29) Insurances

Oh my God! There is so much information about insurances that my blog would become boring explaining all kind of insurances that a small enterprise might need.

I guess the Rule number 1 you must keep in your mind is:

-How much budget do you have?

and Rule number 2:

-All the insurance companies just want to sell as many insurance plans as possible. Always.

Yes, it is an insurance, a protection and in many cases it is needed, but it is also an expense, or so called investment, so I must be aware of how to locate the money. If I would give free will to my insurance agent I would end up totally broke.

Here is what I think, there are 3 types of insurances:

1) The ones I need by Law
2) The ones I should really buy (not compulsory by law)
3) The ones that are recommended to purchase but not a must

Very well, why do I think of these 3 types.

1) The ones I need by Law

Check your country's regulations, consult with a lawyer, it depends a lot on your business branch and business concept. Specially if you have employees from the beginning, you might need to buy certain insurances.

In my case, it's not compulsory to buy insurances, but "recommended". If I would have employees then it would be a different story.

2) The ones I should really buy:

If you review the list of all kind of insurances, well the answer is simple. I need them all.

-Unemployment insurance
-Life insurance
-Working accident insurance
-Office/Assets insurance
-Catastrophe insurance
-Legal issues insurance
-Etc.
-Etc.
-Etc.

But I'm pretty sure you are going to end up without money pretty soon.

But what about the ones I really need. The ones I really think they would give me a better quality sleep:

1) A General liability insurance
2) A product liability insurance
3) A legal expenses insurance
4) A contingency cover
5) A cargo insurance

For the moment, a general liability insurance, a cargo insurance and a contingency cover are not so urgent.

A product liability insurance would be good to take, before I start selling my products, of course (the same with a general liability insurance).

And a legal expenses insurance: This one is the one that I would need most, right now from the beginning, but since it usually doesn't cover any trademark issues then, in my case, is worthless.

3) The ones that are recommended to purchase but not a must:

There are many, like life insurance, medical care, catastrophe insurance, insurance over the insurance, etc. Yes, they are recommended, but they are not a must for your business operation. Then again it depends on your business branch. For example, I heard David Copperfield had a lot of troubles finding an insurance company that would take him as a client.

What can you do in order to minimize the expense of insurances?

Nothing and at the same time a lot of things. I would advice keep working with good eyes in all certain issues that could become wrong.

If you don't have so much money in the beginning, simple: Buy the ones you must by law.

If you have a medium budget: Buy the ones you must by law and the ones that you really need.

If you have a large budget: Buy all the insurance programs you need and you want.

Insurance companies are more than willing to take your money, but I keep my doubts if they have the same willingness to pay back. If you got a good anecdote PLEASE share it with us.

Two agents contacted me last week in accordance to the help that Katariina Rantanen gave me. I commanded her to write down that I would like to receive information ONLY by E-mail. No phone calls. The first agent, read my info and contacted me by e-mail, he was more than happy to contact me and to give me an appointment. I explained him that I could only take information by e-mail before any meeting. I'm pretty sure he wasn't that happy with the news (I wonder why?), but he did send me more information.

The second agent ignored my instructions and called me. Well I was clear from the beginning "why did you call me if I stated clearly that I wanted to have contact by e-mail?", he sort of apologize and later on he said that he would send me more information by e-mail. So far he hasn't sent me anything.

Am I paranoid or the term "brain washing" does exist?

Anyway, there is a lot of information about insurances on Internet. There are a lot of cases, blogs, open questions and answers, etc. Just read a lot, before meeting any agent and specially before signing any contract.

Any other insurance advice you can share with all of us? Yes, I need advices, we all need them.


;)


p.s. No sauna, but a nice dinner!

28) Misslead, misstrust and more decisions: A never ending story

Many months ago, in November when I got the first meeting in Potkuri, it wasn't much of a help nor informative. Instead it was only "yeah yeah it's ok, sent your application to this place, bye" and that's it.

What happened in the next following months has been a mixture of lots of planing, a couple of mistakes and couple of good decisions.

Potkuri made couple of nice mistakes, they didn't give me all the needed information, spoken nor written, nor a guide or help what about certain issues that will definitely affect my business. They just cared for "the money" to register the company and nothing else (even though they knew that I couldn't register the name of my company, they registered it because they didn't care if it was good or wrong, as long as they would get the money).

A nice advice: Don't trust the "experts" a 100%

The resolution regarding about the start-up money was clear and short, since I already registered my business I will not get any help. Even though I was never explained the whole procedure (I could have read it on Internet I assume so also my mistake).

At the beginning of this month I explained my situation to the capital city's institute for the small businesses. I got an appointment to explain my case on 28th of September with Miss Katariina Rantanen.

The appointment went "ok", more professional for sure, I got more information and a list of things that would be optimal to find out. However, since I already registered my business now I have two options.

A) Close my business and start the whole process again. This means I will be in a status limbo where I would have to wait for about 1-2 months for a resolution, it could be positive or it could be negative. Whatever I've worked so far, it would have to be paused, in a way.

Positive: I could get the start-up money

Negative: I would just stop everything for a negative resolution and then I have to pay everything again.

B) I try to apply for the bloody bank loan again. It will give to my business more solvency and since my business is more landed and realistic, then my chances have improved more since last year. However, I must change different things in my business, such as the legal status, some extra insurances, etc. = more money into it.

Positive: A better amount of money to invest in the whole project.

Negative: a "No" as an answer and either if it's yes, a loan responsibility.

It is a tricky situation, however this is the business world, and real business when you have to think what is cleaver to do.

What I think:

1) Closing down my business would be to go back to ground zero, and even though the results could be economically good, then I have to stop "officially" any activities.
2) I have already a contract for 1 year with the bank, which probably means I have to pay it off no matter what.
3) The bank loan sounds even more tricky since their decision could take time and I had already presented my project and it was rejected. My project has developed more since November, it is more realistic and the general ground strategy is better, but then I would need to wait and wait. Probably until January and that's a period of time that I can't take as a holiday.
4) The local enterprise institute guideline and advices are good, of course it is done in a way to help me, but also to encourage a LMC which would force a larger amount of investment into the system.
5) Upgrading the company to a LMC is a good thing, less risk for myself, but it requires more money. Money that could be located in manufacturing, services and development, not lawyers, banks, insurances, etc.


