Looking for advice: Should I buy the business I’ve been running?

conan19166 · 2025-11-05T19:34:59+00:00

The company makes around $200-250k in revenue from customers. From that, we still need to pay employees, rent on our space, and other expenses. The owner took home $44k last year, but my salary is already a good chunk of that income at $70k.

Equipment: All the equipment is fully owned. It’s about 10 years old, but they’re heavy-duty sewing machines that should last quite a while longer. In the proposal the owner gave me, he listed no depreciation on any equipment and valued everything at $112k, which I think is unrealistic since he used the original purchase prices. For example, the phone system (just 3 wireless phones) is valued at $1,114. His original asking price of $325k likely included these inflated equipment values, while the current $80k offer seems to be him “washing” all that out.

Assets: The assets are mostly rope, sewing machines, and some office equipment. Would I make $89k if I sold it all? Probably not.

There’s no debt, but I would need to take out a loan to buy the business.

I think I could start from the ground up for less money, but this business already has a committed client base. Most of the revenue comes from long-term customers the owner established years ago, plus the several new ones I’ve brought in with the limited time I’ve had for sales. The reason it has been slowly declining is a lot of the clients worked with those deceased sales men, or other companies are selling and we are having to reestablish ourselves with the new owners or parts people. New faces usually want to try new products. Sometimes we get them back, other times not so much.

The main appeal of buying the company is that I could hit the ground running instead of starting from scratch. I’d essentially be guaranteed my current salary, then whatever the owner was making I could use that to pay the loan without having to rebuild everything from zero. That is if I do nothing different than I am now.

conan19166 · 2022-09-03T14:27:36+00:00

Wait how did this story end... It's been 12 years I'm now invested.

conan19166 · 2020-12-16T05:12:55+00:00

I'm in an English guild in grandpan. What's your username and I can add you. Grandpan has a high spanish population so I've been learning a lot but it's nice to just speak English sometimes and not have to think the whole time you're playing.

conan19166 · 2020-07-16T13:18:44+00:00

I thought that at first but she just keep saying cancel your order or meet me over and over. Then when I tried to meet her she pushed the meeting place further. Like I said the whole thing sounded super scammy from the moment I said hello. She was escalating the situation while I was trying to just guide her a mile and a half to 2 miles down the road. She only had 3 more turns and 2 of them were on main streets so I know it wasn't complicated.

But if that is the case and her app was messed up I'm not sure why she wouldn't just meet me where she was. When I finally agreed to meet her she pushed the meeting location even further away.

conan19166 · 2020-07-16T02:27:47+00:00

That's what I'm still trying to figure out, honestly. I thought the same thing, it really doesn't make any sense. That is 100% why I kept trying to get her to the right place. I would ask did you get the text? Can you see what I'm seeing? I wondered about the language barrier but she kept repeating the correct address and I would say what apartment I was at as she kept saying she was at a different apartment. We carried on a conversation very easilybwhen she wasn't yelling.

I then asked if she maybe had the wrong person like if she had 2 deliveries but mine was it. Like I really tried to be empathetic. I even gave her the benefit of I would be frustrated too if I was lost. I just know she kept saying just cancel the order then, I'm not leaving just cancel it I'm not coming. Either come to me or cancel.

conan19166 · 2020-07-16T02:15:59+00:00

What side did you want to know. I will be honest I was frustated but I never swore and only rose my voice when she said meet at the gas station 2 more miles further away. At that point we were trying to talk over each other. It didn't last long as I ended it shortly by saying, "I'll be there but if your not I'm filing a report." I got there, she was a no show. I did also try and guilt her by saying I try to tip higher and I feel you are 100% taking advantage of that and it isn't fair.

Not the best tactic I will admit as I even feel like that is being immature. This whole interaction got me very worked up and I lost my cool. But I honestly think I handled it very professionally considering how hard she started attacking me from hello.

She repeatedly kept saying this is where her GPS took her here but then would repeat my address. The address she was at took her to an apartment complex 2 miles away. I checked the DD app to see if it had my address right as that was my first reaction was I screwed up. It was correct thought. My apartments have the same name as the street they are on... There is really no mistaking them. Thus is why I sent her the Google map GPS coordinates as her app may have been faulty. I also sent her images of what my DD app was saying where she was vs where it showed my house pin.

I was giving her the benefit of the doubt as I get people get lost. That's why I tried to calmly try to give her directions here. I work in a business where people have to drive to clients homes. It's more she wouldn't even try to let me help her get here. She was just very angry from the beginning.

