store and writing

Good Bye Liquor Store, Hello Writing!

Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank

Over the past year, I’ve helped my dad by giving him a place to live as well as a business to run. It was a small liquor store in the middle of nowhere with an apartment attached to it. He was homeless and I really didn’t have room for him on my couch, even though that’s where he started for about three months. I took over the liquor store to give him something to do and get his thoughts in order. Now, a year later, he has moved on and so have I.

Why a Liquor Store?

Some time ago, I helped a little liquor store get off the ground. A few bad feelings erupted, which I’ll go into at a later date, and I left it behind. After a few years, it was offered to me again because the guy running it didn’t want to do it anymore and it would give my dad a place to start over. Even though I have an anxiety attack any time I have to work with the landlord, the man who was running the store, I agreed to taking it back and put dad into it.

The thing to bare in mind is that this store barely made enough money to support itself. There was enough net income to pay rent and its Internet connection. That was it. So, Dad and I worked this store simply to pay his rent. If it wasn’t for food stamps, we would have been completely screwed. This was why I didn’t want to take it over in the first place.

Working 12 hours per day for a $35 profit that goes directly into the store’s rent is not my idea of success.

Exhausting My Morning

Time ManagementRunning the liquor store exhausted a lot of time in my mornings. Paper work, product ordering, sales receipts and other duties made it difficult to write until later in the afternoon. Although I was still able to get a bit of blogging in, I was still less efficient in my day. Since Dad has a severe medical condition, I really couldn’t rely on a great deal of help from him. But, he did well considering the amount of pain he is in.

I know I could have managed my time better. I just have a problem with follow-through. However, the liquor store did take a great deal of my time to manage and maintain.
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Higher Levels of Stress

Like I said, working with the landlord gives me an anxiety attack every time I speak to him. Coincidentally, I am also the only person who knows how his entire computer network and website developments work. To make a long story short, he did a few bad things to us in the past and I harbor a great deal of animosity. But I keep the peace for the sake of my dad and my wife – since she likes working with him.

Trying to keep all of the tops spinning can be a pain in the ass. This is especially true if you would rather toss one of those tops out the window. Unfortunately, you don’t always get to play by your rules. At least, not when you have family in the mix. Sometimes you just need to do what needs to be done in order to keep everyone safe…no matter how much you hate doing so.

Less Writing Done

When running the liquor store, I lost out on a lot of writing opportunities. I did manage to keep a few clients happy, but it was the work available in the morning on Textbroker that I missed. That, and I wasn’t able to blog nearly as often as I would have liked. By the time I was done with paperwork, most of the good jobs on the system were taken by other authors.

eBook WritingWhen using systems like Textbroker, you need to be fast when it comes to accepting a job. There are hundreds of authors looking to take the proverbial “cream of the crop” in terms of projects. These are usually the easiest to complete as they have very few restrictions and guidelines. You could easily make beyond $25 per hour doing them.

This is why it’s important to have a constant vigil over the system.

Now It’s Closed, Time to Get Busy

Over the past year, I’ve come to realize that I have a pretty sweet setup when I’m not being pulled in many directions. I’m a work-at-home dad who makes more when he writes than any job willing to pay him in town. While this is mostly because we live in a crappy rural area, it’s a comfort to know that I have great potential.

Spending More Time on Client Satisfaction

Now that the liquor store is closed and Dad has moved in with his girlfriend in another state, long story, it’s time to get on with keeping clients happy. I’ll be able to dedicate more quality time during business hours for those who need me the most. This alone is going to give me a boost to income on a daily basis. See, I wasn’t really paid by the liquor store because it didn’t make enough money.

Scheduling time is vastly important if you want to succeed as any kind of writer. Most clients will need projects done as soon as possible, and making them wait could cause them to find someone else. Because competition is so great on the Internet, you are easily replaceable as a ghostwriter.

Time For My Projects

Wattpad Submission ScreenI have a ton of projects that I would like to maintain now that I have a bit more time in my day. For instance, my blogs need a bit of work done with them if I want to continue building up popularity. I also want to finish writing “VII” on Wattpad so I can start my next series.

One of the things I want to implement is gaining clients from this website. I was recently emailed from someone overseas who needs content for a new website this person is building. The individual found me through a Google search while looking up facts about Textbroker. It started me wondering about offering my services privately like so many authors do.

The only two reasons why I haven’t put a contact form on this site for work is because, a) I didn’t want to mess with getting screwed out of pay from clients, and b) I was too lazy to put a contact form on this site.

Between the increased interest in my abilities and clients sending me more work, everything is coming up roses. The liquor store couldn’t have closed down at a better time.

Keeping the Momentum Going

Blogging MoneyWith all of the good stuff that is going on right now, it’s important to keep the momentum going. When things start going good for you, the last thing you want to do is become complacent. A radical change in your life could be the perfect thing to boost your self-esteem, confidence and give you something to strive for. When life hands you a diamond, don’t stick it in a jewelry box and forget about it. Set that bad boy in a ring and flaunt its beauty.

Michael Brockbank
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