What I'm thinking to do:

1) I would say that an entrepreneur insurance is enough for the moment.
2) I have to maximize my resources, no other option.
3) Work harder and more in areas where I can do such a job, perhaps not with the best professional quality, but with the best quality my own skills allow me.
4) Reinforce my contacts and friends in order to get some help in such areas where I need professional help.
5) Prepare and have ready as many things as possible in case I need to suddenly move again. Either small village, capital city, small city, country, etc.
6) Keep my self confidence in my project, in my business and in myself.
7) Do not loose my internal peace and calm.
8) Continue with plan B, C, D, E, etc. as many plans as possible no matter if plan A is always working.
9) Have fun, this is being an entrepreneur and despite I can't have a minute of rest. There is light, I just know it.


What do you think?


Suggestions, advices, supports, and constructive critics or just a "hi" are more than welcome!



No sauna, but I look to the sky, contemplate the moon and I have to smile. I'm alive.


;)

p.s. Terrible but I was extremely busy to write down something on 24th of September. The day when I started my business project :) late Happy Birthday!

27) Where to find the manufacturers then?

Manufacturers work in different ways according to their local culture and way of doing businesses. Nothing new, but how to find them? Well, before it used to be a more complicated process since Internet wasn't that developed and so within the years many manufacturers developed a cultural ritual of presence, introduction, exchange of information, a small taste of the local culture, compromise, goals, etc.

Well things, in a way, haven't changed that much except perhaps for the applying of nowadays technological tools.

I found this two websites quite useful

1) http://www.made-in-china.com/

Made-in-China is among the most popular manufacturers databases. It continues to develop and grow constantly. There are a lot of companies to contact and the information is quite standard. You get to see where are they located, how to contact them, some pictures of their infrastructure, and a general overview.

Things I didn't like: I opened an account in order to be able to reach in a better way some manufacturers. I immediately started to get advertising from manufacturers in totally different areas of mine, mostly looking to export their products (“Hello! We know that you are a very important importer of bla bla bla...”). It's all about business, totally understandable, but a bit annoying since it is clear in your profile what you do and what type of businesses are you looking for. There are also a lot of small companies/entrepreneurs who are selling pirate copies of popular products, they even offer you to do the logistics for you, however, if you get their messages a couple of times per week you definitely will get tired of them.

Some manufacturers take this site very seriously, so serious that they forget to get their own webpage which is a bit odd since they have the money to invest in such a crucial element of any company.

Things I really like: I like the manufacturers who post a lot of pictures of their infrastructure since I got an idea of what kind of company it was. The ones who wrote a lot of details of their businesses and they even had their own web domain. In a way it looked more real for me, but then again how to know that those pictures were not false nor all those certificates of Gold/Premium/Audited supplier they receive/pay to www.Made-in-China.com

2) http://www.alibaba.com/

Alibaba is probably the most popular manufacturers site on Internet, you can choose from any country in the world and in any category. The same standard information applies to all the companies all over the world so I think it is quite interesting.

The chat option is more available in this web page so you can interact almost immediately with their sales managers, but e-mails and a contact forms are always available.

The things I didn't like (and I liked) were very similar to the ones in Made-in-China.

Those web pages work ok and you can have a general overview of what is the manufacturing world. You can choose from different countries, locations, products, services, in a very standard way. Since the layout of the web pages is the same for all the companies, you can easily see the products they manufacture.

There are quite many manufacturers so try to work in one region so your logistic costs will remain low. Every business is different so perhaps you might need other type of manufacturers, compare prices, costs, and many other variables. The relationship with a manufacturer is like a marriage, it's going to be for a long time and you'll need to trust them.

In many ways, it's a matter of being able to negotiate since you are going to negotiate everything: prices, MOQ, incoterms, modifications, etc.

If they are willing to cooperate with you, take the chance and see how much can you work together. If it's not possible, you've learned a lot in the meanwhile and of course, keep the contact. You never know when you might need them again.

Have a look to those databases and let me know what you think! Since many people seems to hate or dislike those webpages, if so, it would be nice you can share where to find good manufacturers.

:)

p.s. I have a cold so definitely no sauna for a while.

26) Allowed or Not allowed

As we all know the Chinese government allows and it doesn't allow certain things in China. Among those things, certain websites.

Since this is not a political blog, it is not up to me to criticize whether it's correct or not. However, certain programs, websites and online tools definitely make business life easier.

Facebook: The world largest popular social network is not allowed in China. Ok. I can live without facebook (believe it or not!). Despite the daily exchange of personal information that sometimes drives everybody crazy, and it's effectiveness for advertising, getting new customers, company's updating info, etc., it is not allowed for some reason.

Dropbox: it is not allowed and this is a really disappointment, since it's a very easy program used to exchange information without having to send e-mails with large attachments, or having to stay online in messenger until the whole file is sent to the destination. The folder is in your computer connected to internet and you can share whatever you want and with whoever you want. Check it out, click on “Dropbox”

Blogspot: Not allowed, it's a pretty weird thing to have the most popular blog site banned, but there is nothing to do about it.

The use of msn messenger is allowed, and mostly for business purposes. The use of QQ is mostly for friendship. Gmail chat is also popular for business.

I would like to share a whole list of useful webpages that don't work in China, unfortunately I'm slowly discovering what is available and not in China.

Please share in this section what kind of sites, useful for businesses, are blocked in China since the list might be huge.

A rainy week is coming.

Smile :)

25) Hello : 你好

Most of the manufacturers are always willing to work with your business. Since, your business is their business as well, and the business relationship that you will built up with your manufacturers is vital for the creation and life of your company. However, most of the manufacturers are, relatively, large manufacturers or depending on your national scale, larger than many companies, at least much larger than mine.

In the beginning I tried to be “picky” and “choose” the manufacturers I sort of “liked”. All the contact was done by e-mail and different types of messengers. The results were confusing:

1) Many of those manufacturers didn't reply me

2) Some of them replied me a couple of months later

3) Some of them were more concerned in “model, quantity, NOW!”

4) The manufacturers that replied me immediately and finally

5) The “optimal manufacturers”.

The ones who never replied me back: I have No idea, but in my opinion their web page had something to do. Old web pages, not updated, perhaps not really taken in consideration as a part of the business, as a whole, and who knows, maybe fake companies, or companies that went bankruptcy, etc. Maybe they have already too much work so they are not accepting new clients or maybe they are not interested in small companies. Who knows!

