so here are some pretty pictures...just cause...(from my instagram)
So
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
On a Roll!
i have had an ongoing conversation with people in creative fields about motivation and lack thereof and when to force it...i definitely operate in waves - i either am on fire or fizzled out...so right now i am taking advantage of all my fire and just going with it - my shop needed a new hair-do, and so did my blog. I am loving the de-clutter of it all...it is really what i need right now. goodness...with three crazy-nutso-high energy-destructive boys i need a place of prettiness..and since i can't really have anything valuable in my home right now - since it will inevitably get destroyed...this is that place for me!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
LA Pool Guys on Conan O' Brien
in case you missed it...i know it is rough to stay up till midnight anymore :) trust me - i even had Tivo...ugghhh...this is going to be a loooong day! well - enjoy! we were super stoked on how it turned out! i just looked at our site an hour ago and it was down!!! what??? but it should *hopefully* be resolved and we will sit here and wait for the emails/phone calls to start coming in....seriously...any time now... *crickets chirping*
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Shop Updates and Conan Announcement
The Shop has finally been updated! I added my bandana pants up there...finally! Bryson wore these tonight to go get ice cream and it reminded me!
these are so easy to make and so fun to wear - they were a hot ticket at our last craft fair, so i thought i would start stocking the store in anticipation for the next one...fingers crossed...hope we get in!
*the little model is sweet baby Eliot - just shy of 1 year old in this pic...funny that my almost 4 year old fits in the same pants :) *
Also - in case you are around tonight LA Pool Guys are airing on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien! check us out! if you miss us, perhaps you can find us on Hulu? or NBC? or you can come over and watch it...we are sure to Tivo it!
Monday, August 24, 2009
work schmerk
so i am in the office all week...nasty times...that end of the month! i have a lot to do in here - we are switching our company entity so i have had the amazing privilege of speaking with the franchise tax board, the city of finance in los angeles, the secretary of state in california, the i.r.s, payroll, the l.a. health department...let me just tell you - you want to have a fun day? call as many government entities as possible...just grab a nice book...put the phone on speaker and make sure no one is around to kill when you get switched from person to person for the first thirty minutes. this on top of my social security experience with Bodie is enough to confirm my libertarian-ness...serious...it will turn anyone pro-anarchy...
but on a positive note - i am thankful that i get to work at home in an office...not away in a cubicle somewhere like in my previous life...so i can observe and participate in the following:
1. (me) "bryson why are you arguing with me?"
(bryson...laughing) "mahm...i'm not arglu-ing...i am happy...i'not arglu-ing"
2. bryson running into the office and jumping up on my lap to give me a hug and saying "mom can i get down so i can faht?" he then gets down and farts and gets back on "i love you thats why i dont faht on you!"
3. bryson getting mad and saying "i'm just gastrated"...i think it is something between exasperated and frustrated but i think it is the perfect way to describe it when your stomach is upset and you are in a foul mood...i'm using it...
4. nursing bodie any time he wants/needs it
5. fixing breakfast and dinner for my boys
6. hearing bodie awake from his nap and removing him from his crib - his sweet waking up smile and big cuddles - waking up is the best!
7. bryan fixing me an awesome panini lunch and eating together - the 4 of us - for breakfast lunch and dinner!
this has been a very purposeful exercise for me - to find the simple joys in owning our own business...it may be overwhelming a lot of the time and taxing and depressing, but these simple joys help me to keep pressing on.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
meet our new pool tech
what? why is Conan O'Brien wearing an LA Pool Guys outfit? Stay tuned (and watch the new Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien in June) to find out!
Monday, April 14, 2008
taxes schmaxes update
i preface this post with an apology for my rant, but i have never put it down in words and the time has so come.
taxes. i hate them more than patterns. thank the lord that we have an amazing accountant who is fluent in "the man" language. last year we had a pretty hard blow at tax time and this whole year i had been saving as much as possible to make that history not repeat itself. not sure if it was anything i did, but for some reason the first time in 6 years we actually overpaid!!
i can not contain my excitement slash disbelief over this. i feel as though a huge elephant slash hippo (whichever is heavier) has been lifted from my pocketbook. we owned a house slash condo for 3 years and saw no money back from this at tax time...which sucked! anyway - enough slashes but i am excited to say the least.
