income up reply more

[Frank Cahill]

Susan Kline wrote:
> 
> Dear James,
> 
> Your points are very well taken. It's up to people to decide what sort of
> business they want, (and to figure out whether they have the wherewithal to
> achieve it) and then to make the choices and pay the price.
> 
> The "underbrush" option also makes very good sense for many people. If you
> have the talent, training, and desire, you can do the work on high quality
> pianos for musical people, too, just not all the time. You end up with a
> very mixed clientele, but also with very low stress and extremely low
> overhead. You can choose to live in a calm and pretty place, and you don't
> have as many obnoxious wealthy people to deal with ... not that all wealthy
> people are annoying, but a few of them sure are!
> 
> > If you operate on the fringes, do you ever get real recognition?
> 
> Sometimes, sometimes. (Did last week.)
> 
> Susan
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> 
> At 07:59 AM 8/1/98 -0500, James wrote:
> >I just took my morning shower and my mind came up with some more stuff.
> >       A person can run their business as an "underbrush" sort of operation or go
> >all big time like the "big guys" do.  If you operate on the fringes, do you
> >ever get real recognition?  Let me give you an example.  One of this lists
> >members, Willem Blees, started here  in St. Louis some years after I
> >started in business.  He has grown from just piano tuning, to repair, to
> >rebuilding, to renting pianos, to selling used pianos, and on to selling
> >new and used pianos and accessories and has the only piano store in the
> >southern half of the St. Louis area, biggest and only.  Think of all the
> >hoops he has had to jump through with store rents, licenses, zoning, gov.
> >rules, sales tax and so on. Did this deter him, no. There is a time when
> >you have to choose if you are going to run with the big boys and you have
> >to follow the same rules that they have to follow UNLESS, you choose to
> >stay in the underbrush and have that kind of clientele.
> >        If you are good at what you do don't settle for being on the fringe.
> >Move up.  If you have to do the government walk, walk it.  Even though they
> >will get a cut, so will you get the biggest cut.       We just had that $275
> >Mil PowerBall thing here.  In order to win the #250 Mil. you had to spend a
> >buck.  Isn't that the way it is for everything?
> >James Grebe
> >R.P.T. of the P.T.G. from St. Louis, MO. USA, Earth
> >Piano Service and Piano Peripherals
> >Creator of Hardwood PLTR's and Custom Piano Benches
> >pianoman@inlink.com         If I wake up in the morning, it WILL be a great
> >day!
> >
> >----------
> >> From: pianoman <pianoman@inlink.com>
> >> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> >> Subject: Re: income up reply
> >> Date: Saturday, August 01, 1998 7:27 AM
> >>
> >> Yes Wally,
> >>       Mo does have a sales tax regulations.  I am trying to see if I can do
> >> mine to tag along with my wifes number for her sales tax number.
> >> James Grebe
> >> R.P.T. of the P.T.G. from St. Louis, MO. USA, Earth
> >> Piano Service and Piano Peripherals
> >> Creator of Hardwood PLTR's and Custom Piano Benches
> >> pianoman@inlink.com         If I wake up in the morning, it WILL be a
> >great
> >> day!
> >>
> >> ----------
> >> > From: Wallace Scherer <WallyTS@compuserve.com>
> >> > To: INTERNET:pianotech@ptg.org
> >> > Subject: Re: income up
> >> > Date: Saturday, August 01, 1998 5:40 AM
> >> >
> >> > Lisa's comment was similar to mine.
> >> >
> >> > In Virginia, once a business has started to sell taxable items, there
> >is
> >> a
> >> > big form to fill out every month, whether or not a sale was actually
> >made
> >> > that month. I haven't sold any taxable items yet, but I have done a lot
> >> of
> >> > advertising for Dampp Chaser systems, so expect at some point to have
> >to
> >> > fill out the tax forms. My new receipt for services also has a section
> >> for
> >> > parts and materials, with a place at the bottom for sales tax.
> >> >
> >> > Wally Scherer, Norfolk, VA
> >> > Web page: http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/2411
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >
> >
> Susan Kline
> P.O. Box 1651
> Philomath, OR 97370
> skline@proaxis.com


Good point about stress...I used to work full-time in hi-tech.  Now I
work part-time as a hi-tech contractor and work as full-time as possible
in pianos.  My income is lower, but so is my stress level.  

Now about those wealthy people...and there are many, many of them
here...overall, they don't treat me any differently. Some are jerks and
some are very nice folks.

I guess I'm an underbruch type of tech.  If, however, I wanted to go
into rebuilding, it would not be easy here.  Zoning laws are pretty
strict and many communities have restrictive covenents. I know a piano
teacher that was put out of business because she had students coming to
her home.  In order to stay in business, she had to go to her students'
homes.  
-- 

Frank Cahill
Associate Member
Northern Va