The companies that replied me very late: It seems that Internet might not be a vital part of their business, also the lack of people who can replied in a foreign language, maybe too many clients, or too much production. It is in deed hard to know exactly the reasons of such late replies. However, we exchanged some information regarding services, sampling, prices, costs, etc. I really got to know different people working in different fields, some had very little to do with my business or some had nothing to do with my project, but nevertheless a good experience in terms of business language and inter cultural communication.

The companies interested in business NOW: Yes, they are probably very hard working people and indeed all the stories about multicultural communication were sort of useless, since basically everything was “what?”, “how much?”, “how many?”, “when?”, “where?”. Life is simple. Unfortunately, for low budget companies, it's a bit difficult to fit in that schema, they are willing to do business with you but they won't be waiting for you forever and it is expected some seriousness, something I interpreted like “come back with us when you have the money”. Real world, Real businesses :D

The manufacturers who replied me immediately: Many manufacturers and many different way of exchanging information about the products, services, prices, costs, pros and cons, and in general, very valuable information. It is definitely a whole blog to write about interacting with manufacturers. Not all of those manufacturers could work or fit in my project, nevertheless the experienced I gained while getting to know their companies, their values, their services and products was, and still is, extremely priceless. I reached no further than the sales department, but the professionalism and willingness to work are unspeakable.

The optimal manufacturers: How do you know who is your optimal manufacturer if all the negotiations have been through Internet? It is hard to say the precisely formula. A mixture between knowledge, theory, experience, service, general information and specific information and “instinct” are some of the key factors.

You choose the people and organisation you are going to work so a good feeling (instinct) is a must. Obviously you will gather as much information, by all means, as possible before making a decision. Consult with your friends, relatives, religious leader, google, wikipedia, chats, facebook, etc. I'll certainly keep posting more information of the manufacturers as my relationship with them is starting.

Advices: Be polite, be open, be helpful (you never know what kind of pressure is having the other person on the other side of the screen), be nice, and if you have the time, waist a bit of it in going further to other things even if they are not related to your business. You'll learn, a lot.

I found a lot a hard working people on the other side of the screen, they were all very respectful, helpful and nice and I tried to be as nice as possible with all of them. It paid me back in great friendships not only businesses.

Do thing as in their time, even if it means starting your day at 3.00 am. If you happens to work in their evenings, be EXTREMELY nice and ZERO pressures from your side. Think that you just want to get out of your work at 18.00 and you have no option but to be there plus having someone asking you for detailed information, it's basically playing the needle and balloon game.

I can't really advice “contact as many manufacturers as possible”, since it's a good experience and exchange of information, but stick to a geographical area. If all the manufacturers are far away from each other, even if the business relation is great, it just won't work.

Dealing with large manufacturers implies large MOQ (Minimum Order Quantities) so be aware that this will be, as a small company, the biggest challenge. Manufacturers can make exceptions, but then accept the compromise that they are helping you = you have to pay back the favour.

Smile... smile...

24) Xièxiè

I've been in contact before with different manufacturers of different backgrounds. Working with Chinese, it's been a very interesting and exciting experience. I have had many good Chinese friends but, unfortunately, I lost contact with them, specially now when I need them most.

There are tons of books about how to make business with Chinese, a lot of multicultural rules to follow, a lot of research available and there is a lot of on going research, but specially a great fascination for the far east.

It is not a secret how the whole world has turned to sell and “manufacture” in China, but to turn hypocrisy into a smile, either honest or false it is a really argument to write more books. I've read a couple of books about doing business with Chinese, about customs and traditions, Guanxhi, etc, but to really deal with a human person who is willing to make business with you with a “limited budget base” is different, way too different.

I certainly don't think I'm expected to remember the meaning of all the colors in the Chinese culture, nor to know how to greet, even less to behave in a proper way, but so far I've learned that I'm expected to learn and try to remember their national days, greet in a nice way, be flexible and be kind. I've learned, in exchange perhaps without having a need to do it, they will try to remember your important dates. Either national or private. Private are important for me, since they emphasize the real business relation that I am establishing with all the people I've been working to. Nice honest and hard working people (vs the corrupted and criminals that are here and there).

A lot of businesses starts nowadays by messenger, msn messenger is most for business, but Chinese use more QQ messenger, the most popular software in China for chatting perhaps in a friendship-private way, and despite the direct and simple business communication it is handled by QQ or MSN messenger (now you can't forget about remembering with which hand you greet and with which one you give a present) I can't stop thinking that I didn't find in any Chinese inter-cultural book the sentence “Hi, how are you? I meant it, I really want to know how you are doing”, “If there is anything I can help you, please let me know”, “Oh are you too stressed now? It's ok, we can continue later, I'll send you an e-mail”, “You know what? I think it's time for you to go home, we can continue tomorrow, I hope you have a nice dinner”, “Yes it is urgent and I need it now, but I know you can't do anything cause it's out of your hands, so let's hope things will solve soon”, and so on.

I guess, I still need to read much more to find such books, and if you happens to know any with such life advices, please let me know.

Don't be too narrow minded to close yourself to meet great people in a different way, nor to over estimate or under estimate what people on the other side of the computer can and can not do, be “nice”. We all live in stress.

23) A logo story

It took me 5 bloody months to have a ”workable” logo. I was going crazy, depressed and lost the previous last weeks. I have to thank a lot to my good friend Ville who gave me a big help with my business.

I'm not 100% happy with the logo, but at least is possible for me to work with it since a lot of my marketing will be related to the logo.

The triangle Name – Logo – Patent/Trademark is now going to the big arena, one country per one country, it will be registered. If my research was well done, then it is a matter of just waiting for the Patent/trademark to go through the whole patent/trademark process then to the opposition period and then finally (and hopefully) get a paper that says I own the rights over a trademark, my trademark.

Let's remember that this is not for free and I must pay, either to a trademark (lawyer) buffet or directly to the authorities:

a) Through a legal representative: It has a lot of positive advantages, but of course you will have to pay more. In some countries, because of local regulations you can't registered a trademark by yourself. Advices? Read a lot... do a lot of research and consider what is the best option.

b) Directly to the local trademark authorities: It's cheaper, much cheaper. Specially if you are working with a very tight budget. Nevertheless you have to do all the possible researches that you must do. Read a lot before contacting the trademark authorities, otherwise they might just tell you “get accustomed to our website by reading it”, which is true :)

I can not recommend what is best for everybody except for this: Even if you are hiring someone to do this job, any job, for you, you must read and prepare yourself as much as possible. Depending the scale of the business you will know what option suits you.

