At a Crossroads...

I almost forgot about the stress to perform. Its not like a tournament
where if you do poorly you are just out your money. I know I stress about
finding fish and putting people on fish when I just take somebody out for
fun. They aren't even paying me.

I know Dave has told me the first couple times he guided he was almost sick
with worry about putting clients on fish. When you take somebody out for
money you really have to focus on putting them on fish and makming them have
fun. A bad outing doesn't just cost you a client. It can cost you future
clients as well.

People have very high and sometimes unreasonable expectations about guided
fishing. If you have reservatin about what you will or won't do or allow on
your boat you need to communicate those clearly and explicitly in your
literature and/or website and in personal communications as well. Like
being an avid C&R angler. You need to be clea rthat they can take nothing
but pictures before hand if that is the case.

There is a lot to worry about when you get serious about making anything
into a business.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com

Thanks much Bob, I really appreciate the insight. I surely will let you
know what I decide on.

Warren
--


http://www.warrenwolk.com
Http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com
2004 NJ B.A.S.S. Federation State Champions

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
When I first read your comments the first thing that came to mind for me
was
guiding. I have the advantrage in haivng a helped a friend (Dave
Willihide
of Goin Fishin Productions) build up a guide business.

YOU WILL NOT GET RICH GUIDING.

You might be able to get by on it if you have your major bills paid or
have
another income.

It is like any business. You have to take care of business. That means
advertising, promoting, selling. I don't mean posting a few notices int
eh
local tackel shops. I mean being willing to share information in the
hopes
that people will appreciate it and come back to hire you. It means
spending
days on end making notices and fliers and pamphlets. It means getting
somebody with real graphic arts talent to help you make your stuff
standout.
It means getting permission to put your notices in restaurants, chamber of
commerce offices, RV parks, and other places where people who are
interested
will really find them.

Also, one of the fishing rags had a good article recently on proffessional
guides. There were a couple things they suggested very strongly
suggested.
Don't tournament fish if you guide. Don't fish when you take clients
fishing. Hmmm... That soubnds counter to what you want. I'm not saying
you can't do those things. Dave tournament fishes and he is usually in
the
top ten. He has had mostly satisfied clients.

Now lets look at the busines end of it. Whne I first started helping Dave
promote he was getting one trip a month on avergae. It has taken almost a
year and a half, and now he get three or four a month, and if he wanted to
give up tournament fishing and his day job he might be able to book about
8
per month. He spent abotu a year trying to build it before. Now I admit
the Sonoran Desert in Southwest Arizona is not exactly what most folks
think
of as an ideal fishing area, but it works for a guideline for my purposes.
Roughly 2 1/2 years to get to a point where he could survive off his guide
service. You live in a stronger fishing area, and you have lots of
connection so you might be able to do it a little faster, but...

There are some benefits to running a guide service. (if appropriately
licensed) Lots of tackle companies have guides and captains programs that
will get you a substantial discount on products. This may include tackle
and products you could never pick up as sponsors as a straight tournament
angler.

Of course that is paired up with the added headache of keeping records on
all of this. Add-on the tax burden. If you do it while keeping a day job
you have the added risk of having all your expenses disallowed as part of
your hobby if you don't make money. I don't care what the tax guys say
abotu you got so many years... Yes if you don't start showing a profit
after three years you run the risk of having your business declared a
hobby.
The problem is that isn't a hard and fast rule. There are ways around it.
To incorporate is one option. Of course that has its problems too with
increased book keeping and increased taxes if you do make money.

There are also expenses you may want to consider. I am sure you know what
it costs to operate your boat. A tank of fuel for mine costs about a
hundred dollars at today's gas prices. Then there is maintenance,
repairs,
upgrades, and under the increased wear and tear of (hopefully) having lost
of amateurs on your boat the more frequent replacement of equipment, and
the
boat itself. Those are pretty straight forward, but what about commercial
insurance, business licenses, maybe a state tax license, and maybe even a
local license form your county or city. Most of those licenses are
reasonable, but they all add up. You might think you already have
insurance
covered, but the odds are you do not. That $100 a year liability
insurance
from Progessive does say it covers you for fishing tournaments, but it
definitely does not cover you for a commercial for hire venture. That
costs
a whole lot more. Slap a couple signs on your truck, and now you need to
have commercial plates on your truck and commercial insurance on it too.
You might consider also getting a general liability policy for your
business
too. Guess what? Watercraft are one of those things often written as as
not covered as part of commercial auto or commercial general policies, so
you may wind up having three different insurance policies to cover your
business.

