OUR MESSY BUT PERFECT MOVE TO PARADISE: What will we do with the Construction Business?
Should we move or close the construction business. We have been woefully self-employed for many years. When working as an employee, you usually get a retirement pension fund or IRA and likely paid vacation time (even sick leave). Being self-employed (at least in our case) had become a “wish we could.” Therefore, if you do take a vacation, it not only costs you downtime income but the cost of the vacation itself. The upside- you don’t have to ask anyone for that vacation time- you just take it.
If we made the move to Paradise, would we close the long-standing construction business or get a Hawaii State contractor’s license- throw out a shingle and network? My mind goes to the thought of moving the business, just for the sake of argument.
Yikes! I don’t know about other construction companies, however, ours comes with a lot of baggage. I’m talking… backhoe/frontloader with buckets, tandem truck, pickup truck, compactor, equipment, power tools galore, a dozen 30ft long beams, building supplies, a spare telephone pole, and a urinal (true fact). So much more, I’m just ticking off a list from the top of my head. Then we have the office files, office equipment, an actual kitchen sink or two or maybe three, and probably a partridge in a pear tree hidden somewhere at the back of the storage unit.
Important- How do we complete our current projects, then refuse future work? The usual scenario is to get another construction project in the pipeline. Thus, it is an ongoing perpetual cycle… a Merry-go-round. It finally dawned on us that we aren’t actually getting ahead, but simply funded to get to the next project in the pipeline! Well, that would not work for too many more years- we are getting older and tired.
How do we untangle and slowly ease back from the web of our life-long business? There’s friction in the process of disrupting the work cycle- without an “easy” button. Can I say that again… friction in the process… no “easy” button? It’s a stubborn challenge that motivated us to adjust our perspective.
Conclusion: When you own a business (which includes physical equipment) the decision to shut down or move it to a different state (or across ocean water) requires a methodical think-through, research on shipment costs, pros/cons lists, and many deep discussions.