Here is the link of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

http://www.wipo.int/directory/en/urls.jsp

It contains a list of all the intellectual property organizations in every single country.

There is a lot to read, but in some point the information becomes similar and it's interesting to detect the legal differences among the countries trademark laws.

Google a lot, read a lot and make the decisions that need to be made upon all the information you have found and received.

Good luck! :)


p.s. No sauna this time, but some swimming :)

22) Ubuntu

www.ubuntu.com

I started using Ubuntu last year, after struggling with my computer's operative system for such a long time. I had all kind of anti-viruses and, I'm pretty sure, I still had a lot of viruses and unwanted programs running (always) my computer's hard disk. The screen was getting frozen more and more often, it took longer to open any kind of program. Opening web pages was getting slower and annoying. In a desperate attempt to save my computer of being smashed in small pieces, by me of course, I decided to install Ubuntu. Many of my friends have already installed Ubuntu and some of them, specially one, have insisted me for a long time to do the same.

Something that I resisted, mostly because of fears of compatibility and well, the “unknown”: What if it's more difficult? What if I can't handle it? What if I don't like it? What if I have to re-learn again the whole functionality process again? and so on... also, I had already some original versions of certain good programs like MS Office 2007, so installing Ubuntu would mean that I will loose all my “programs”. Unfortunately, and fortunately, I had no option since I couldn't continue working any longer, my computer was extremely slow and it was impossible to wait and wait until “it” wanted to work.

Ubuntu: I must admit I was more than surprise. The desktop display is really nice and simple, so nothing to be “afraid”, you can “easily” find anything you need. If “looks” is what matters to you? Well in my opinion it looks quite elegant the latest version “Ubuntu 10.04”, you can always customize it if you don't like the skin. The latest versions of Ubuntu have already installed certain good and useful programs like:

Firefox: It's a good program for surfing on the web. It's already installed in Ubuntu so you don't have to worry about “Oh my God! What if I can't surf any longer on Internet”. Internet is available in Ubuntu and it works exactly the same way, probably better, than with other operative systems.

Open Office: It has a working sheet, a word processor and the presentation program. You can create your word documents, use the sheet processor or make your presentations. It works pretty good, it might not have the 100 varieties of colours than other programs, but it has 70 so there are plenty to choose. It's simpler and easier, if what you want is just to write a document with a good format then it's perfect. Remember to save all files with .doc, .xls, and .ppt, just select it from the list so they can be easily open anywhere.

Mediaplayer: You can listen all kind of music and watch all kind of video files. However, there are plenty of programs for listening music or watching videos in Ubuntu and free.

There are plenty of already installed programs so you can read more in Ubuntu's web page, the basic ones that you need to work and surf on Internet are included. There are also a lot of programs that you can install for free for any purpose you want from leisure till work. Diaries, video editing programs, camera programs (to take picture of your screen), diet and exercise programs, games, etc. Plus, the already free programs you can download from Internet, like Skype, Chrome, Dropbox, etc.

It has a very interesting concept of organization as well, it has 4 different working screens, so in the first one I usually open Firefox, in the second the word or sheet processor, in the third Chrome/music player/pictures/etc. and the fourth it's usually empty (unless I am doing a lot of things at the same time) but it's there in case I need it.

Is it perfect? No, it is NOT perfect, but it works pretty good. The alternative versions of msn messenger do not support video calls, only video. If you are a 100% addicted to msn messenger video calls , then it might not be a good idea to change to Ubuntu. For video calls I prefer Skype, better quality and, in my opinion, it works better. Since I'm not a fan of video calls I can live with a messenger only for chatting and sometimes video without sound, and yes, you can keep all your funny messengers “faces” in Ubuntu.

You can google all the problems, English is the most common language for further instructions of how to solve any problem, but solutions can be found in other languages, most of the answers are in Ubuntu's forums. Check the dates since some solutions are very old. Some programs need a bit of configuration work since most of the programs are meant to be for Macintosh or Window, like for example to configure my usb-Internet stick was, and still is, quite annoying (a lot of googling). Nokia PC suite, the program needed for updating your (Finnish) Nokia mobile's software or synchronizing your mobile with your computer for transferring files, back ups, etc., only exists for Macintosh and Windows environment, ironic, since Linux was created in Finland. Open Office works fine, sometimes I forget to save the files with the standard .doc .xls and .ppt but nothing to be worried about it, you just save it again and that's it. No big deal.

I'm satisfied and I really don't want to deal any longer with viruses ever again. Sometimes Internet or Open Office freeze for a couple of seconds, but nothing to worry and definitely nothing compare to my previous operative system that could freeze up to 5 minutes or more.

You can install it partially in your computer so you can test it and see if you like it, if you don't, you just erased it and that's it. If you like it, just keep it. Ubuntu is updated every 6 months and it keeps getting better and better. I've experienced 2 updates so far and waiting for the next one. If you can't download it from Internet, you can get a CD with the program for free, you just need to pay the post.

P.S. No! I'm not getting any money for making advertising to Ubuntu, but since it's free, it's available in 24 different languages, it doesn't have viruses, it's easy, it works and I happened to install it when I started the planning of my business so it became a part of my project, learning about Ubuntu and about my business at the same time. For all of you who want to open a business, this is a good tool. Not the best one and it depends as well on the type of business you are planning to create, but for the basic, for studying, for surfing on Internet, for writing your thesis, a novel, homework's, etc. it works, and pretty good.

www.ubuntu.www

21) Work=result

Well, I certainly left an empty space of time in my blog, nevertheless not in my whole vision.

I faced different problems, from private to different problems related to my business. This episode will be devoted to a French traineé that I happened to accept in my recently new business from May until June. He was the boyfriend of the daughter of the sister of the best friend of a very close family to me. Why did this matter, because business-friendship/family shouldn't be related, perhaps not always and there are probably a lot of well documented successful family-business stories all over the world, but definitely not in my case.

In this case it was more a funny "pressure" which I accepted, so partially my fault. Before I met this young guy, her (future?) aunt in law, told me that he would like to be a professional football player, however, because of family pressure he started to study international businesses.

