September 22, 2014

So this past week, Tuesday the 16th, to be exact was one of great turmoil and anxiety.  The company that I work for was put under receivership by the Louisiana State Insurance Commission.  Apparently over the past year the assets of the company went down in appraised value over $4 million.  This means that the company is stuck waiting for a sale and then all remaining assets will be liquidated.  I do not know how long I will have a place to come and work.  Although to be honest with myself the work I was doing was not as productive as I hoped it would be.  I was traveling across the state and I could not offer what other insurance companies were offering and those that accepted our invitation to sell were in small communities or were the smallest funeral homes in their communities thus not bringing in the value that we had hoped.
I have been doing a lot of other things to keep busy, none of which I can say were as productive as they could have been.  I did write a business plan that could bring in great returns but it requires a lot of equity up front and it also requires current business owners to be willing to sell their business to me at a reasonable rate.  Thus a challenge because although I have found a few willing to sell, their prices are high and returns on investment would take longer to come in.  This is not an insurmountable challenge just one that will take more consideration.  The other issue is the willingness of current owners who are probably making between $1 and $2 million dollars profit a year to see value in selling.  Perhaps it will come to a point where it is in their best interest to sell if given a 4 to 1 ratio to profit but that will have to include all assets and that may in turn require a change in my numbers to a 5 or even 6 to 1 ratio.
Personally I have found that I have become complacent.  I read scriptures and pray with my family.  I have family home evening and yet I know I am not living up to my full potential.  The natural man is an enemy to God and I am very good at following the natural man.  The stake president said at the youth standards night that if we have idle hands the devil will put them to work.  It is certainly true.
Today I have a new challenge; deal with the work issue and when the end comes move on quickly with the freelance work for a production company here in New Orleans.  Continue to look for funeral home opportunities so that when the time is right I can start my business with a strong foundation.  Look for ways that I can spend about an hour a day learning how to do my personal family history better.  Then waste less time online.  I hope to move myself to a point where I socialize more with family and less time looking at a screen.