If you are well organized, and successful you will still find yourself
spending a couple days a week doing paperwork and taking care of details,
chasing down stock in materials, etc etc etc... On top of that... the
busiest time to book charters is ont he weekends, so if you are serious
you
have to count on giving up a lot if not most of your weekends.

You know when you will get to fish? All those days yo don't have a
charter.
Think you might want to take those days off and ssave the expense of
running
your rig Not if you want to be a successful guide. Psuh comes to shove.
No matter how personable you are and how great the scenerey is if your
clients dont catch fish they won't come back and your guide service won't
grow. You have to spend your off days locating fish.

Will you get to spend more time on the water. Maybe. Probably more than
running your sports memorabilia business. Will you get to fish more. Not
more than if you went for a straight tournament career, but to be honest.
I
think that most folks would a have better chance of surviving as a guide
than as a tournament pro.

Let me know Warren. I am the same age as you with similar aspirations.
Makes it tought for me though because my contracting company is making
money. Its pretty hard to trade a steady paycheck for a gamble, but it
sure
is tempting some days.

Bob La Londe
www.YUmaBassMan.com

gobassn wrote:
Hi guys. It's 10:45 PM, I just worked a 12-hr shift & I'm going back to do
another one in a few hours. I work in the same room in a giant shopping
mall every day. I'm 39 now & totally burned out on my lifelong business.
I'm not enjoying my work at all anymore. My business has been somewhat
non-profitable for almost 2 years now. I'm dealing in a dying market
(sports collectibles), and the worth of my present location has been
deteriorating for roughly 3 years now.

I hope you don't mind me spewing all this cr-p here, but I consider so many
of you "fishin' buddies" that I feel like I'm among friends (for the most
part lol).

I think about fishing 24-7. I'm talking chronic fellas. I am 100% obsessed
with bass fishing. I doubt the pros think about fishing as much as I do.
Well, maybe a few.

When I fished the B.A.S.S. Opens two years ago I know I didn't set any
worlds on fire; Lord knows I made my mistakes in every tournament I fished.
The Opens were like a much-needed vacation for me. I learned more about
bass fishing competitively in those 3 events than I'd learned over the past
few years. But the most important thing I learned was that I can find good
fish on big water. In the last two tourneys I fished (Erie & Onieda), I
felt like, well, that I belonged there. I finished just out of the money in
both, but more importantly I was "on" good quality fish, and I found them
myself. I made bad decisions that cost me checks in both of those
tournaments. Lessons learned.

I want to go back. In the worst way. I want to fish for a living. I want
to fish every day, all day.

OK, I'm not in a good position here. We're like 120-something days into
2005. I've spent a single 8-hour tournament day on the water. Sure, it
felt like I fished just the day before when I was finally fishing, but the
fact was that I hadn't casted a bait in almost half-a-year (my arm didn't
even hurt the next day). To me that is astonishing & very upsetting.

Aside from doing nothing on-the-water to improve my game, it's also making
me generally unhappy.

I'm at a crossroads in my life. I want to be part of the fishing industry,
in some capacity. I don't care what it is. Preferably tournament fishing,
but I'm open to anything. I need to be outdoors more. There are lots of
people working in fishing.

Why not me?

Is it really impossible for someone to build an excellent local tackle shop,
& I mean excellent, and succeed? I know I'd much rather visit a "real"
tackle shop than Dick's, WalM-rt, etc.

There are NO really good tackle shops in my area. None.

Should I put it on the line & make a real go of fishing tournaments? I know
in 10 years it'll be to late & I'll hate myself for it.

I need a plan & I know I need to make a move.

You only live once, right?

I have a wife, child, home & other assorted overheads to be reponsible for,
please keep this in mind when replying. I can't jeapordize any of them.

Hence my dilemna folks.

ideas, opinions & criticisms welcome

Warren
Wow, I had to double check the email address, and the specifics in the
email to see if that was really you writing this.

