Well-Equipped

One step closer...I finally purchased the majority of my equipment today, which meant another $12,000+ out-of-pocket. Money well spent, though, as this continues to push me towards a late-February opening. Comparable drops in the bucket ($21) were spent wisely at the County Recorder's office, where I kept myself as legal as I know how to be by having my Secretary of State incorporation documents entered into their records. I still have this nagging feeling that there's something perfunctory that I haven't yet done, not because I don't want to do it, but because I don't know I'm supposed to...we'll see.

Anyways, more good news came my way today in the form of a solid expected ship date on my walk-in cooler/freezer unit. If it in fact ships on February 6, it should arrive in Champaign on Friday the 8th, and perhaps be at my store by the 11th, which is four days sooner than my contractor had projected.

With the above as ammunition, I am hoping to see if the schedule can be modified tomorrow morning when I meet with Jeff and Mark to discuss target opening dates, and the sequencing of everything that has to be done to reach that point. I'm sure they have reasons for scheduling everything the way they have, but at the least I'll understand that reasoning and perhaps be able to push my opening date back into late February.

I ran some quick financial revisions on a paper scrap this afternoon and was elated to find that I think I'll be alright if I can just contain costs from here on out. Brian from Serv-U was able to help me switch away from name brands on non-critical components such as hand sinks, mop sinks, and shelving, which saved significant money; he did, however, also upgrade one of my tables to a stronger gauge of steel for an extra $100 so that it won't collapse under the weight of my dough sheeter.

I also spoke today with a very knowledgeable lady with the Illinois DMV, and she clued me in on how to purchase public abstracts - better known as motor vehicle reports (MVRs) - for my drivers. I'll wait until I've completed my first wave of hiring before purchasing the MVRs, as it may require a 50+ mile trip down to Springfield.

Today was also one of chance encounters. On a personal banking mission, I happened to catch old friend Jason Clay from my undergrad and MBA days scurrying off to a meeting. He's a big honcho in commercial lending with National City now, which could possibly come in handy down the road - it never hurts to have successful friends, that's for sure. Also, while I was in the County Recorder's office, a lady tapped me on the shoulder. At first, I thought it was just another case of mistaken identity, where an Edward Norton fan asks me for an autograph, not realizing nor caring that I'm not him. In this case, though, she told me I looked very familiar, and it turned out I'd worked with her son at Jewel for a few years. I gave her a business card, figuring that it can't hurt to have somewhere to turn when hungry.

Anyways, I can only waste so much time posting today, since I still have to get organized for my interviews tomorrow, cook my legendary Peanut Surprise for dinner, and manage to find time for my weekly Lunker's excursion. Tonight was supposed to be the night where I didn't have to drive - and could therefore drink more - but then I went and committed to meet my contractor at 7 AM. Oh, well. More soon...