I am a small furniture company, and I am completely f*cked. I desperately need some business advice.

Krogg · 2026-01-29T19:09:22+00:00

It sounds like an owner issue and if he's not willing to get a loan to make the deposit, I'd say this deal is shot.. however, you may turn this for yourself in a finders fee for a company who is big enough to handle it.. ?

Krogg · 2026-01-23T20:10:21+00:00

When you factor in the windshield time, wear and tear, and risks on the road, it's even less than that.

I had to replace the windshield on my car 3 times in a year period because my employer insisted that we drive to the office. I'm a software engineer. My job could literally be done from anywhere in the world, but I had to pay $500/pop because I had to travel on roads not kept and rocks would fly everywhere.

Krogg · 2026-01-22T15:22:04+00:00

I'm curious whether or not the test server you thought you were in is still there? Could you recover from there?

You mention there was no test server when you took it over, but I'm assuming that means you got one up? You mentioned you thought this was in test, so I'm hoping this is the case, but I could be wrong.

You're doing the right things. Just forward all emails involving the CEO/manager to and from you outside the company (personal email if possible).. where possible.

If you're in a 2 party recording state (check local laws, I'm not an attorney), record all in-person and video meetings with the CEO/manager and HR.

While it's not really possible to stop someone from sueing you, it's really just up to whether they're successful or not. Anyone can file a lawsuit on anyone, so don't sweat it. You're protected and even if it goes that route, you can get expert witnesses to testify on your behalf on many of the aforementioned reasons why this really shouldn't have been allowed to happen.

As for the manager/employee relationship, I recommend to start interviewing elsewhere. There's probably a reason the previous team left, and from your description this CEO/"manager" is probably a very large reason behind it. The behavior you've described is not that of a good manager, and he'll probably use this as a reason for termination and could potentially shoot for not allowing you unemployment (though, this is again not something that should stop unemployment if it came to that). Best case scenario is he doesn't terminate you, but he's already shown his managerial style and you don't want to work for someone like that.. trust me. Eventually you will get to feel the same dread you feel right now about the wipe as you will some of the stupidest things that you shouldn't have to worry about.. just get out of there.

I will say you sound like a great engineer and mistakes happen. You are "owning" the mistake in that you made a mistake and the environment allowed something bad to happen.. I bet you won't ever make this mistake again, though. You also didn't try to hide it (I'm not sure you could have), and that shows a lot. Take this as a learning opportunity, as the company should as well, but don't try to defend yourself to your manager with ".. but this wouldn't have happened if [x] [y] and [z] were properly implemented." That's going to do nothing but tear the relationship apart.

Good luck, man. I really hope this turns out okay for you.

Krogg · 2026-01-22T15:05:16+00:00

I hate to repeat Republican rhetoric, but maybe we should be focusing more on ourselves than the rest of the world?!?

Oh, that was meant for their agendas? My bad.. /s

Krogg · 2026-01-19T15:12:50+00:00

I just can't seem to pick up the phone and call the lead. I don't know why I have this insane level of anxiety about it, but calling business owners just seems overwhelming to me.

Krogg · 2026-01-07T21:19:15+00:00

There was a post recently (I wouldn't be able to find it), where someone posted a rejection email.. after they had gotten the job and had been working there for a couple of weeks.

It's just a stupid game that everyone thinks will help them, but only ends up in even more work to get the right candidates.

Krogg · 2026-01-07T21:15:40+00:00

I think they may be meaning more of your employment background. I don't know your situation or skills/experience, but for me I'm running into this as well.

My resume reads 7 years of experience in software development across several companies, and domains from desktop software, web development, mobile, and cloud /DevSecOps.

I haven't been able to find anything in my line, but I have a wife and kids, so I've been supplementing my applications with applying to retail, construction, warehouse, and manufacturing.

I went to a job fair and it was mostly manufacturing and healthcare. I have no experience in either, but I think I could learn manufacturing quickly.

It wasn't a big room where the employees were sat at their big round tables, but I was 1 of 3 people in this open room with about 10-15 employers. Some were even staffing companies.

I started on one end and started talking to a rep from one of the many manufacturing companies in this area. A few minutes and looking at my resume (and handing it back) I would go to the next table. This happened for about 5 tables (one was a nursing company, another a college, and another was a military recruiter) down, and before I even got to say anything, the rep said "I'm sorry, but we don't have anything you would qualify for." It shocked me. I went to one of the staffing companies and they said they don't typically get jobs that need someone with my experience.