Having a trainee under your supervision is quite a responsibility specially in an international environment, if you really want them to learn something more than making coffee, moving beds, making copies, etc. Unfortunately, the trainee didn't want to work, I saw it from the beginning but I didn't want to accept it, since I think we all deserve a second chance. He disappeared from the working days, he didn't do any home assignment I commanded him to do, since we were meeting very few hours per day and his duties were more related to research on internet, he claimed that his English "wasn't so good" and endless excuses, unfortunately he understood that being a trainee means having an old brother or a mom type of boss who will be after him, begging him to do his duties, be patient, forgive and forget. The funny thing, obviously from my point of view, is how easy was for him to give excuses and not assuming his responsibility as a normal employer, without payment of course, but with a payment from the French government to all trainees. Not a great salary, but at least some small help. He definitely enjoyed a nice summer holiday paid by the government of France (or the European Union).

After two weeks of struggling I decided to fire him, he told me that he would have to repeat the first year of school if he didn't accomplish his trainer-ship, so I kindly considered the fact of signing his certificate, a complete lie, but to reap a year of studies is something heavy. However, the guy took like "I deserve your signature", even though he knew he was doing wrong. The guy disappeared again and he didn't contact me at all, nor made any effort to really change his critic situation (he claims that he "learned" from his mistakes).

After more problems and more strugglings I decided that this was all a lie and he really needs to understand a lesson. As I explained in a very well detailed report to his school in France, for a student of international businesses and not being able to do basic marketing analysis there is something wrong, completely and absolutely wrong.

The experience, like any other experience, it was good and bad. Positive and negative. I learned a lot and I even remembered some stuff from my human resources lectures when dealing with him. What's better? to approach to your subordinates as a friend? as a tyran? as in an equal base? as an ass-hole? or as another human person who is working? in hopes or trust that he or she will respect your work as you respect their work. I approached to him as a friend but "friendship", for some people, is not a sign of authority nor compromise. I guess, it's left behind in my past the equal base relationship and now I must continue with the boss-employee relationship.

Other thoughts? Well, indeed yes, the equation "work=result" kept tingling in my head. I feel I have worked a lot, but my results, so far, are very poor. Which makes me rethink the whole logarithmic process I've been going through.

Is it enough? what else do I need? what else should I do?


Summer is here, so sauna is not so needed.

20) I believe: Don't you try to stop me!

How difficult is to believe in times of desperation?

I see a light at the end of the tunnel, I believe it's white and bright, but sometimes I feel the hard involving darkness of this long tunnel.

I'm having troubles, nothing new, and I'm solving them, I think.

I'm still dealing with the semiotics of my trademark, I recently found it means something "funny" in some how, nevertheless, there is not point of return for me. It's just too much work the trademarks.

I visited my future accounting firm, time to make more real decisions. It has to be done, I can't be long without an accountant but it's going to make me bleed since it won't be cheap.

I will receive the contract to review it next week, sign it and send it to the accounting firm to legally formalise our business relations. I hope to receive as well next week the official trade registration from the government.

I need to contact more people through internet, which I hope it won't be problematic but it takes time to built relationships.

I went to watch Alice in Wonderland 3D by Tim Burton. I have to say that I was very interested a couple of weeks ago, but later on I lost totally the interest since I heard it was just a normal "movie" but in 3D with colors, pretty different from the beautiful graphics from Avatar. I found Avatar as many of my friends told me, the story is nothing special, but the colors, landscapes are amazing, and they were right. However, the movie didn't touch me, unfortunately. Alice in Wonderland made me live the story, along with the music that took my hand and lift me into the crazy colors and the endless philosophical life questions. Who am I? Where am I? Where am I going? Where do I want to go? Why? How? When?

My favorite part: "I believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Count them, Alice":
1) "There are drinks that make you shrink.
2) There are foods that make you grow.
3) Animals can talk.
4) Cats can grin.
5) There is a place called Underland.
6) I can slay a Jabberwocky."

Let's emulate Charles Dodgson or Tim Burton's version:

I believe in 6 impossible things before breakfast:

1) My murdered beloved cousin and my dead grandparents, and all the people who loved me in life and passed away, are helping me wherever they are, my guardians and angels.
2) I can change the world
3) I'm making history
4) Love is not forever
5) I can forgive
6) I can create a multinational company





Don't you try to stop me!

;)

p.s. link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyDRbx8nWFg&feature=related

19) Frustration II: The legal issue

Lots of work and lots of complain, to myself unfortunately...

I can't complain and I shouldn't but I feel like speeding the world to level 3, 4, 5...

One of the main problems with the name-logo-trademark, is the registration process that we all must go through:

1) Your logo-name can be rejected by the local patent and trademark authorities (it takes about 3 months it depends on the country)
- Then you must appeal (it is usually a one month period to do it), therefore a lawyer should be ready = more money

2) Your logo-name is accepted by the local patent and trademark authorities (it takes about 3 months it depends on the country)
-Then it comes the 2-4 months period of time for "oppositions", all possible companies that might feel any threat to their patents/trademarks/logos are free to "oppose". Then you need a lawyer to defend your proposal of trademark/patent = you need money to pay the lawyer and the whole case.

If you don't have the money, then be ready to either have a very good business plan with as many as possible different types of options (plan A, plan B, plan C, plan D, etc.). I advice you to read as much as possible about trademark/patent laws, cases, do as much research as possible in all databases, since you will need all that information for your own case.

If you happens to invent a new name it might be "easier" to have it registered, however, think that there can always be risks, plus new invented names can be tricky for customers to keep in mind.

In my case, my chosen name is a "bit" tricky. I could either have problems or not.

Why don't I change the name for another one with less probabilities of having problems? Simple, I like it and despite the risks I think it is not only good but it suits my product and my business idea. It is not just the name, but a life commitment a marriage and my future possible income for the next 10 years or even more and there isn't any name-trademark-logo 100% risk free.

Logos, advertising campaigns, colors, etc. you can change all of it, even the name if you want, but the importance of the name lies in the building Brand process, in your customers' mind (semiotics), and well, despite the fact it is possible to change the name, it will definitely be the hardest part to change of a whole company, but who knows, maybe in the future (probably) I will face more difficult decisions. Until today 28th of March of 2010, the trademark = headache for me.

If everything goes smooth, I have a 3 months period (the authorities analysing period) before the opposition period to sell my products and ensure an income, not only to cover all the first and main expenses of my business, but to assure I can pay the lawyers who will represent my firm against anyone who will "oppose" and for the time being of the case (it could be years, one of the cases I read last for almost 4 years).

Is 3 months enough to sell my goods? It should be more than enough, but time flies and not everybody works at the same speed so 3 months can fly as 3 weeks if everything is not really according to my plan.