It reminds me of this article I started to write, hoping to get it
published, but just gave up. It pretty much started out with, when do
we give up all our dreams and accept the reality of everyday life. Why
do we do that, and do we really have to. I don't think at 29 I am in a
spot to give advice, but I can give you my opinions. From what I know
of you Warren you are driven , dedicated, and Intelligent. If you don't
know it, you learn it. If you are good at it, you want to master it.
You are open minded. You told me at the ramp after the second day at
the NWC when I asked why you were smiling after not catching anything,
you told me you always smiled, and that you accept the bad days along
with the good.

I think if you decide to chase your dream, and really decide this is
what you are going to do, I believe you will succeed. I don't know how
you couldn't. If you decide to become a sales rep for a large company in
this industry you will succeed. Your approach to life in general
carries over to all other areas.

I don't know Warren, I know how Michelle stands behind me in whatever I
want to do, and I am sure your wife and daughter are the same way. With
everyone here, and your family pulling for you, I don't think you
could fail if you wanted. Your a great guy, and have been a great
friend to me, even though we have only met once. I have learned so much
from you in the past couple years, from boating to tournament fishing,
to just plain decision making, which has carried over to other areas of
my life as well.

Take a step back now, and then take 100 forward!

Chris

You're a great buddy Chris, THANKS for the kind words. I think I may just
do that.

Warren

"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
...
gobassn wrote:
Hi guys. It's 10:45 PM, I just worked a 12-hr shift & I'm going back to
do
another one in a few hours. I work in the same room in a giant shopping
mall every day. I'm 39 now & totally burned out on my lifelong
business.
I'm not enjoying my work at all anymore. My business has been somewhat
non-profitable for almost 2 years now. I'm dealing in a dying market
(sports collectibles), and the worth of my present location has been
deteriorating for roughly 3 years now.

I hope you don't mind me spewing all this cr-p here, but I consider so
many
of you "fishin' buddies" that I feel like I'm among friends (for the
most
part lol).

I think about fishing 24-7. I'm talking chronic fellas. I am 100%
obsessed
with bass fishing. I doubt the pros think about fishing as much as I
do.
Well, maybe a few.

When I fished the B.A.S.S. Opens two years ago I know I didn't set any
worlds on fire; Lord knows I made my mistakes in every tournament I
fished.
The Opens were like a much-needed vacation for me. I learned more about
bass fishing competitively in those 3 events than I'd learned over the
past
few years. But the most important thing I learned was that I can find
good
fish on big water. In the last two tourneys I fished (Erie & Onieda), I
felt like, well, that I belonged there. I finished just out of the
money in
both, but more importantly I was "on" good quality fish, and I found
them
myself. I made bad decisions that cost me checks in both of those
tournaments. Lessons learned.

I want to go back. In the worst way. I want to fish for a living. I
want
to fish every day, all day.

OK, I'm not in a good position here. We're like 120-something days into
2005. I've spent a single 8-hour tournament day on the water. Sure, it
felt like I fished just the day before when I was finally fishing, but
the
fact was that I hadn't casted a bait in almost half-a-year (my arm
didn't
even hurt the next day). To me that is astonishing & very upsetting.

Aside from doing nothing on-the-water to improve my game, it's also
making
me generally unhappy.

I'm at a crossroads in my life. I want to be part of the fishing
industry,
in some capacity. I don't care what it is. Preferably tournament
fishing,
but I'm open to anything. I need to be outdoors more. There are lots
of
people working in fishing.

Why not me?

Is it really impossible for someone to build an excellent local tackle
shop,
& I mean excellent, and succeed? I know I'd much rather visit a "real"
tackle shop than Dick's, WalM-rt, etc.

There are NO really good tackle shops in my area. None.

Should I put it on the line & make a real go of fishing tournaments? I
know
in 10 years it'll be to late & I'll hate myself for it.

I need a plan & I know I need to make a move.

You only live once, right?

I have a wife, child, home & other assorted overheads to be reponsible
for,
please keep this in mind when replying. I can't jeapordize any of them.

Hence my dilemna folks.

ideas, opinions & criticisms welcome

Warren
Wow, I had to double check the email address, and the specifics in the
email to see if that was really you writing this.

It reminds me of this article I started to write, hoping to get it
published, but just gave up. It pretty much started out with, when do
we give up all our dreams and accept the reality of everyday life. Why
do we do that, and do we really have to. I don't think at 29 I am in a
spot to give advice, but I can give you my opinions. From what I know
of you Warren you are driven , dedicated, and Intelligent. If you don't
know it, you learn it. If you are good at it, you want to master it.
You are open minded. You told me at the ramp after the second day at
the NWC when I asked why you were smiling after not catching anything,
you told me you always smiled, and that you accept the bad days along
with the good.