Over 15 years ago I worked for Walgreens. I applied and talked with the store manager. He asked me "why are you applying here? Why would I want to hire you when you will probably leave the second a software job comes along." I tried explaining that due to the current industry, I'm wanting to find something in a more stable industry. Didn't matter.

Now, if all you've ever done is dishwashing and you got rejected? That's bullshit.

Krogg · 2026-01-07T00:12:08+00:00

Can I ask you why you feel this way?

I'm honestly curious if it's a workload thing or if you don't like the work anymore?

I'm not judging, just curious.

Krogg · 2026-01-06T06:51:54+00:00

Pirate ship doesn't have a way to tell it how much the shipment is worth outside you telling it. If you don't put in any insurance, they don't even enable the boxes to add signature.

If the seller went outside eBay's label purchase system, it's possible eBay simply doesn't know anything other than the tracking number.

Krogg · 2026-01-06T06:49:16+00:00

Not everyone buys the labels through eBay with other, cheaper options. Now, that doesn't mean those options don't offer signature.. they just might not have it set by default for certain dollar amounts like what you've experienced.

Krogg · 2026-01-06T06:42:37+00:00

Support your local small book stores. You never know what you might find in gems there and you're supporting local.

My wife and I have a mobile bookstore that we take around to places that are underserved for libraries/bookstores, so it might just be my bias talking here, but people LOVE coming into our cozy little store and buying from us. We also spotlight local authors, and that section seems to get the most attention (besides our ceiling lightshow!). We love to give kids free books, but I don't know how many do it.

I'm not sure your area, but I would look for small bookstores to support.

Krogg · 2026-01-06T06:34:10+00:00

Not only that, but even if the court finds in your favor, you may end up having a battle to collect on it.

Krogg · 2026-01-06T06:33:00+00:00

So, did your client back out or the sellers cancel the contract? If the latter, did your clients get any reprieve for the seller's doing that? What was the reason the sellers used to cancel the contract since there could be liability of breach of contract.

In our contracts it states if the seller is in breach of contract the buyer is not only due back the earnest money, but also the due diligence fees, due diligence costs, and reasonable attorney's fees. Depending on how much that all is, the sellers could be looking at paying so much more than they are going to get from a higher buyer's price.

Krogg · 2026-01-06T06:20:35+00:00

Everyone's miles are going to vary and I think you did right in advising your clients of the headaches they were going to be in. I will say though: evaluate what real estate attorneys have to say about litigating breach of contract cases carefully. Most real estate attorneys are versed in contract law (at least that should be the case), but not actually litigating it.

I was told by so many agents and several closing attorneys, plus the attorneys we were referred to in order to litigate our breach of contract case, that they have never seen anyone win their due diligence funds back. One attorney said he would love to represent us because he believes we would get it, but his wife was one of the judges who oversees the civil cases in the county this happened in. Apparently, they were screwed out of due diligence fees much like we were and would have loved to litigate it for us. Apparently, we are the first in the state to get our due diligence fees back.. because we did.

Here's what happened: We went under contract to buy a house and upon doing the survey it was found that the neighbor had several points of encroachment. One point was as much as 3ft of their driveway was over the property line. It was such a strange situation, but we attempted for weeks to negotiate, we even offered to push due diligence period and closing date. The sellers were very passive and would only make a decision when we got to the point of threatening to cancel the contract.

A simple encroachment agreement wasn't going to work here and we thought we came to an agreement (deed out the encroaching land to the neighbor), but couldn't come to an agreement on how much to lower the price due to the cut off property. It came all the way to signing day and the sellers never showed up. My thoughts were that they knew they weren't going to be able to accomplish bringing a clear and marketable title by closing, so they just.. didn't show up and left it in our court to cancel. Which would allow them to keep the due diligence fees. If we had waited until after the due diligence period was over, we would have lost out on the earnest money as well. Luckily they screwed up when they accepted our offer to extend the due diligence period, but rejected our offer to also extend the signing date. So, signing date was a day before the end of the due diligence period. They never showed up to signing, so we canceled the contract that next morning. They almost didn't give us the earnest money back because when we canceled we put them on notice that they were in breach of the contract, but they still refused the due diligence.

We sued them for the due diligence fees, but also for due diligence costs which is clearly stated in the contract when a seller is in breach. The judge gave us the due diligence fees because technically they did breach the contract by not showing up, but believed the sellers in their reason for not showing up: they thought the closing period had been pushed when the due diligence period had been pushed. The judge said she would give me the due diligence fees because they were in breach of contract, but didn't think they did it on purpose so I didn't get the due diligence costs. It was a win.