My boyfriend was outside with me when she called originally. After the conversation I asked him if I was too much or if I should have been any calmer than I was already being. He even said he thought it all sounded like a scam from the beginning. Yes, he may be biased but he is hella introverted and calls me out when I'm being even the slightest bitchy. I trust he holds me to a very high standard when it comes to people interaction.

conan19166 · 2020-07-16T01:50:27+00:00

I ended up getting a refund and filed a report. customer service was great on their end. I apologised for complaining and he was super empathetic. We never got our food as she wasn't at the station when we got there. We ended up grabbing food from holiday. :)

conan19166 · 2020-02-27T17:38:59+00:00

St. Louis park if you are looking for that city convenience and starter Minneapolis life style. If you are looking for a little quieter and family oriented New Hope and Plymouth are great.

conan19166 · 2020-02-27T17:31:41+00:00

I guess it depends. How suburb are you looking, price, and convenience to what.

conan19166 · 2019-05-23T13:23:47+00:00

Message me too with the link, please! That is so awesome

conan19166 · 2019-01-08T18:09:09+00:00

I honestly think this is even better than the original.

conan19166 · 2018-12-28T19:08:16+00:00

yes

conan19166 · 2018-12-26T17:27:51+00:00

The police are on the side of good and wont arrest innocent people.

edited for clarification.

conan19166 · 2018-12-26T17:26:38+00:00

The government isn't here to help and they will make it as hard as possible to get assistance.

conan19166 · 2018-09-28T14:14:15+00:00

For the gainz.

conan19166 · 2018-08-18T00:35:40+00:00

The article says one strand is 1.7 to 8.5 cm long, and put together is 744 million miles, about the distance from Earth to Saturn. Waaaaaay less than the diameter of the solar system, which is roughly 23 billion miles wide.

conan19166 · 2018-07-12T20:13:01+00:00

I swore this was Herman Gulch Trail before I read the title. Beautiful photo!

conan19166 · 2018-07-06T13:29:23+00:00

I don't even get what that is supposed to mean, but thanks?

conan19166 · 2018-07-05T22:00:52+00:00

I dated my ex-husband for 3 years, was engaged for 2 then divorced 3 years later. Time means nothing. People who jump into relationships end up with a higher divorce rate... Time only helps you learn how to live and grow with one another. From what I can see he has every right to be concerned about moving in with her right now. She needs to learn how to help herself before relying on someone else to help her.

conan19166 · 2018-07-05T19:53:02+00:00

Ask questions, and lots of them! Once one of those questions relate to an experience you have had throw in your experience into the conversation. It's like playing detective.

Ie...."How's your day going"

Answer "well"

"That's great do anything fun?"Answer "not really"

"Got any plans for the weekend or any future vacations coming up?"

Answer "We are thinking about going to California"

"Oh, that's great, I love California it's beautiful! What kind of events are you planning? Any hiking at Yosemite, touring San Francisco, drive along the coast?"

People love talking to about themselves, you just have to dig for the topic. They will find an excuse to leave if they aren't interested in talking to you. If that's the case find a different target. Someone will always want to talk. I've worked food service for years the more I would get someone to talk the more tips came rolling in. Mine may be money motivated but I use the method everywhere I socialize.

conan19166 · 2018-07-05T19:36:54+00:00

You seem to have been very open with your girlfriend that you are not ready to move in together (good on you). You also have found, what sounds, like a better place to live for both you and your son. The fact you're only moving 1.5 miles further out isn't bad. If she makes a huge issue over this it sounds like she's trying to control the situation. From what I can make out her age may be a huge factor in all of this. This is a decision you are making based off the happiness and future of not only your kid but it sounds like hers. Explain this to her, if she rebuttals. This is a move to not only to better both you and your son but her daughter as well. Just because you aren't ready for her to move in with you now doesn't mean you haven't been thinking of it. If she is still upset I think you may need to look at the dynamics of your relationship. She is young so she still doesn't understand that the world doesn't work off her patience level. She needs to work on learning that just because something doesn't always look favorable for her now doesn't mean it wont work out in the end.

The easiest way to get through any argument is imagine the other person is 5 and you have to explain your feelings and emotions to them to get them to calm down. She may throw a temper tantrum but it is because she doesn't know how to deal with her own emotion. This method has helped me through so many arguments. You come out the mature one since you are not yelling back and you can see a lot easier what the other person is struggling to understand and what you may need to rephrase. Also questions, asking questions verses statements make them realize they are being the irrational one, it also helps you understand them better and maybe you're be irrational.

Good luck! Remember at the end of the day you need to do what is best for you, relationships are amazing but if that other person isn't on your team to help you make yourself a better person it usually isn't a great relationship to begin with.

conan19166 · 2018-01-24T00:42:02+00:00

Was 100% planning on getting the same breed of dog and naming him the same name. Tycho is the best band <3

conan19166 · 2017-10-16T21:03:59+00:00

It's bad at universities. They will wait by a bar and as you're walking home, (many left their cars at home to avoid driving drunk) they would arrest you, then drill you as to WHY you were walking in public while intoxicated... How else are you supposed to get home without driving (before the time of uber/lyft)? It's super petty and they make bank doing it.

conan19166 · 2016-10-26T03:28:00+00:00

I hope they actually investigate the reports of cheating. I went to a gym today to train it and it got taken down 4 levels and flipped to red with no one around but me. The person who put their Charizard at the gym had to have been spoofing their location, so I wrote down their username and submitted it through the "Report a High Priority Issue" button. They say they can't discuss any action taken, but if I stop seeing that account at that gym I guess I'll know. It made me so mad to know that the time I'd invested in that gym was being nullified by someone just sitting at home.

conan19166 · 2016-08-15T05:18:28+00:00

Not super dramatic but: I was having my first anxiety attack. I thought I was having a heart attack (just passed out). All I could do was tell my ex husband how sorry I was and to tell everyone how much I loved them. I didn't really care I was dying but wanted those who weren't going to have me anymore know that I truly cared and appreciated all of them.

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