It's been just over a year since I started delivering pizzas part-time as described in Why Pizza For A Dream? Lots has changed since then, so I thought I'd send out a quick update.
On the pizza delivery front, I've decreased my nights delivering from 5 a week down to 2. To be honest, it's getting harder and harder to go into work as our business grows! Having my 3rd manager in the last year (this one is a real "gem") doesn't help much either. It's amazing how much turnover occurs in the restaurant world! At our location, less than 20% of the original hires are still left 1 year later. My plan is to stick around as long as I can stand it as it's nice to have that "spare tire" of income with the economy in the state it's in! It's also an easy way for me to fund part of my retirement as the company still offers a 6% match on my 401(k). The tips provide me a little spending money each week as well.
On the business front, chasing the American Dream couldn't be more fulfilling! The vending company I started nearly 18 months ago has taken off!! The model I've developed has enabled me to help 9 other families (thus far) around the country pursue their American Dream! One friend has been able to bring his wife home from teaching so she can be home with their new baby daughter because of the business and another was able to afford to take a 4 day vacation (for the first time ever) with his entire family and pay cash for it all! It's real life stories like these that drive me as much as the money. I have to say that we've been truly blessed and we hope to find other entrepreneur families around the country that share our vision and want to join us.
As you can probably guess, the the phrase "burning the candle at both ends," aptly describes my life over this past year. I anticipate this next year will bring more of the same as the upheaval in today's economy makes me cautiously optimistic despite our success. My hope is that by this time next year I will be able to report that I've walked away from my full-time advertising executive position and stopped delivering pizzas as well. I'd love to spend next summer traveling the country and teaching our kids our country's history by visiting the places where history occurred. I'll keep you posted!
Congrats! I haven't heard from you in a while so I thought I'd say hello. I'm glad your vending business is kicking ass. Don't work yourself to death.
Posted by: Steve |MyWifeQuitHerJob.com | July 07, 2009 at 01:37 PM
Howdy-it's Goo. Great to see an update. Tell your clan we said hello.
Posted by: JLG | July 11, 2009 at 04:18 PM