part of what irks me is that i feel as though - actually screw feelings, i know california makes it extremely hard to run a legit small business. we gave our business to the Lord six and a half years ago and decided to run it completely by the book and it has been a tough battle. our business thankfully has grown every year but the hardships with running our own business has also grown. we are not able to have our pool technicians be employees because workman's comp is so ridiculously irrationally expensive. we have been threatened with law suits at least 2 or 3 times a year and have been able to successfully avoid any so far. we have had to change our business structure - first a general partnership, then an LLC, then an S-Corp to avoid the heavy taxation that businesses face. not to mention the ridiculous amounts of money we are forced to spend every year on liability and workman's comp for bryan and i and taxes and permits and licenses.
our state is forcing so many small businesses to move to nevada (which has amazing benefits and protection for small businesses and if nevada wasnt such a sucky place to live i would consider it myself) and colorado and neighboring states. why can't our state get it together? i totally voted for the terminator thinking he would bring some legitimate change for small businesses, but perhaps that kennedy wife of his had some influence or who knows what happens in the messed up world of politics, but needless to say i am still waiting arnold!
anyway - please dont think i am bitching about having a successful business - that is not the case. i am so thankful that my husband has the mindset of business that he does and that we are both able to raise our child and spend this time together, i just wish that our political environment and business environment made it a more comfortable one so that others can pursue their dreams. we were only able to do it because we started this when we were first married with no jobs to speak of. if we wanted to do something like this now, it would be too big a bear.
that is not to discourage anyone else. please by all means do it. and maybe together we can change policy. we might not be able to change the litigation hell that plagues so many businesses, but maybe we can make a dent in the policy of small business protection!
by the way, in case you are considering it...starting a business is not difficult. you first obtain a business license through your county, then register a DBA (doing business as) and perhaps even a bank account and then write off as much as you possibly can!!!
taxes. i hate them more than patterns. thank the lord that we have an amazing accountant who is fluent in "the man" language. last year we had a pretty hard blow at tax time and this whole year i had been saving as much as possible to make that history not repeat itself. not sure if it was anything i did, but for some reason the first time in 6 years we actually overpaid!!
i can not contain my excitement slash disbelief over this. i feel as though a huge elephant slash hippo (whichever is heavier) has been lifted from my pocketbook. we owned a house slash condo for 3 years and saw no money back from this at tax time...which sucked! anyway - enough slashes but i am excited to say the least.
part of what irks me is that i feel as though - actually screw feelings, i know california makes it extremely hard to run a legit small business. we gave our business to the Lord six and a half years ago and decided to run it completely by the book and it has been a tough battle. our business thankfully has grown every year but the hardships with running our own business has also grown. we are not able to have our pool technicians be employees because workman's comp is so ridiculously irrationally expensive. we have been threatened with law suits at least 2 or 3 times a year and have been able to successfully avoid any so far. we have had to change our business structure - first a general partnership, then an LLC, then an S-Corp to avoid the heavy taxation that businesses face. not to mention the ridiculous amounts of money we are forced to spend every year on liability and workman's comp for bryan and i and taxes and permits and licenses.
our state is forcing so many small businesses to move to nevada (which has amazing benefits and protection for small businesses and if nevada wasnt such a sucky place to live i would consider it myself) and colorado and neighboring states. why can't our state get it together? i totally voted for the terminator thinking he would bring some legitimate change for small businesses, but perhaps that kennedy wife of his had some influence or who knows what happens in the messed up world of politics, but needless to say i am still waiting arnold!
anyway - please dont think i am bitching about having a successful business - that is not the case. i am so thankful that my husband has the mindset of business that he does and that we are both able to raise our child and spend this time together, i just wish that our political environment and business environment made it a more comfortable one so that others can pursue their dreams. we were only able to do it because we started this when we were first married with no jobs to speak of. if we wanted to do something like this now, it would be too big a bear.
that is not to discourage anyone else. please by all means do it. and maybe together we can change policy. we might not be able to change the litigation hell that plagues so many businesses, but maybe we can make a dent in the policy of small business protection!
by the way, in case you are considering it...starting a business is not difficult. you first obtain a business license through your county, then register a DBA (doing business as) and perhaps even a bank account and then write off as much as you possibly can!!!
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