Wednesday: getting better, me and the job

[mapsedge]

I slept well last night for the first time since Friday. Since feeling the onset of the cold, I've been on a pretty aggressive medicinal schedule, and it kept the cold (so far) out of my chest. I feel reasonably good today. For a friend to whom I promised that today I'd be "right as rain", no, sorry, not there yet. Not far, though.

It's been an interesting December for the company. We've signed on two more websites so far this week, will get a third probably tomorrow. Our largest customer - who left us in October - called us out of the blue yesterday, fishing for pricing and options  (since their new provider lied about what they could do and are being sued) so that's a fourth.

In December. When budgets are used up and most car dealerships aren't spending money or making changes of any kind.

It is likely that the recession will be good for our company. We're a four person outfit, small, flexible, and have a low overhead. Our larger competitors are laying off workers (meaning quality of service is diminishing), and we just keep rolling along. We may face a glut of competition as some of those who are laid off form start-ups of their own, but we have the advantage of experience and industry contacts - including a write-up in a major industry rag and shared space at the NADA trade show with the largest F&I company in the country.

Things is lookin' up.

Comments

glad to hear...

[themadblonde]

you're feeling better & not yet feeling too pinched by the economy. I know so many friends who are getting hit hard this season, & I know you have other worries, so this IS good news.

Re: glad to hear...

[mljm.livejournal.com]

It is good news. We were talking with one someone else the other night and it really hit us that the recession doesn't scare us. One reason is because Wm's company is small and flexible they can diversify and ride out the storm. The other reason is we're already poor and living that way. The idea that we had an income and it's been slashed recently doesn't apply to us. That happened in 2001 and we've been under that weight since then. Now I feel like we have a handle on how to survive, it just took a few years. We are very pinched, but it's not because of the current struggles. Like Wm said, the current issues look like they will help pull us up in time instead of hurt us more.

Kinda an interesting twist.

[pastmagic.livejournal.com]

If your company were hired to develop six separate dealer sites plus a splash page, how long do you estimate it would take?

I'm asking for comparison. I understand each project is different, but since you are in the business I thought you might have a reasonable estimate...

Oh yeah glad you're feeling better.

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

The estimate would depend upon how individual each site needs to be. If they're all basically the same, just with different makes represented and some localized branding - and us doing all the graphics work - figure about 40 hours for the whole, non-Flash. That would include homepage, vehicle search, online forms for service scheduling / dealership contacts / finance / employment / etc., map & directions, "meet the team". The usual stuff. I don't read our proposals, I just do the painting.

How that would translate in calendar days would depend greatly upon the workload, but you'd want to allow at least three weeks.

816-792-5900, ask for Scott :)

[pastmagic.livejournal.com]

I'll send you a private message about this...

"Oh, Abigail, Abigail, I have such a desire to knock heads together!"

[jehosefatz.livejournal.com]

Yay small, flexible, and resilient!

We've seen a pretty sizable consolidation in the dealer market out here - several have shuttered recently. (Autos, anyway. I'm not sure what effect the recession is having on the 420 market.) I've been suggesting that people look for niches in the Taxes and/or Death markets (I believe your company put some feelers into that at some point.) They're pretty recession proof and I've had some major vendor interactions this week that make we want to send some business that way.

- Jeho

Re: "Oh, Abigail, Abigail, I have such a desire to knock heads together!"

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

Amusing bit of trivia: we've had two customers in the death industry. Of our several dozen customers over the years, those two were the hardest to get payment from. Death, taxes, but not monthly fees it would seem.