How to know exactly when to take the risk?

:|

18) Frustration

It's been months since I started my project, months of hard work.

I'm still facing the problem of the logo. It's not 100% ready and I have a dilemma now, should I let it go and register it or should I'll try to have it as ready as possible.

What does it mean "ready"? I have 2 great proposals... however I'm not 100% satisfied.

This shows me one thing: one of the biggest mistakes. DON'T WAIT! DON'T WAIST YOUR TIME!

I could have asked to my friends to design the logo since October-November, however, I was naive and extremely carefully. It's good to be naive and carefully, but to have an optimal logo that you will love it's a different story. The process, depending on how much money do you have, can be slow and frustrating.

Since I don't have the money to hire a professional to have it ready in a very short lapsus of time, then I can't demand speed, only good relations and comprehension.

Also, one of the main domains I was "thinking" to register for my business project was bought. I'm not sure when, but I'm pretty sure not so long time ago. I contacted the new owners, a company that specializes buying-selling domains, to make things better, well the final price is more than 55,000.

Luckily, it wasn't the main domain but shit happens....

Something good? The previous Friday I registered finally my company to the local authorities... so officially owner, assistant, secretary, slave and CEO.

Cheers! :)

17) It can't be so easy! -what if it is?

After a couple of chaotic weeks I finally finish to do a couple of essential things:

- I moved out from my old flat and moved temporally to a new one (for about a month)
- By moving out I through away many things, clothes, papers, memories, lots of memories. It was needed I just couldn't realised it.
- I adjust myself to a new routine that perhaps my body didn't want, but maybe my soul did.
- and I'm finally doing it.

Unfortunately I'm feeling very frustrated, since the Logo-Name-Trademark triangle is driving me crazy. I've been doing research in all the trademark databases and I still feel insecure and tired.

The matter involves money, of course, and I'm just trying to avoid any refusal from any trademark authorities or opposition by anyone else. Something that seems very likely to happen since I have a chosen a sort of common name.

So what's new? besides my trademark headaches.

a) Domain - ready
b) Webhotel - ready
c) Company - ready
c) Logo -almost ready-

What follow is a double step, the registration of the logo and therefore the internationalization of my business idea since now I'm starting to swim in the open sea. Let see... I might be very nervous, tired and insecure, but I have worked so hard on it that I think I'm doing it right so luckily I won't have any trouble in the registration of my logo.

Time to bed and no sauna for a while...

:)

16) My Birthday and My Domain

Beautiful frozen day with white landscapes outside with a -8 C (21 F)?

I'm one year older and supposedly wiser? I don't know. I finally registered my domain, it took only a couple of minutes. It was a difficult thing to decide since I'm not 100% sure if I can use that name as a trademark, I did all the possible research it was possible and, unfortunately, I'm still not satisfied. However, it marked the first decision of many I'm going to be taking for a while. I also resigned my flat so I'm moving temporally with “family” in order to invest any possible cent in my project. I guess not so many parties for a while :)

Before, every company all over the world used to begin operations by registering the company in a government institution related to the registration of companies, of intellectual property, the tax office, etc.

Nowadays, it's different. The first thing you have to do is to find a name. An easy name to remember, catchy, without negative meanings in other languages, a name that will suit your product/service/company and the MOST important, it must be available on internet. It can finish with .com, .us, .se, .de, .fr, etc., sometimes you don't necessarily must have a .com address, specially if you are registering an organisation, then .org might be more suitable or if you plan to be a local company, then the local domain is the best option since many local people will always check out the local domain instead of international ones.

Many domains are taken and if they are, you can forget about those names for your company/product/service since it will be very difficult to regain the right to use those addresses. Usually the rebuying of those domains implies a lot of money and in some cases further legal problems. I think the best example is Apple Inc., the name and logo are among the most common ones all over the world making it a very negative option to choose, since, as it has been the case, many people around the globe have registered in some how that name for different purposes. On the other hand, the positives aspects are “easy”. Easy word, easy logo, easy to remember, basically non intercultural problems, etc.

So you must think in a company's name, product or service that it is simple, new and catchy and at the same time without the risk to mean something “negative” in other countries. Avoid intercultural problems by doing some research of the names you are thinking to use.

There are many web companies selling space and domains. The local companies will always sell the most international domains (.com, .org, .net, etc.) and the local domains (.de, .fr, .it, .cn, etc.). The international web companies would focus more in the most common international domains and their local ones (usually .co.uk and .us).

Once you have found the name, here you must have to do a bit more research. If the idea is to go international, you must go to every single patent and trademark office in every single country in order to check if that name is available (at least in the industrial category that you are planing to incursionate (food, clothes, service, etc.). It takes a lot of time to do the research, but it's worth it. If you plan to be a local company, it's enough if you check out the availability in your own country at the local patent and trademark office.

In this link you can find a list of the intellectual property offices around the globe by the World Intellectual Property Organization. http://www.wipo.int/directory/en/urls.jsp

Once you have done all the research and you are sure that the name is available everywhere, register the domain. If you plan to go international .com is a must, however, if you want to reach your customers in an international and local base, then it is advisable to register every local domain in every single country so you can reach every market with their local domain.

It's a lot of research and money, but there is no choice.

If you register your company first and then the domain, you are in danger of loosing it by someone who might register it before you do it. Usually every government, by the time of the registration of a company, publish a list of the new companies or their product and services. Easy target for domain hunters, either private people or companies.

I found a lot of information from web-hosting-top regarding about webhotells, servers, etc. Check it out, if you happens to find a better one, please share it with us.

http://www.web-hosting-top.com/

Remember to read all the “promotions” and special prices. Since many of them imply a 2 or 3 years contract. One of the web hosting companies I contacted told me that the price for 3,45 USD/month is on a 2 years contract and a single first payment. However, it is possible to cancel the hosting earlier, but the company will deduct 10 USD from the refund (82.8 USD – the amount of months you used the hosting – 10 USD) for the domain registration. Analyse what's best for you and what does it suit you company's needs.

If you are starting like me, I definitely advice to contract the cheapest webhotell company. Since the service is basically the same, independently where they are located. The goal is to own the domain that you will be using for your business.

Once the domain is registered, then it's time to register the company at the local authorities. Prices vary and every country has got their own rules and laws to follow. You don't really need a lawyer to do all this done, but you must read as much as possible of the procedure. Many countries have different bureaucracy, so be aware you might have to visit either 2 offices or 20 in search of all the permissions.

