Heads or Tails #109 -- "Build"

For today's Heads or Tails, our Fearless Leader, Barb has asked us to build a post on "build." "Re-build" might be more apt in my case, at least as it relates to this weekly meme, since I've not been able to participate these past several weeks.

Actually "building" is very much on my mind these days, not as in the assembly of structures, although my house is falling apart around my ears, but, rather, "building" in the sense of building a practice.

Just now, as I walked into the Undisclosed Location, I picked up a fax from someone seeking part-time employment as a secretary (in the modern dialect, "assistant"). I deposited the fax in the recycling bin. The problem with employees is that they have an annoying tendency to demand a check every week or two -- whether I have sufficient funds to cover it or not.

Thus, I have no assistant, no associate, no underlings of any kind. I have colleagues with whom I associate on given pieces of business -- thus the "& Associates" in the name of my firm is not a complete lie or mere wishful thinking. But I just completed a large project (one of the reasons why I was not posting for awhile) and I am going to get stiffed on the bill.

And it was a large bill. Not enough to pay off all my credit card debt, of course, but enough to bring me current on present bills, home and office, and keep up my self-directed debt repayment plan.

I keep thinking I can do better. And presumably I might do more if I didn't blog -- but this is cheaper than therapy, surely. Last night I dreamt of forming a law partnership; I had a formula for income sharing worked out in my head when I awoke. I'd stumbled on how to share firm expenses. But I'm thinking of how I can build the business and, I suppose, I should start by closing this rambling essay and starting in on the other tasks of the day.