Seriously fu**ed off!...

It's been around a week now since my last blog posting; sorry for the delay but as you can see from the title above, I'm seriously cheesed off. Things haven't exactly been going to plan for me with 'Business no.1' and 'The Challenge', "C'est la vie" some might say, but sometimes you just hit a bad run of luck and feel like things aren't going to turn your way. This is how I feel at the moment. I'm certainly not giving up at the first hurdle, just venting my spleen on here. Things always move a lot slower in the world of business than I like them to, so I end up becoming very frustrated. I just want stuff to start happening!

Anyway, I'll tell you about my last week. Myself and my business partner for the restaurant (let's call him 'Mike') met with our accountant last Friday. He's a lovely; trustworthy, if a bit conservative old gentleman who tells it like it is (we'll call him 'Bernard'). I appreciate people like that, the old-guard sort who won't mess you around. That; and the fact Bernard's brother played professional football at a high level and went on to manage high-level teams, means I'm sort of in awe of him. Anyway, enough of my false idolisation; we met with Bernard and he explained to us why he thinks we should be forming a limited company for this venture (the Mexican takeaway). I agreed with him; indeed I had already come to this conclusion prior, but he likes to meet with you and discuss all of your available options in detail. I think he sees me as some sort of crazy kid with 'pie in the sky' dreams whom he should tame; and maybe I am, but I reckon he also has a grudging sort of respect for my appetite for risk.

As this was the first time Bernard had met Mike (my business partner), he asked exactly how we knew each other. Mike and I are now ex-flatmates, so know each other really well. Bernard has obviously seen business partnerships go sour, so is just checking our personal relationship and making us question the things we should be at this point. He asked what sort of experience we'd had in the restaurant/catering field. Mike had run his own cafe in Edinburgh, and had worked as an assistant chef in various restaurants for 10-odd years. He'd also managed a bar in Holland. I have about 3 years part-time experience in a burger joint from when I was a kid. One of us is clearly more qualified to do this than the other! I reckon for what I lack in knowledge though, I make up with enthusiasm and other business 'skills'.

So, Mike and I decided to set up a limited company, and Bernard suggested we do so with 'Same Day Company Services'. You can set up your company for £100, and they send all the paperwork out to you after incorporation. Being the sort to D.Y.O.R. (Do Your Own Research!), I googled alternatives in order to see if there were any cheaper options than the company Bernard suggested. There were, but the lure of a personal recommendation from a man I respect and trust proved too strong. We paid our £100 on my credit card; decided on a company name, split the equity 50/50, and Voila, we're in business! Well; not quite, but almost.

I mentioned after our meeting with Bernard that I may have been thinking about opening another business, Business no.2. Bernard thought I was a bit mad and was concerned I might not have time for both. If only he knew what my plans were...eek!

So, overall the meeting went well. Mike liked Bernard, and Bernard seemed to like Mike. Bernard agreed to let us use his office to act as a temporary address for the limited company until we found a permanent restaurant location. All is good!

So, why am I cheesed off?! It's the whole finding a suitable premises bit. I'd been looking at a place before Christmas, and I loved it. It was affordable, in the right part of town for our target demographic, and available. Property; with restaurant consent, is still very tough to come by, despite the recession and general malaise in the business world. So, we'd sort of found a place. We found our from the commercial property agent we were really the only ones in the running. We knew we'd be ready at the start of the year, but despite this were still trying to get in touch with the agent and go through the proper channels over Christmas and New Year. The agents; of course, was closed. Only last week did the particular guy I was dealing with get back to me, to tell me a man seeking to open a Chinese Restaurant in the unit had approached the landlord directly over the festive period and made an offer, all the while we were trying to get in touch through the supposed proper channels. So we lost out on it. Ouch.

Our pride a bit dented at not having thought of this ourselves, we reeled at the fact we lost out by trying to deal with the agent (as is procedure) rather than the landlord directly. So, the going is tough at the moment. Restaurants are available. Unfortunately; however, restaurants/takeaways in quality locations are not. When one comes up for sale or lease; it is quickly taken, so you need to move fast. This is why we needed to get our Limited company and bank account sorted as soon as possible, so we're in a position to move when the right place comes along.

Out of the blue; however, I was surfing the interweb late a few nights ago and stumbled upon a business for sale, in an even better location than the last! The premium on the lease was high considering the size of the unit was below 400 sq. ft, but the location was superb and perfect for our needs. I got in touch with the agent the next day, and their representative got in touch to say she'd try and get us an appointment to view. She phoned back today; someone else viewed directly via the landlord and they've accepted an offer just yesterday! ARRGGHHH, enough to make your blood boil! So, back to the search for now. And lesson learned. Screw the agents; we have no contract with them, it's their clients that do. We will approach landlords/tenants directly from now on, all's fair in [business] love and war...

HMMMMMMM, maybe there's an idea for a business in dealing directly with landlords/tenants re: commercial property rather than through slow; inefficient, expensive agents?!?! The cogs are again turning...