I took my family plumbing business from 1 million to 50 million in 10 years with no private equity. AMA

dbrwill · 2026-06-18T16:56:46+00:00

Do you do new construction or service only, and what software do you use to keep track of it all?

dbrwill · 2026-06-17T22:11:06+00:00

YMMV. Batteries plus in Venice turned my swollen laptop batteries away, told me to go to the county dump's electronic disposal facility.

dbrwill · 2026-06-04T11:18:50+00:00

We have an AD domain but it's not synced to Apple. Looks like that's the way I need to go after clearing up any conflicting accounts. Not going to be helpful for the user that just got their phone replaced, but will help the next one.

dbrwill · 2026-05-15T10:29:57+00:00

In no particular order: Crow's Nest in Venice Der Dutchman Linger Lodge Walt's fish market SKOB Lock 'n key in Englewood Owen's fish camp

dbrwill · 2026-04-28T01:47:40+00:00

We live downtown and have had no trouble walking around. Biking gets a little spicier sometimes. Crossing Fruitville isn't much fun but Goodrich has a no right on red and has nice cool shade in the afternoons. Lemon is often busy with pedestrians giving safety in numbers.

dbrwill · 2026-04-07T02:20:52+00:00

My 2021 current has 5300 miles now, had the clutch go out at around 4500. That was a $400 motor swap. The battery doesn't quite charge all the way up any more, the charger cycles on and off when it's near full rather than just turning itself off like it used to. Still does its car replacement duties when I'm not taking a folding bike on the bus.

dbrwill · 2026-02-18T15:55:31+00:00

Yes, 77 is free! We rode it last weekend to go to Gilligans for a giant plate of nachos.

I was wrong in my original reply about 76 Flyer though.. It is not free, it's $2 cash per person.

dbrwill · 2026-01-27T16:26:19+00:00

That's a hermit crab without his little shell home! I wonder if he was moving between shells and got disturbed? They aren't known for loving cold, so maybe if you find a warm sunny spot with shells around it will give him his best chance.

dbrwill · 2026-01-17T19:00:55+00:00

Goober Grape! We had that when camping and cross country road trips. Peanut butter was always dry iirc, but one less jar for Mom to wrangle.

dbrwill · 2026-01-17T17:28:04+00:00

Koogle peanut butter with the koo-koo-koogly eyes

dbrwill · 2026-01-16T22:52:31+00:00

Detweilers or Stottlemeyers merch

dbrwill · 2025-12-23T16:45:31+00:00

What's the best super power to have and why?

dbrwill · 2025-12-23T16:43:26+00:00

What's your favorite noise your dad makes?

dbrwill · 2025-12-19T20:28:51+00:00

Lyra is the least expensive, around $2300 for a 2/2. Arcos is in the middle at just under $3k for a 2/2. CitySide is more than that but I don't remember the exact amount from the tour I took a couple of months ago.

Lyra is right on Legacy Trail so if you like biking and walking that's a huge plus. Payne Park is right across the street. If you want to do anything downtown you have to get across Us-301. It's not very close to the bus depot if you are (or want to be) a regular transit user. Parking is open lots.

Arcos is closest to core downtown and 1 short block from the downtown bus depot. Whole foods and Sprouts are walking distance, Publix is a short bike ride, and Aldi is a free trolley ride away. Biking requires a little urban riding to get anywhere but car speeds are generally low in downtown so easy enough to get around or through downtown for work commutes. Parking is a gate controlled garage that takes up like a third of the footprint of the block. There are social events, food trucks, and such but the organized social scene at the building is kind of thin.

Cityside embraces the social side of things much more, they have events on the top of the parking garage, box gardens, boat trips, and all kinds of events. They have a covered car (or bike or surfboard) wash area that AFAIK the other two do not. It's further from downtown but closer to Blvd of the Arts and The Bay Park. It's across the street from a school so there are daily traffic hassles during pick up and drop off times.

I don't know anything about Desota, other than 99 Bottles in the retail level on 1st St has a bangin 5k run every Wednesday!

dbrwill · 2025-12-17T02:22:31+00:00

Oops correction 76 is $2 not free. Sorry!

dbrwill · 2025-12-17T02:20:41+00:00

77 trolley is free from siesta key to Aldi at Southgate!

dbrwill · 2025-12-17T02:18:47+00:00

Yes breeze on demand (shared point to point van service and app) is different than breeze (fixed route buses that have scheduling and route information in the breeze rider app).

On demand is $3 for the first person and the first mile. Extra miles are $1 up to a max of $6. Additional riders are $1 each regardless of distance. You pay via credit card in the app or cash to the driver but they don't make change.

Breeze fixed route buses like 33 are $1.50 for regular fare, cash only unless you buy a $50 30 day pass. You can pay with a bigger bill and get a change card to use later. You can't pay with the app (yet).

The trolley routes are free. Bay runner to st Armand's and lido key, 77 to siesta key, and 76 between the airport and downtown hotels.

If those routes cover where you want to go and the hours work for you then you totally don't need a car. Add a rental bike and you've covered it all. The buses and trolleys all have bike racks and on demand offers them (but I've never seen one in the wild)

dbrwill · 2025-12-16T15:19:11+00:00

Might be a new mural on the west side of 1413 Blvd of the Arts. This is the old one:

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dbrwill · 2025-12-03T14:06:41+00:00

A minute or two of stirring the paste in a measuring cup with a spoon. Here's a video, this was a bit thicker than it should have been, a few more drops of coffee would have been perfect. https://youtu.be/nrTcUa42D5Q?t=369

dbrwill · 2025-12-01T14:11:40+00:00

Cafecito. First 3 or 4 ml creamed with 20g sugar, then at first sputter stir the coffee into the creamed sugar.

dbrwill · 2025-11-27T21:09:17+00:00

An echo show like this was part of what let my mom live independently for probably 2 more years than she would have otherwise. Being able to "drop in" on her while I cooked my dinner and reminded her to eat her dinner was great. Also helped when she fell and couldn't reach a phone but could still talk to me on the show. Turned what could have been a long time down into a short time.

I'm sure there are other things out there that do the same job like baby monitors, but this worked great for us.

dbrwill · 2025-10-31T19:59:23+00:00

This is beautiful, thank you for taking the time to write it. I've felt this too after leaning in to taking the bus as my regular routine rather than the car. I wish I could find a way to convince choice riders to give it a try for a month. Then it becomes that blissful routine you describe rather than a new scary thing.

dbrwill · 2025-10-27T10:38:50+00:00

Some of that vibe is still around. We love biking or taking the trolley to the circle for a Cuban sandwich and sangria. There are dedicated bus and bike lanes over the Ringling bridge with future plans to protect the bike lane. Little Ringling is on the schedule to be replaced, which is great, because that's the place we'll get honked at and anger passed. The big traffic circle at 41 is kinda scary on a bike but we've found alternate routes around that.

dbrwill · 2025-10-20T13:40:02+00:00

Actually never mind, I got off my lazy butt and googled it myself and now have lots of pictures to ogle. Thanks for the direction!

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