I think if you decide to chase your dream, and really decide this is
what you are going to do, I believe you will succeed. I don't know how
you couldn't. If you decide to become a sales rep for a large company in
this industry you will succeed. Your approach to life in general
carries over to all other areas.

I don't know Warren, I know how Michelle stands behind me in whatever I
want to do, and I am sure your wife and daughter are the same way. With
everyone here, and your family pulling for you, I don't think you
could fail if you wanted. Your a great guy, and have been a great
friend to me, even though we have only met once. I have learned so much
from you in the past couple years, from boating to tournament fishing,
to just plain decision making, which has carried over to other areas of
my life as well.

Take a step back now, and then take 100 forward!

Chris

I don't know if a tackle shop is the way to go. In fact, I'd suggest
it's not. Tackle store owners get to fish LESS.

It wasn't all that long ago (well, it WAS all that long ago, but you
know what I mean) that I was in your shoes. In those days though, there
wasn't nearly the money in pr fishing that there is today. Not nearly
the investment, either. I finished in the money in my 2nd BASS tourney,
and tried to convince myself that I could do this. But the long
stretches away from home and the expense and drudgery of dragging a boat
around the country half the year helped convince me otherwise. You share
one of the same problems I did (2 if you count a strong sense of
responsibility to the family) in that you live outside the 'bass belt',
and don't get to keep in practice and in tune on tourney waters the full
year. So I stuck with the writing end of the business, where I'd been
tinkering for a while, and made that work pretty well.

I got to work in the industry anyway, and supported my family by writing
about fishing and augmented that fishing regional tourneys for quite a
few years after my first 'retirement' from non-fishing related
employment. At least until the heart attack and aortic aneurysm 24
months later pretty much ran the well dry financially and forced me to
find other means of income. Still in the industry of course, but my time
is not really my own any more, and I don't get to fish nearly enough.
But even then, I had sown the seeds to grow the writing as I did it part
time for 15 years or so before leaving my other line of employment. I
had the 'network' in place, so to speak. I just needed to work harder
and devote more time to it. Don't know that I'd have the ambition any
more to hustle the way I did 15 years ago to make a living at it full
time freelance.

Just remember that fishing for a living (competitively) is more about
your willingness and ability to maintain high visibility and promote
your sponsors' products than it is about catching fish. I know some
truly great anglers who've tried and failed because they weren't cut out
for the promotional part of it, and I know some good but far from great
anglers who have managed to make it a career because they are
comfortable with the non-fishing side of the business.

thanks Wise-One. Nobody can promote like me lol. I enjoy talking with
others about fishing as much as fishing (almost).

Warren

"RichZ" wrote in message
...
I don't know if a tackle shop is the way to go. In fact, I'd suggest
it's not. Tackle store owners get to fish LESS.

It wasn't all that long ago (well, it WAS all that long ago, but you
know what I mean) that I was in your shoes. In those days though, there
wasn't nearly the money in pr fishing that there is today. Not nearly
the investment, either. I finished in the money in my 2nd BASS tourney,
and tried to convince myself that I could do this. But the long
stretches away from home and the expense and drudgery of dragging a boat
around the country half the year helped convince me otherwise. You share
one of the same problems I did (2 if you count a strong sense of
responsibility to the family) in that you live outside the 'bass belt',
and don't get to keep in practice and in tune on tourney waters the full
year. So I stuck with the writing end of the business, where I'd been
tinkering for a while, and made that work pretty well.

I got to work in the industry anyway, and supported my family by writing
about fishing and augmented that fishing regional tourneys for quite a
few years after my first 'retirement' from non-fishing related
employment. At least until the heart attack and aortic aneurysm 24
months later pretty much ran the well dry financially and forced me to
find other means of income. Still in the industry of course, but my time
is not really my own any more, and I don't get to fish nearly enough.
But even then, I had sown the seeds to grow the writing as I did it part
time for 15 years or so before leaving my other line of employment. I
had the 'network' in place, so to speak. I just needed to work harder
and devote more time to it. Don't know that I'd have the ambition any
more to hustle the way I did 15 years ago to make a living at it full
time freelance.

