Peter Fountain

Month: April 2022

business

This Time is Different

Apr 19, 2022 by Pete

I’ve long felt that I needed to work to develop passive income streams to help guard against the unexpected. Among other things, the pandemic was a very real lesson in the importance of not relying on one source of income.

For years I’ve been aware of the folks making good money doing things like affiliate marketing, freelancing, online sales, and other things. Countless time’s I’ve read about it, thought about it, said “I need to do that” and nothing happens.

Some of the folks I started following years ago have built their businesses from very modest monthly sales to multi-million dollar empires. While those people are undoubtedly the exception, I know there care countless other’s who have enjoyed plenty of success.

Although I’ve done relatively well with real estate and loan signings, the crazy housing market has clearly had an impact on things. It’s a war out there, and it’s very difficult to make any headway, especially for newer folks like myself. It’s certainly not impossible, but it’s very slow going.

On the other side, interest rates are going up, and I assume that will mean a slow down in people refinancing, buying, and selling, which will negatively impact my loan signing business.

Rather than wait for the bottom to drop out, and while I continue to work hard at real estate and loan signings, I realize there’s time to pick up a side hustle (or two).

Of course I’ve had those thoughts before, and they never go anywhere.

But this time is different.

Rather than my usual pattern of thinking, planning, preparing and dabbling, I’ve decided to hit it hard. I decided to open an Etsy shop . To start I’m selling coffee mugs with funny, clever, or witty sayings on them.

I decided to start here because I thought it would be fun. Designing the mugs and finding catchy or funny sayings to print on them is an interesting creative challenge. Drawing people to my shop and making sales will also be fun. Learning SEO, sales techniques, and providing great customer service all appeal to me.

But this time is different. Different how?

In less than two weeks, my shop is up and running. I spent a little time doing research. I watched a few youtube videos and read some articles. I paid someone on fiverr.com to make me a banner and logo (something I would have tried to do myself in the past). I did a little research into popular products and then started designing.

I have five mugs in my shop. My logo and banner are acceptable, and everything else seems ok, for now.

But the most important part is that I’m up and running in weeks, not months or years. I’ve broken my usual pattern of endless thinking, planning and procrastination.

I don’t have any sales yet, but some people have visited my shop. I believe the sales will come as I keep improving things.

This time is different, and it feels wonderful! Taking massive action is a great thing!

It’s been very hard to ignore my usual habit of planning, thinking and thinking some more. I’ve done it all my life. I’m sure I’ve missed many opportunities because of it.

But I’m on a roll now. I know I’ll make lots of mistakes, but I also know I’ll learn from each one.

I know it will take time and patience to build a following and a loyal customer base.

I also know that the most successful people aren’t necessarily the brightest or the best salespeople, they are the one’s who don’t quit. Then learn from their mistakes. They start over if they need to. But they just don’t quit.

I want to be one of those people, and it starts here. It’s scary, it’s even a little painful, but it feels so good!

This time is definitely different.

Life

Where is the Outrage

Apr 3, 2022 by Pete

This past week it was revealed that almost half of the children in Rochester live in poverty. This grim statistic gives Rochester the dubious ranking of SECOND in the nation. (As a side note, Syracuse holds is the title holder in child poverty, ranking first.) You can read more about this grim report here.

For context, the ranking is related to cities with 100,000 or more residents.

I moved to Rochester from a small town near Utica, NY in 1990 to attend college.

Being from a small town near a small city, I was captivated by all Rochester had to offer, but I was also stuck by the crime and the poverty. While there was certainly crime and poverty in my home town, it was nothing on the scale I saw in Rochester (of course Rochester is a much larger place than Utica).

Fast forward 30 years, and it seems that things have slowly continued to degrade, especially in the past couple years as the pandemic has taken hold and changed everything.

Some will say this is just a cynical perception on my part, but I don’t think so. I believe there is data that shows that crime has continued to worsen, and that poverty is still a terrible problem.

To me, the debate over how we got here, why it’s like this, and how to fix it has long since past.

Half of our community’s children live in poverty.

How can anyone read that and not get pissed?

Last year there were violent protests in the city over policing on our community. Cars were set on fire, businesses destroyed, people arrested and injured.

The community was angry about policing and they showed it. (I’m not getting into the debate over that situation, this post is not about police policy.)

People have every right to demand change and reform from their government, but when it comes to our children living in poverty, there is no protest. No outrage. No visible anger.

The article I reference above essentially says (among other things) that we all know it’s a problem, and it’s always been a problem.

Really?

It’s always been this way, so it’s ok?

I know it’s a huge problem with many causes. I know many communities around the country are dealing with similar situations. I’m aware that people feel hopeless and helpless. They are frustrated, worn down. Many have given up and accepted that this is how it is, for many it’s all they’ve ever know.

Maybe that’s why there are no protests. People are too tired and frustrated to bother. Or they are too busy simply trying to survive day to day to worry about anything else.

But I’m still amazed that there is no anger.

Why doesn’t someone lead a march and a protest to the front door of the Rochester City School Board demanding better outcomes for students (barely half of kids in city schools graduate from high school). If the graduation rate in Webster was 50%, you can guarantee the community would tie the school superintendent up and drag him through the streets.

Why aren’t people outside City Hall demanding the government do something? Why aren’t there protests at the county legislature. Why aren’t there full blown riots demanding our leaders find ways to break the cycle of poverty.

I know my words are simplistic, and probably the ramblings of an ignorant white suburbanite.

If I feel so strongly, why don’t I lead a protest, or burn some cars. I’m all talk, of course. I can sit comfortably in my home, reasonably sure I won’t get shot walking out my front door and where I can walk to the fridge and grab a snack any time I please.

Obviously it’s not for me to tell people in Rochester how to think or act or feel.

I certainly don’t condone violence, crime, or other harmful means to effect change.

But I sincerely don’t understand where the anger is.

After a child was shot getting off his school bus a few weeks back, it would have been nice to see someone, the mayor perhaps, or some other community leader, stand up and lose their mind. Show anger, demand change, lead the community.

Sadly the killings and violence have become normal over the years. It’s never a surprise when someone is killed, rather it’s a relief when a day (or two) passed without news of violence.

I don’t claim to have any answers. I’m not even sure the root cause of the problems are well understood.

Despite that, I just don’t understand the lack of outrage.

Maybe we’ve all given up.