Poll: how many workers have you laid off.

Six.

Ive hired 6. If you have laid people off you need to start looking for other avenues.

Originally Posted by ResourcefulRecycling

Ive hired 6. If you have laid people off you need to start looking for other avenues.

I recently brought in a part timer as contract labor 3 days a week, and might have him go full time if things stay as they are.

Laid off people?! I thought this was the most impressive, most jobs created, and best recovery since the years following 1932. I suppose you are going to question the fact there is no inflation. I know there is none as my friends and relatives have seen no increase in SS in years. We are truly living in a charmed economy.

Hey! Who is that guy behind the curtain?

I'm just a one man operation. Have been since day one. Intentionally kept the business small & easy to manage.

Pre-recession it was a full time year round gig. I would generally have 12 - 18 mos. of work ahead at any given time.

When the recession hit here over the winter of 2007-2008 business & net profits dropped by 47%. It hit the industry hard and most of the bigger contractors in this area closed their doors.

Post-recession the economy here went seasonal. The business is active for about 9 mos. out of the year and goes dormant during the winter. I can generally figure on the work playing out sometime in early January. It won't pick up again till the first or second week of April.

The recovery has been very slow. It's about as expected. I've been operating on the assumption that it will be at least another ten years before things get back to the way they were before the recession hit.

I wish I could find enough people who want to work they think they have the patience for tear downs but after a few days they cant. here in this college town with people dropping out all year complaining about how gas or some other excuse is keeping them back. so its been a cash grab to the back pains of the day. me and a couple other scrappers that sometimes I wish I would of thought of some things we have done to make sure were getting top dollar without say being able to refine or at least smelt.
I have learned more about how i run a successful business and ideas to fuel it in this last year than I ever realized as my businesses methods are really just simple logic, planning and of course not accruing debt because you don't have patience to save lol so I wish I could have at least had the chance to lay off people because right now I can hire at least 5 but 8 would be a real ideal full staff but what makes a college town good for money makes it lousy for workers.

Originally Posted by EcoSafe

I have it's called, cutting my losses.

In the years I've been on the forum and seen your posts, I must admit I'm very curious about your business. You recently mentioned having a contract for 900,000 lbs of servers. I would think you would be hiring, but I dont really want to presume to know your business. I hope many people are able to hire employees and drop the unemployment rate. I think the economy has improved but I'm not sure that buying our way out of it was the best route. Some day that bill will come due and the current administration will be long gone. By the way, if you need to sub out that contract let me know, as I'm not far...always looking for ways to increase business. You can always reach me here or call me (my number is on my website).

oh, and to answer the question, our construction company stopped building during the "downturn", and we didnt really believe Barry when he said he would have us out of it by his next term. I guess in that sense we "laid off" workers because we were not going to build houses that people wouldnt buy and make things worse. The good news is that I went into the ewaste business and have created a number of jobs within my company and by context provided more at the downstream companies I deal with. I cant put a number on it, but glad to see it happen. Now if we can only get a leader that knows what he's doing, there is no telling how much better our economy can be!

Shen, just sent you a PM.

Originally Posted by EcoSafe

The 900,000 lbs is from an estimated replacement of a $40,000,000 up grade by a banking consortium based in Birmingham over a 5 year period. It is a partnership venture with Pancho Villa Inc.. In addition we deal with some military contractors here in the south and as far north as Nashville, our primary business is servers and Mainframes. we recently ventured into the school systems computer replacement sector. After one month of dealing with bureaucrats who have no need nor understand profit and loss, I'm ready to give that one away.


I have been one to enter into a venture untill I prove to my self I cam master it then become bored and move to another new venture. I am only sorry I didn't discover e cycling at a younger age. In my younger years Drove Weastern Grand National cars and did car stunts for films in Ca. under the name Mile Shelby (My home town ) in 84/85 I was a master sales consular (top 2% sales world wide) for Doenges Bros Ford in Tulsa Ok. While there I developed the concept of Tricked out pickups of the mid 80s. I have been a radio talk show host at KLPR in Oklahoma city. a show promoter, I owned FireMaster kilns in Sacramento ca. and FireKing Kilns in Snellville Ga. Prism Sand (the modern Sand Art business is an up grade developed in Atlanta by my self and my wife Annette. and Gulf coast Family Shows in Fountain fl. as well as oither endevers. WE currently have 5 employes + 2 part timers. I invite any one to check me out with D/B.
I consider my self an adventurer.

I may be interested in subbing out the county school system.
we also have available 7 Meridian Tell com systems in Birmingham to move by the 29th make make me an offer.

Any thing else you want to know just ask. mcw

7 Meridian systems? That is so tempting but to big of a job for me.