Just remember that fishing for a living (competitively) is more about
your willingness and ability to maintain high visibility and promote
your sponsors' products than it is about catching fish. I know some
truly great anglers who've tried and failed because they weren't cut out
for the promotional part of it, and I know some good but far from great
anglers who have managed to make it a career because they are
comfortable with the non-fishing side of the business.

I was in your same situation a few years back, I have been a computer
engineer for over 15 years and I own a computer business for about 5
years but as prices declined, and I got burned out on long hours and
working with consumers. I have always loved fishing and was brought
up around it as a kid as my father fished in many more bass
tournaments than I can count. Back in 1998 about the time that I
opened my business I started a small website just as a hobby thing
for fishing, at that time I was really getting into sal****er fishing
too. In 2003 I decided to pack it in because I was so burned out on
the business. To make a long story short, I went out and got a
regular job working for another company so when I left work I could
actually forget work, unlike when you have your own business. I
poured my heart into my fishing site, and now today I get to fish as
much as I want, I get a steady income from my regular job and even
more from my fishing site, which by the way turned out to be the
second largest sal****er site on the west coast. I get to meet many
anglers, guides, manufacturers, and I wouldn't trade it all for
nothing. So there are ways that you can have your cake and eat it
too, without sacrificing your family's security.

gobassnwrote:
Hi guys. It's 10:45 PM, I just worked a 12-hr shift & I'm going
back to do
another one in a few hours. I work in the same room in a giant
shopping
mall every day. I'm 39 now & totally burned out on my lifelong
business.
I'm not enjoying my work at all anymore. My business has been
somewhat
non-profitable for almost 2 years now. I'm dealing in a dying
market
(sports collectibles), and the worth of my present location has been

deteriorating for roughly 3 years now.

I hope you don't mind me spewing all this cr-p here, but I consider
so many
of you "fishin' buddies" that I feel like I'm among friends (for the
most
part lol).

I think about fishing 24-7. I'm talking chronic fellas. I am 100%
obsessed
with bass fishing. I doubt the pros think about fishing as much as
I do.
Well, maybe a few.

When I fished the B.A.S.S. Opens two years ago I know I didn't set
any
worlds on fire; Lord knows I made my mistakes in every tournament I
fished.
The Opens were like a much-needed vacation for me. I learned more
about
bass fishing competitively in those 3 events than I'd learned over
the past
few years. But the most important thing I learned was that I can
find good
fish on big water. In the last two tourneys I fished (Erie &
Onieda), I
felt like, well, that I belonged there. I finished just out of the
money in
both, but more importantly I was "on" good quality fish, and I found
them
myself. I made bad decisions that cost me checks in both of those
tournaments. Lessons learned.

I want to go back. In the worst way. I want to fish for a living.
I want
to fish every day, all day.

OK, I'm not in a good position here. We're like 120-something days
into
2005. I've spent a single 8-hour tournament day on the water.
Sure, it
felt like I fished just the day before when I was finally fishing,
but the
fact was that I hadn't casted a bait in almost half-a-year (my arm
didn't
even hurt the next day). To me that is astonishing & very
upsetting.

Aside from doing nothing on-the-water to improve my game, it's also
making
me generally unhappy.

I'm at a crossroads in my life. I want to be part of the fishing
industry,
in some capacity. I don't care what it is. Preferably tournament
fishing,
but I'm open to anything. I need to be outdoors more. There are
lots of
people working in fishing.

Why not me?

Is it really impossible for someone to build an excellent local
tackle shop,
& I mean excellent, and succeed? I know I'd much rather visit a
"real"
tackle shop than Dick's, WalM-rt, etc.

There are NO really good tackle shops in my area. None.

Should I put it on the line & make a real go of fishing
tournaments? I know
in 10 years it'll be to late & I'll hate myself for it.

I need a plan & I know I need to make a move.

You only live once, right?

I have a wife, child, home & other assorted overheads to be
reponsible for,
please keep this in mind when replying. I can't jeapordize any of
them.

Hence my dilemna folks.

ideas, opinions & criticisms welcome

Warren
--
http://www.warrenwolk.com
Http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com
2004 NJ B.A.S.S. Federation State Champions
www.hookandsinker.com
FREE 7000+ Reel and Motor Schematics
FREE 570+ Coast to Coast Bottom Charts
FREE GPS Locations for HotSpots

Great stuff man, THANKS! Sounds like a good way to go.