What kind of feelings do I have now after all this “basic” research? I put “officially” the first stone of my pyramid. What a feeling!


I feel happy, aggressive, optimistic, sceptic, great, ... I feel like sauna now!


Cheers :)

15) Bermuda's triangle

After a hectic week, The weather has been pretty nice, between -6 C and -15 C (23 F and 16 F) sunny and completely snowy. I agreed to meet three good friends to chat about my project and to see if they have the time to help me. Luckily they all say yes, but it will be done in their free time so I can't really demand speed. It is fair since there is not money yet, so I have to work at their rhythm. Slowly, but at least something is done.

Since the (fast) development of Internet, many companies, if not all, have restructured their business strategy. Once you have developed your service/good, once you have set up a bit of organisation in your ideas, and once your implementation plan is going as you planned your business plan, then it comes again the “name” problematic.

We are facing a 3 variables problem:

1. Internet

2. Patents/Trademark

3. A multicultural meaningless name, catchy and possible company name as well

You don' necessarily need to have the same name for the three variables, however, it's advisable, but you must check out that all the names that you have chosen, are available everywhere.

The fact that the domain you are looking for is available it doesn't mean that the patent or trademark might be available and so the name of the company and a possible non multicultural meaningless problem.

It requires a general research in international databases that the name that you want is available, remember the more international you go, the more you have to do research.

If any of the variables is taken or it results negative, you must find a new name. A suitable one, catchy and according to your idea of business.

I certainly did, and still I'm doing, a lot of research. Try the basics, web address, google, yahoo, intellectual property online offices, etc.

As for me, I think I finally found the available name I was looking for so it is time to see if it really is available since now I will start investing money on it.

p.s. Not sauna tonight :(

14) Baby steps

How to sponsor your business idea? Well, there are banks of course, and national institutions in charge of helping the small and medium enterprises. This is the first place you have to visit if you plan to open your business, whether you like it or not.

Why? Well, in theory they do help the entrepreneurs and they give some capital that is destined from the national government budget to “improve” the economy, since most of the economies all around the globe are dominated by small and medium enterprises that employ most of the population. The other two main players in each country are:

• The government: the largest “company” in all the countries.

• The local transnational or large companies: They employ a lot of people, but definitely less than the “government-company” and more than small and medium enterprises. One of their many purposes is to bring capital from other countries and inject it into the national “circular flow of income model” making the country richer since more international companies mean more money coming into the local circular flow and more money means, as well, a higher probability of a major spending in different goods. However, all markets have a lot of imported goods, so we are all the time buying, local and imported goods and services.

Are there large companies that work only in the internal market? Yes, I believe they are somewhere, but not many. One of the main advantages of large companies is to be able to compete with other large companies, in price, service, production, location, etc.

All the governments themselves have shares or ownership in some national companies, like airlines, oil, water, electricity, etc.

Another financing option is private investors: friends? business people? pensioners? your parents? Just anyone.

Be aware that private loans might mean you have to give a share of your business. They have the economical resources to help you build something, so they will definitely want something in exchange. Some investors might not be able to give you money, but perhaps they can provide you with a (essential?) part of your business, like the web page, equipment (computer, printer, fax, etc.), with extremely good luck maybe even the inventory? And so on...

I was once at the opening ceremony of an entrepreneur fair, the opening speech given by a very energetic entrepreneur, who built a successful chain of Cinemas, ended his speech in this way: “It's better to have 10 % of something than 100% of nothing”.

Time to start up and become a part of that economical flow. Ullis, a good friend, who recently came back from South Korea learned something really worth to remember from one of his professors: “making business with money is called playing, making business without money is called negotiations”.

Since I didn't receive any loan and I don't have that much money now, it's time for negotiations...

p.s. And sauna, of course at 21.00 :)

13) Last Friday

The week went by sort of slow, and sort of fast. I finally got the answer from Finnvera the previous Friday 29th: ”No”

The reasons were explained randomly by the financial manager I was assigned to (the same way as the interview). In this kind of situation, I could have understand it for so other reasons (too high loan, no bank warranties, ME, etc.). However, I was told straight certain points:

• ”The project is wrong!”: Noup, the project is extremely good!

• ”The project is too big for you!”: In that case, how did I manage to write it all by myself?

• ”The logistic is wrong!”: Yes, it's not perfect. I agree, but it was a part that can be worked out once the operation is going to start, since I need specific quantities to weigh and to measure for shipping (among other details).

Something that I absolutely disagree. I can understand other reasons, specially about me, but that my project is wrong? That's something I can not accept. This business plan was extremely well planned, if not perfect. There were tiny details that I couldn't polish, but the general estimates were, not even correct, they were real! They were given to me by the manufacturers, they were official information that I found on Internet and other sources, and they were rectified by the people, professionals in their fields, who have helped me in the whole research.

I certainly wait for the written report, which I think it should be based 100% in other reasons, but absolutely not the business idea, business plan and the presentations of the project.

The 3 financial managers, who heard and reviewed with me the whole project in the interviews, were surprised by the good ideas and the business plan.

I replied what if I tried to do it into a smaller project, until the company takes off. Then, I was also told that ”they can't forbide me to re-send the same project again, but it's not likely I will get their approval”.

I was not sad, but shocked about the news. However, there is Plan C, not my favourite and it was though for an emergency. I regret not just the waste of time waiting, but also the though that Finnvera is really committed to create companies. To look after the banks interests is nothing new, because they work in cooperation, to land big projects like mine into a lower level, to borrow money to key projects that really need help, but to reject good projects in the false ground that ”is wrong”. Everytime you hear on the newspapers' headlines ”support for the small and medium enterprises!”, I certainly understand it now much better.

A friend, Sören, came to visit me and give me some support. I explained him all the project and he was also shocked by it, which doesn't surprise me. He also brought me a book :) “Vägen förbi NEJ” in English “Getting past NO” by William L. Ury. I want to thank Sören for being such a good friend all this years, 2 years ago he visited me every day when I was in the hospital and, on Friday after I told him, he went to the library to loan that book for me.

I knew I wasn't going to give up, however, what comes next are a couple of crazy measures. I hope to count again with my friends and family's help.

I know I can do it!

As for now, sauna...

12) Last week of January

The last week started sort of slowly, but it became very particular. However no news about Finnvera yet.

