Burn Rate
In business, one of the metrics that is used to evaluate whether a business will fail or succeed is something called "burn rate". Essentially, this is a term that indicates the rapidity that a company will use up money for things like salaries, rent, inventory, etc. Generally, it is termed bi-polarly: low or high.
Being a small creative business without a proper office space, Thought Bubble's burn rate is low. Very low. Like, because there's no rent nor salary (we are on a commission structure), the company could exist indefinitely. Because I, as a person, have to eat, obviously, I could not sustain myself on nothing, hence the push for forward movement.
Some days, "low burn rate days", I just sit in front of a computer and punch out code, answer a few emails, and take a few calls. Actually, these are most days. Then there are days like today. In the morning, I went to Pikto to get some prints done. Walking through the Distillery District (an incontrovertibly beautiful place) ran into an old friend that works at a gallery; networked with her for a bit, exchanged business cards, bought her coffee - this, as I've learned the hard way, is how business gets conducted. Maybe she'll use us in the future. Maybe not. Maybe she'll pass on our info to someone else - any number of things. Do it enough times, buy enough coffee, and you'll find enough work to keep busy. In going to Pikto, there was parking, gas to drive downtown (transit is not practical for me since i porter too much gear), coffee money x2, and time. Time. The great dirty word of the business world. Luckily (for the company, not for me), I'm on commission, so unless a deal comes out of it, I don't get any money back for what I've burned.
Then, whilst waiting for print, I drive to UofT St. George campus, suck up some free wifi and have a hot dog while sitting on a park bench, on the phone with Henry's because they've messed up an order i placed for photographic equipment. Burning are airtime costs, more time, my hotdog and water. If you're not paying attention, life can get expensive very quickly. As in, put you into debt that makes OSAP-look-like-a-lost-quarter-in-a-vending-machine quickly. But, really, I wouldn't have it any other way on these days.
Totally subsisting in the same four walls drives people crazy. Walking in the Distillery, talking (not emailing, not txting, not facebook walling), driving down Queen St., the vibe of the city becomes an infectious agent. This new perspective drives creativity and innovation; makes you realize what those otherwise meaningless bits of code mean in the larger narrative of life. You can't buy that in a store or on eBay. This feeling of typing on a park bench is unparalleled to any office. If this isn't worth that burn rate, what is?
Being a small creative business without a proper office space, Thought Bubble's burn rate is low. Very low. Like, because there's no rent nor salary (we are on a commission structure), the company could exist indefinitely. Because I, as a person, have to eat, obviously, I could not sustain myself on nothing, hence the push for forward movement.
Some days, "low burn rate days", I just sit in front of a computer and punch out code, answer a few emails, and take a few calls. Actually, these are most days. Then there are days like today. In the morning, I went to Pikto to get some prints done. Walking through the Distillery District (an incontrovertibly beautiful place) ran into an old friend that works at a gallery; networked with her for a bit, exchanged business cards, bought her coffee - this, as I've learned the hard way, is how business gets conducted. Maybe she'll use us in the future. Maybe not. Maybe she'll pass on our info to someone else - any number of things. Do it enough times, buy enough coffee, and you'll find enough work to keep busy. In going to Pikto, there was parking, gas to drive downtown (transit is not practical for me since i porter too much gear), coffee money x2, and time. Time. The great dirty word of the business world. Luckily (for the company, not for me), I'm on commission, so unless a deal comes out of it, I don't get any money back for what I've burned.
Then, whilst waiting for print, I drive to UofT St. George campus, suck up some free wifi and have a hot dog while sitting on a park bench, on the phone with Henry's because they've messed up an order i placed for photographic equipment. Burning are airtime costs, more time, my hotdog and water. If you're not paying attention, life can get expensive very quickly. As in, put you into debt that makes OSAP-look-like-a-lost-quarter-in-a-vending-machine quickly. But, really, I wouldn't have it any other way on these days.
Totally subsisting in the same four walls drives people crazy. Walking in the Distillery, talking (not emailing, not txting, not facebook walling), driving down Queen St., the vibe of the city becomes an infectious agent. This new perspective drives creativity and innovation; makes you realize what those otherwise meaningless bits of code mean in the larger narrative of life. You can't buy that in a store or on eBay. This feeling of typing on a park bench is unparalleled to any office. If this isn't worth that burn rate, what is?