Warren

"yellowchaser" wrote in
message ...
I was in your same situation a few years back, I have been a computer
engineer for over 15 years and I own a computer business for about 5
years but as prices declined, and I got burned out on long hours and
working with consumers. I have always loved fishing and was brought
up around it as a kid as my father fished in many more bass
tournaments than I can count. Back in 1998 about the time that I
opened my business I started a small website just as a hobby thing
for fishing, at that time I was really getting into sal****er fishing
too. In 2003 I decided to pack it in because I was so burned out on
the business. To make a long story short, I went out and got a
regular job working for another company so when I left work I could
actually forget work, unlike when you have your own business. I
poured my heart into my fishing site, and now today I get to fish as
much as I want, I get a steady income from my regular job and even
more from my fishing site, which by the way turned out to be the
second largest sal****er site on the west coast. I get to meet many
anglers, guides, manufacturers, and I wouldn't trade it all for
nothing. So there are ways that you can have your cake and eat it
too, without sacrificing your family's security.

gobassnwrote:
Hi guys. It's 10:45 PM, I just worked a 12-hr shift & I'm going
back to do
another one in a few hours. I work in the same room in a giant
shopping
mall every day. I'm 39 now & totally burned out on my lifelong
business.
I'm not enjoying my work at all anymore. My business has been
somewhat
non-profitable for almost 2 years now. I'm dealing in a dying
market
(sports collectibles), and the worth of my present location has been

deteriorating for roughly 3 years now.

I hope you don't mind me spewing all this cr-p here, but I consider
so many
of you "fishin' buddies" that I feel like I'm among friends (for the
most
part lol).

I think about fishing 24-7. I'm talking chronic fellas. I am 100%
obsessed
with bass fishing. I doubt the pros think about fishing as much as
I do.
Well, maybe a few.

When I fished the B.A.S.S. Opens two years ago I know I didn't set
any
worlds on fire; Lord knows I made my mistakes in every tournament I
fished.
The Opens were like a much-needed vacation for me. I learned more
about
bass fishing competitively in those 3 events than I'd learned over
the past
few years. But the most important thing I learned was that I can
find good
fish on big water. In the last two tourneys I fished (Erie &
Onieda), I
felt like, well, that I belonged there. I finished just out of the
money in
both, but more importantly I was "on" good quality fish, and I found
them
myself. I made bad decisions that cost me checks in both of those
tournaments. Lessons learned.

I want to go back. In the worst way. I want to fish for a living.
I want
to fish every day, all day.

OK, I'm not in a good position here. We're like 120-something days
into
2005. I've spent a single 8-hour tournament day on the water.
Sure, it
felt like I fished just the day before when I was finally fishing,
but the
fact was that I hadn't casted a bait in almost half-a-year (my arm
didn't
even hurt the next day). To me that is astonishing & very
upsetting.

Aside from doing nothing on-the-water to improve my game, it's also
making
me generally unhappy.

I'm at a crossroads in my life. I want to be part of the fishing
industry,
in some capacity. I don't care what it is. Preferably tournament
fishing,
but I'm open to anything. I need to be outdoors more. There are
lots of
people working in fishing.

Why not me?

Is it really impossible for someone to build an excellent local
tackle shop,
& I mean excellent, and succeed? I know I'd much rather visit a
"real"
tackle shop than Dick's, WalM-rt, etc.

There are NO really good tackle shops in my area. None.

Should I put it on the line & make a real go of fishing
tournaments? I know
in 10 years it'll be to late & I'll hate myself for it.

I need a plan & I know I need to make a move.

You only live once, right?

I have a wife, child, home & other assorted overheads to be
reponsible for,
please keep this in mind when replying. I can't jeapordize any of
them.

Hence my dilemna folks.

ideas, opinions & criticisms welcome

Warren
--
http://www.warrenwolk.com
Http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com
2004 NJ B.A.S.S. Federation State Champions
www.hookandsinker.com
FREE 7000+ Reel and Motor Schematics
FREE 570+ Coast to Coast Bottom Charts
FREE GPS Locations for HotSpots

On Fri, 22 Apr 2005 23:21:47 -0400, "gobassn"
sent into the ether:

Hi guys. It's 10:45 PM, I just worked a 12-hr shift & I'm going back to do
another one in a few hours. I work in the same room in a giant shopping
mall every day. I'm 39 now & totally burned out on my lifelong business.
I'm not enjoying my work at all anymore. My business has been somewhat
non-profitable for almost 2 years now. I'm dealing in a dying market
(sports collectibles), and the worth of my present location has been
deteriorating for roughly 3 years now.