I sent one e-mail last week to the Director of Företagar Förbundet (Swedish companies' assosiation), Camilla Littorin, and another e-mail to the Danish enterprises association, Copenhagen Capacity, with a couple of general questions regarding about financing small and medium enterprises and the names of the main risk capital banks in both countries. So far, no answer yet.

I already started translating the blog in different languages, and I hope to finish four different languages versions within this week.

I assume that many people will wonder how much help can it be to read "how is the opening process of a company in a different country?" specially, when the situation varies so much from one country to another country. Here is what I think, despite the different levels of bureaucracy, financing problems, banks, local cultural problems, corruption, and so on. We entrepreneurs need support, and we understand each others feelings, therefore anyone in my position will definitely understand me. I give to all of you my story and my guidelines, take whatever is helpful to you and please make comments if the information was of any value to you. For the people who might think "it is easier for him, because in that country...", well, I am sorry to disappoint you, but the whole process is as laborious as it is if I was in China, Venezuela, Egypt or USA.

Freda, a friend from China, explained me that in China they do not receive any economical support for opening a company (like in many countries around the world). She is an entrepreneur and she did manage to create her own company from scratch. Women power and cleverness. If she could do it, I can do it.

Another friend of mine, Carlos, explained me a bit the long bureaucratic way of getting a loan in Mexico in his own words "you lose the motivation". I just hope to be able to keep my motivation.

We all wish that money grows from the trees, but not in this capitalist world.

I called today to the financial manager Karina Fogel of Finnvera regarding about the situation of my application, but she was busy in another appointment. The secretary told me to hold on and then she hung up the telephone. I wonder if I should call tomorrow or let them contact me.

I guess I just have to believe...

Otherwise I had a nice weekend surrounded by friends and drinking a lot in different parties.

11) Week 3

The week has started with some nice windy weather... and we still have lots of snow :P

Haiti's tragedy is still in the news and it will be soon one week since the disaster. My best wishes to the Haitians in these moments of pain.

There was an article in the newspaper HBL about importing clothes to Finland. A good friend of mine told me that the regulations are very strict, however, it all depends on who is importing. The customs has been sending her threats of sending her imported clothes' shipment of 15-20 kg to their laboratory for which she should pay the fee of 500€. However, it seems to be the same payment for a whole H & M container: 5kg of clothes or 500 kg of clothes, it´s all 500€, it makes sense!

Finnvera hasn't contacted me yet, but I've already started to translate the business plan into Swedish, Danish and German.

I think it is always important to have a plan B, plan C, plan D, plan E, and so on. It is not my intention just to jump off to the next country, but since the cultural factor plays an important role in the creation of a business I must be aware that my idea might not be accepted in conservative societies, but in more business oriented ones.

Let's see....

p.d. There is sauna this evening at my friend's :)

10) Flu and conjunctivitis...

Week 2 of 2010: Diagnostic ->A cold and conjunctivitis

I'm so lucky... yes I am.

Let's remember that I was sick for the whole of 2008. A very long and slow recovery from my sepsis (septicemia) due to an extremely weird illness. I should create a club in Facebook called "We, the survivors of the streptococcus intermedius", probably maximum of 20 members in the whole wide world. So a flu and conjunctivitis are nothing compared to it... however it's annoying.

I got a cold in September, October, November and now January. Due to all the amount of work I was doing, my left eye got swollen in November and I had to spent 2 days in total darkness (no TV, Internet, computer, reading, only bed and darkness). In December the same eye became infected, I don't know how. But I got some antibiotics prescribed.

However, on Monday 11th in the awakening of my pain, the financial manager Karina Fogel of Finnvera, called me to make sure she had the names of the people I'd been talking to in Ålandsbanken, Nordea and Säästöpankki. I gave her the names and phone numbers and asked her again if she would like to get more information. She replied that it was enough. My case was finally on the desk.

I got in touch with Anne Urpo from Nordea by e-mail since there have been some problems with the domains of Nordea's servers. She said that her e-mail was "nordea.fi" but the e-mails I got from her were "nordea.com". Despite my frustration, because I thought she already had all my files, I managed to send them all, again.

Let's see....

p.s. No sauna this week :(

9) After the storm a bit of sauna...

Christmas and New Year's weeks were very peaceful compared to the amount of work I was doing before with all the stress of concentration.

Lots of eating, drinking, karaoke and chatting among my family-friends.

The weather was exceptional, for the first time in more than I don't know how many years... the snow didn't melt and it got to -25 degrees a couple of days. One more reason to eat more since we were burning too many calories, just sitting and drinking indoors.

Financial manager Karina Fogel of Finnvera told me that I would probably get an answer in January since the Christmas holidays were coming, so in a way, it stopped being my problem and now it was up to them.

The next step will be the real negotiations... most of the estimates are already done.

After you finish your business plan and present it to all the credit institutions, try to take a small break. In my case the Christmas holidays were just at the right time, however, even if there aren't any official holidays (Easter, Ramadan, Spring break, etc.) just take a nice free week for yourself.

But now, let's go to the sauna...

8) Round 2

Monday, 21th of December... Cold... brr..... but sunny :) at least for 5 hours :D

I arrived half an hour earlier to the Ålandsbanken and, well, I had to wait for a while... Funding specialist Terhi Iso-Ilomäki was quite friendly and listened to my whole presentation. She complimented the presentation and understood the idea relatively easily which gave me a feeling of satisfaction.

As expected, she also told me that Finnvera must give its approval and warranty. However, she bid me welcome to go back to Åland if I get my project accepted :)

Since the interview finished quite early, and Finnvera's offices were on the same street, I decided to pay a small visit and see if I could give them more information. After all the maximum amount of files I could sent through Finnvera's web page was 4, even though I have 17 text/numeric files and 3 presentations in power point.

To my surprise, the financial manager in charge of my case, Karina Fogel, was available and willing to give me an interview.

It was one of the most stressful interviews in my life, I must confess. Even though I was more than ready to give the whole explanation of my project, I got a bit nervous, and since she was asking me random questions of the whole project, the idea of showing her my power point presentation became pointless. However, even though she complained about the amount of money I was requesting, I believe the interview went quite well. At the end she asked me "which Bank would you like to work with?" :) For me it was a positive question.

I was able to go out and breathe the -16 degrees (3.19 F) fresh air we had on that historical Monday 21st, in Christmas week.

p.s. Yes, I had a sauna that evening :)