(To keep this from being an advertisement, I will not mention the product name here)

As some of you may know (or may not know), last year I started a little side business that was intended to bring a little extra income into the family and possibly lay the groundwork for the next career step for TMLSB.

What I got was a real life lesson in running a small business. Or more accurately, I got a real life lesson in running a small business into the ground.

Okay, that last part isn't true, but you'd have a hard time telling my banker that.

It seems that despite the product being made from Brazillian hardwoods in areas that conform to the Forestry Service Commission guidelines, the government down there can still stop the harvesting of the woods required to make this unique blend of charcoals. So now, I am in possession of the last 2,000 bags of this product still available for sale outside of retailers that have already bought in the past and have inventory on hand.

I have basically consolidated my operations and the product is now available for sale, by me, out of my basement. I will no longer pay warehouse fees, handling fees, etc. It's all just too much. So I arranged to move my 14 (and now it's 18) pallets of product out of my warehouses and into my BIL's building.

That project started with a half day last Friday that saw delivery scheduled for 12:30p-1:00p arrive at 3:30p and not on a city truck with a liftgate but a full-sized 18-wheeler despite my documented request for the liftgate, so we had to reschedule for yesterday.

The best part was that, in asking for the half day Friday, I actually said the following to my boss...in writing:

"If I can have this half day, I won't be asking for any more time off until my vacation in May."

So it was fun sending an email to my boss Sunday that said "I know I said I wouldn't need another day off until May, and that's why I am so proud to be asking for the very next work day off instead."

He said yes, thank God.

So it was back to the worldwide headquarters of SEL for another noon-12:30p delivery that showed at 2:30p, and was unloaded at around 3:15p and then the truck left to get the rest of the delivery. From Lawrenceville. To bring back to Cumming. At 4:30p in the afternoon.

He got back at 5:30p. UnkTodd stayed and wasted his time waiting to help and lock up (which was totally unnecessary and very much appreciated).

Then one of the pallets (containing around 160 bags of charcoal) turned over in the truck. So we got to unload that pallet by hand two bags at a time.

We finally got done a little after 6pm, stopped by the BIL's brother's house to swap vehicles, and headed home. The BIL was out of gas, had spent nearly four hours helping me, and then when we got home, he and the two nephews helped get all 150 or so bags into my basement.

As usual, I am floored by his / their generosity, both of their time and their other resources.

From here, I will endeavor to bring it home 50-80 bags at a time on Saturday and Sunday mornings and stack it in my basement as though I'm building a reasonably flammable bomb shelter.

Hopefully I can get this stuff liquidated within a year and my loss will be minimized. Either way though, I've learned a LOT about business, about how government deals with small businesses, and what not to do next time.

I'm looking forward to a quiet day that sees me getting home at a reasonable hour to play with my kids and help my wife, who's had a full plate of her own lately.

p.s. If you're interested in one bag or 2,000 and are in the Atlanta area, visit this link.