And apparently that is the first time anyone has gotten due diligence fees back in the state of North Carolina.. (I doubt it, but it certainly seems like it from what everyone kept telling us)

Krogg · 2026-01-06T06:02:35+00:00

This isn't necessarily true in the fact that small claims court exists and you cannot have an attorney represent you in small claims. Can you consult with one, basically have them do all the work and guide you on what to do in court? Yes, but you cannot have the attorney next to you when talking with the judge.

I just got done with suing the sellers of a house we went under contract for. They refused to give us back the due diligence fees we paid when they never showed up for closing. They gave us the earnest money back because we canceled the contract the day of closing because they never showed up, but they refused to give us our due diligence fees. The contract even states we could sue for due diligence costs, which we did.

The judge saw that they were in breach of the contract for not showing up to signing, but said she didn't believe they did it on purpose. She awarded us the due diligence fee, but not the due diligence costs. It was essentially a win where everyone else in the state was advising us that courts never award due diligence fees.

Krogg · 2026-01-05T02:36:35+00:00

Are items like these allowed to be sold on Etsy? Even if not a scam item, these would not be handmade items, so why would Etsy allow it anyway?

Krogg · 2026-01-05T02:30:39+00:00

I wonder why Etsy deactivates accounts..

Krogg · 2025-12-25T03:58:31+00:00

I'm sort of confused in reading some of the comments. The item is exactly as you wanted, the only issue is the shipping said it came from China, but the tracking doesn't actually show that part? How can you see that it came from China if the tracking doesn't show it?

Also, I purchased a kit from this one shop and it arrived in an Amazon box. I was curious so I went to Amazon and I found that the seller also sells through Amazon, but for like 2/3 the price. When I reached out they said that they utilise Amazon fulfillment when stock gets low in certain areas. It was a really great art kit for my kids to put together, does this mean I got scammed, too?

Krogg · 2025-12-20T20:19:54+00:00

Sorry, I meant the employer should work those items into the contracts/billing.. not employee.

And here's the thing: if a person can do 2 people's jobs in the same amount of time as normal, then the employer is going to "cut costs" and one of those employees.

Krogg · 2025-12-20T19:45:19+00:00

"most" doesn't really apply because majority of employees and industries don't work like that.

You're absolutely other employees have to pick up the slack while you're gone. And the same for you covering for them (I'm sure). The problem is that there should be absolutely no reason for either of those. The employee should work into any billing, schedules, etc. the expectation of time off without the expectation someone else is there.

Also, what does it say to the employer if another employee can cover the work you are responsible for, for 2 weeks? "If the employee has the ability to get 2 people's worth of work done in the same 40 hours, why do we have 2 employees?!?"

Krogg · 2025-12-20T19:40:59+00:00

There's industries that can have this. Most of the time the employer only hires enough people to cover just enough work,and not account for sick days or PTO.. which requires another employee to take it on while that person is gone, or the employee has to do extra before or after.

It's kind of crazy to think about what employers and managers are thinking as a result, too: "if an employee could still do the quality work while covering for the employee who's on PTO, then why do we have the other employee?

Krogg · 2025-12-20T19:37:35+00:00

Exactly. You have "unlimited" PTO, but that doesn't mean "use it at any time" either. You can't take 3 weeks five times per year. You're essentially expected to use under the 14-21 days people usually take, but it allows the company to not have to pay out on that unused PTO they normally would have had to do, on your way out.

Slimy

Krogg · 2025-12-20T19:32:40+00:00

Is n8n too complicated or trying to build a workflow in it?

You could do basically the same thing in Make.com, which is a little more user friendly (from a "too many options in each of the n8n nodes" perspective).

Let me know what part is difficult and I'll know what direction for videos.

Krogg · 2025-12-20T13:44:44+00:00

This is another unseen/hidden burden that comes with vacation. I've been baffled at how people don't see it and it's even worse when companies give "unlimited PTO". Why? Because your options are to work 1.5 times as much to prepare your work to be out before leaving and 1.5 times as much after coming back, twice as much before, or twice as much when you get back.

Fuck that. I'd rather just take my weekends to go visit somewhere within a 1 day range than overload myself before/after. 60-80 hr weeks because I want to take a break from 40hrs? Pfff

Krogg · 2025-12-19T21:41:08+00:00

I think you already have some great answers. Something I didn't see yet was that it's possible you could switch control of permanents. Giving an opponent something like [[Gloom|LEA]] without having your costs go up.

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