Notes from the Unsuccessful Money Man.. Example 3 - The Boat!

Notes from the Unsuccessful Money Man.. Example 3

The Boat: Always make a plan before buying stuff or just rely on luck.

Having money floating around is a rarity in running a business, well in my business it is. It's usually a juggling act of overdrafts, loans, unpaid salary for me or lots of overtime and ridiculous stock levels.

But one thing I always do, and I am trying really hard not to , is that as soon as there is some money left in the business at the end of the month, I buy stuff with no plan whatsoever.

It is usually based on an idea, of which I have far too many and no time to fulfil them. What a good successful money business person would do is make a plan, do cash flow projections, build a strategy and stick to it. Unfortunately, some of my ideas burn so hard in my head I just do them so it's done and worry about the consequences later.

Don’t do what I do if you want to be a successful money business person!

I have purchased gramophones, 1950s picnic hampers, old boats, expensive torches, waterproof cameras (x 2), Go Pros and BBQs x 5. 90% end up unused and placed on a shelf in my shipping container (which I spend at least 4 weeks of my life every year trying to organise and fit everything in). Most of the stuff then falls into the bracket of “that will be useful one day - when I have more time….” Additional Note - storing stuff costs more money too.

However, the boat is proof that every now and then one of my whimsical ideas actually gets finished. Admittedly the boat did sit around for a year or 2 in the yard and cost far too much money. If it wasn’t for the genius of the Fenneberg brothers and their first mate John and some great family help, then it would never have happened.

I had an idea to create the world’s first solar powered fishing boat seaweed kitchen trailer. That idea came from one image on eBay, of an old fishing boat stuck in a yard in Plymouth being sold for scrap.

The idea burned brightly, and I got lucky.

The Josie June Fishing Boat, Solar Powered seaweed kitchen trailer aka Café Môr spent 2 years on the road attending music and food festivals and then 4 years at Freshwater West. It is now at the Old Point House, East Angle Bay and will be opening again very soon. (1st April - all being well!)

Let those ideas burn brightly people and get lucky!

See you all down the Bay x