07:55 – A comment yesterday got me to thinking. Dave mentioned that if the kits were still available in a dozen years or so, his daughter would be the right age for them.
I replied that we’re in this for the long haul, which is true, but it got me to thinking (again) about what happens if I get run over by a beer truck. As things stand, although Barbara helps with packing, labeling, and other tasks, this is really a one-man operation. I wear all of the hats, from lead scientist to manual writer to IT to purchasing, A/R, and A/P to …. well, you get the idea. The last thing I want to do is grow too fast, which means for at least the next couple of years we’ll be doing things pretty much as we’re doing them now.
But I do want to make sure that if I do get run over by that beer truck, Barbara will be in a position to carry on, either herself or with hired help. I intend to build this business gradually, with the goal being to establish it as a rock-solid enterprise. If for some reason I’m no longer around, I don’t want the business to die. I’ve already made some efforts in that direction. Several months ago, I talked to Mary Chervenak. As Mary is aware, Barbara is not a scientist, so one of the big things she’d need would be a scientific advisor. Mary (and Paul) are ideal for that. They could steer Barbara in the right direction and help her understand sciency things that she wouldn’t otherwise be able to deal with on her own. I’ve also made a start on documenting everything about the business, from usernames and passwords for the website to a procedures manual for making up chemicals to lists of wholesalers, contacts, and account information to business and corporate information.
To be honest, I’m not sure what Barbara would do in that situation. She might just choose to let things drop. But if she does want to continue the business, I want to do everything possible to make it as easy as possible for her to do that. At least until one of my clones is old enough to take over.