time. Running a business. One time he is building a mansion, next post it's a shack. making all kinds of money next minute the business is shut down by the authorities?? I'm proud, my chest is out? I know I'm rambling since this thread has gone in a million directions.
Good luck who ever you are, it's a real gas following ONE of the THREE stooges!
Dan
My initial guess is there's a problem getting paid. Secondary thought that there's a code enforcement issue.
If you remember 'SuperDave' Osborne, he was once featured as himself, the businessman behind the Caricature being marketed, by American Express answering a business question where the customer is having trouble keeping up the payments but continuing to place orders, bringing up the issue 'Do I trust them?'
His answer in a voice that you never hear him use was direct to the idea of just how good a customer they were. Do you really BELIEVE you can trust them? Do you have a business without them? Your thought on 'Operational Costs.' Do you know how to do Marginal Analysis? The point being can you keep delivery to everyone else on time, then take the chance on delivering to them whatever you can as the margin allows?
I'll tell you what is all too common in the business world: That there are people who know what you can come and take back from them and what you can't. It sounds obvious to me you offer something you can't take back. How are they set for a supplier to replace you? Do they even need to replace you once they bleed you dry or can they switch to something different?
Business involves managing risk, which is why so many people can't be in business for themselves because of taking on too much or too little risk. In film/television you go to work with little operational cost. Unless you bring a belt full of tools you get a Kit Rental for, or in my case you come with a whole camera rig that would cost a lot more from a rental house because of the way they have to test and service everything as soon as it comes back because you don't know what the last person did do it. Some are determined to screw anyone they can by lying at all times. Lie to the newcomers that they have no chance if they don't work unpaid, although the people who fall for it are virtually guaranteed they will fail. Lie to veterans like me who turn around and make them pay a retainer in advance. The more they run their business this way the more they fail. But they hurt so many people along the way.
So I'm guessing, for lack of real information, that the answer is solely based on how much risk you perceive to be there. I assume you'll live without them but you want to believe they can make things better by coming through. How would 'SuperDave' handle these particular people? Some people only start off paying to set you up and then burn you. My perception is there's rarely a legitimate businessman who gets so behind in his payments if bankruptcy is not on the horizon.
Somewhere in the late 90's Steve Saleen decided customizing Mustangs wasn't enough for him, so he would come up with the Saleen Supercar. This was financed by not paying his bills. I don't know the full story, but he had all these suppliers facing the same decision as you about keeping up the supply. By 2007 they were rewarded by the Saleen bankruptcy, during which he lost his company. By 2012 he was able to reaquire Saleen. Two years later, here we go again. https://jalopnik.com/mustang-tuner-saleen-says-it-owes-millions-of-dollars-1661373045
And in another two years? http://www.autonews.com/article/20160718/LEGALFILE/307189980/saleen-under-siege Didn't find anything to bring us up to today, but I'm sure it's much the same.
Myself, if someone suddenly offered me the chance to just direct some low budget feature film, that would be too good to pass up just because I wasn't getting paid. The socalled "Opportunities" they offer instead are often not worth doing unless the money is good, but you then face the fact that in addition to not getting paid they want to lay their costs on you: They locate without providing parking and it'll cost $300-400 a month to use the local parking garage, guess who pays. And more.
When I was teaching, gee, how much of my paycheck did I spend running that program? How much of my old equipment did I give them? And it was still a dead end. And then how bad do they treat the succor who falls for it? There are no victims, only volunteers. I think you can see how I really feel about the whole idea.
Meanwhile, code enforcement: They lie too. They see your lot, perceive a ready victim, they sink their fangs in to taste the sweet blood. I can tell you it's pretty safe to threaten them with jailing. Watch them walk away quietly. But no other discussion face to face or by phone, get it all in writing. By that I mean when they say something to you respond with how that person knows everything you're doing is legal, etc., keep repeating. Then without lying write a letter to confirm the discussion and the "Agreement," basically now you don't have to worry about them lying about 'Since I got no response from you I assumed I was right and could hurt you.' Of course they've committed a crime at that point, "Assuming" is a jailable offense called "Under color of authority." Getting caught lying in a public capacity is perjury. Long story but the city employee used trips to our neighborhood where a block wall was being built as a money making exercise trying to win promotion, etc. She discovered I'd been a poor choice of a victim. I told her otherwise on her socalled complaint, threatened not just her but a cohort with jail and the cohort wrote up a report of the wrong doing to get himself off the hook. Problem solved. Don't know how much money they stole from anyone else, I don't know if her career survived the bloody nose, but most corrupt behavior by public employees does not involve them pocketing the stolen money, it's about raises and bonuses for stealing what they can for the city, county, whomever. The government is in on it as long as they can get away with it, but if you're the one behind it you get to be the sineater for the others proving how moral they are.