I hope you don't mind me spewing all this cr-p here, but I consider so many
of you "fishin' buddies" that I feel like I'm among friends (for the most
part lol).

I think about fishing 24-7. I'm talking chronic fellas. I am 100% obsessed
with bass fishing. I doubt the pros think about fishing as much as I do.
Well, maybe a few.

When I fished the B.A.S.S. Opens two years ago I know I didn't set any
worlds on fire; Lord knows I made my mistakes in every tournament I fished.
The Opens were like a much-needed vacation for me. I learned more about
bass fishing competitively in those 3 events than I'd learned over the past
few years. But the most important thing I learned was that I can find good
fish on big water. In the last two tourneys I fished (Erie & Onieda), I
felt like, well, that I belonged there. I finished just out of the money in
both, but more importantly I was "on" good quality fish, and I found them
myself. I made bad decisions that cost me checks in both of those
tournaments. Lessons learned.

I want to go back. In the worst way. I want to fish for a living. I want
to fish every day, all day.

OK, I'm not in a good position here. We're like 120-something days into
2005. I've spent a single 8-hour tournament day on the water. Sure, it
felt like I fished just the day before when I was finally fishing, but the
fact was that I hadn't casted a bait in almost half-a-year (my arm didn't
even hurt the next day). To me that is astonishing & very upsetting.

Aside from doing nothing on-the-water to improve my game, it's also making
me generally unhappy.

I'm at a crossroads in my life. I want to be part of the fishing industry,
in some capacity. I don't care what it is. Preferably tournament fishing,
but I'm open to anything. I need to be outdoors more. There are lots of
people working in fishing.

Why not me?

Is it really impossible for someone to build an excellent local tackle shop,
& I mean excellent, and succeed? I know I'd much rather visit a "real"
tackle shop than Dick's, WalM-rt, etc.

There are NO really good tackle shops in my area. None.

Should I put it on the line & make a real go of fishing tournaments? I know
in 10 years it'll be to late & I'll hate myself for it.

I need a plan & I know I need to make a move.

You only live once, right?

I have a wife, child, home & other assorted overheads to be reponsible for,
please keep this in mind when replying. I can't jeapordize any of them.

Hence my dilemna folks.

ideas, opinions & criticisms welcome

Warren



Warren,
What research if any did you do before opening your present business?
If you contact a local techincal college you can usually find help
with the planning for setting up a new business. Sometimes you are
able to find grants and such to help with startup. What ever you find
you need a good business plan first. Small business assistance is
available.

I decieded I needed a change back in 1992. I looked at a lot of
options and for me going back to school and getting a degree was the
best option. And I do mean I spent well over a year researching
options for starting up several types of business Being poor for a
while sure sucked, but I would not go back for anything. Just make
sure your plan looks good to the friends and professionals you
consult.

Don't forget the oddball options, like that freshly graduated high
school kid that belonged to the business club and has an interest in
your store. Maybe a sweat equity deal would allow him to run your
store with a goal of becoming owner in 5 years while you still get
income from it when you are creating your dream.

Remember, do not limit your options, look at everything!!!

BTW, you are not too old. I'm 57 now, and I started back to school in
94.

Remove the x for e-mail reply
www.outdoorfrontiers.com
www.SecretWeaponLures.com
A proud charter member of "PETAF", People for Eating Tasty Animals and Fish!!!

Warren,

I know what you mean about the sports collectibles, I use to be in that
business as well back in the early 90's and made money hand over fist, self
employed and living the high life, then the bottom dropped out. I knew I had
to do something ,so I went back to school for an automotive technology
degree with plans of one day opening my own shop, Well that didn't work out
to well, but I didn't let it stop me, I pursued another oppurtunity in the
same field as an automotive inspector. I still have that job, but now I am
the regional Supervisor for one of the largest areas for a company in 12
countries with 45,000 employees, and I still don't know if this is what I
want to do for the rest of my life. The point is that when one door closes,
another one opens, if you believe it will. Good things happen to good people
Warren and your one of them. Take a day or two and step back and ask why?
When your done asking why, ask why? again. You might not know what this
means now, but you will, and if your still not sure give me a call.


PS,

I always wanted to open a tackle shop too and might be doing so on a part
time basis at a local resort up here, not something that will pay the
mortgage, but hell you never know where it will go, and that's the exciting
part Good luck in whatever you decide



"Dan, danl, danny boy, Redbeard, actually Greybeard now"
wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Apr 2005 23:21:47 -0400, "gobassn"
sent into the ether:

Hi guys. It's 10:45 PM, I just worked a 12-hr shift & I'm going back to
do
another one in a few hours. I work in the same room in a giant shopping
mall every day. I'm 39 now & totally burned out on my lifelong
business.
I'm not enjoying my work at all anymore. My business has been somewhat
non-profitable for almost 2 years now. I'm dealing in a dying market
(sports collectibles), and the worth of my present location has been
deteriorating for roughly 3 years now.

I hope you don't mind me spewing all this cr-p here, but I consider so
many
of you "fishin' buddies" that I feel like I'm among friends (for the
most
part lol).

I think about fishing 24-7. I'm talking chronic fellas. I am 100%
obsessed
with bass fishing. I doubt the pros think about fishing as much as I
do.
Well, maybe a few.

When I fished the B.A.S.S. Opens two years ago I know I didn't set any
worlds on fire; Lord knows I made my mistakes in every tournament I
fished.
The Opens were like a much-needed vacation for me. I learned more about
bass fishing competitively in those 3 events than I'd learned over the
past
few years. But the most important thing I learned was that I can find
good
fish on big water. In the last two tourneys I fished (Erie & Onieda), I
felt like, well, that I belonged there. I finished just out of the
money in
both, but more importantly I was "on" good quality fish, and I found
them
myself. I made bad decisions that cost me checks in both of those
tournaments. Lessons learned.

I want to go back. In the worst way. I want to fish for a living. I
want
to fish every day, all day.

OK, I'm not in a good position here. We're like 120-something days into
2005. I've spent a single 8-hour tournament day on the water. Sure, it
felt like I fished just the day before when I was finally fishing, but
the
fact was that I hadn't casted a bait in almost half-a-year (my arm
didn't
even hurt the next day). To me that is astonishing & very upsetting.

Aside from doing nothing on-the-water to improve my game, it's also
making
me generally unhappy.

I'm at a crossroads in my life. I want to be part of the fishing
industry,
in some capacity. I don't care what it is. Preferably tournament
fishing,
but I'm open to anything. I need to be outdoors more. There are lots
of
people working in fishing.

Why not me?

Is it really impossible for someone to build an excellent local tackle
shop,
& I mean excellent, and succeed? I know I'd much rather visit a "real"
tackle shop than Dick's, WalM-rt, etc.

There are NO really good tackle shops in my area. None.

Should I put it on the line & make a real go of fishing tournaments? I
know
in 10 years it'll be to late & I'll hate myself for it.

I need a plan & I know I need to make a move.

You only live once, right?

I have a wife, child, home & other assorted overheads to be reponsible
for,
please keep this in mind when replying. I can't jeapordize any of them.

Hence my dilemna folks.

ideas, opinions & criticisms welcome

Warren



Warren,
What research if any did you do before opening your present business?
If you contact a local techincal college you can usually find help
with the planning for setting up a new business. Sometimes you are
able to find grants and such to help with startup. What ever you find
you need a good business plan first. Small business assistance is
available.

I decieded I needed a change back in 1992. I looked at a lot of
options and for me going back to school and getting a degree was the
best option. And I do mean I spent well over a year researching
options for starting up several types of business Being poor for a
while sure sucked, but I would not go back for anything. Just make
sure your plan looks good to the friends and professionals you
consult.

Don't forget the oddball options, like that freshly graduated high
school kid that belonged to the business club and has an interest in
your store. Maybe a sweat equity deal would allow him to run your
store with a goal of becoming owner in 5 years while you still get
income from it when you are creating your dream.

Remember, do not limit your options, look at everything!!!

BTW, you are not too old. I'm 57 now, and I started back to school in
94.

Remove the x for e-mail reply
www.outdoorfrontiers.com
www.SecretWeaponLures.com
A proud charter member of "PETAF", People for Eating Tasty Animals and
Fish!!!