Let me tell you all why I was willing to help John. When I started my own business in 2015, every so called " industry expert" told me that I was living a fantasy, that there is no way anyone could accomplish what I are trying to do, in the time frame I have, all by yourself. I also started with an idea and nothing in writing.
I was fired from my job Oct 12, 2015 and said I would NEVER work in the industry again unless I was a business owner. I wanted to open a major player automotive repair center. Not some 3 bay, side of road shop, or a franchised chain shop. I had grandiose ideas with little to no cash. So what did I do? I found the perfect building on Oct 21. I went home and did my paperwork on my own and incorporated on Oct 30. I emptied what was left of my 401K and wrote a check for a building hold for 90 days. At the end of 90 days if I cannot come up with the funding, the building's owner keeps my money and I get nothing. If I do get my funding, 50% of that hold check pays for my security deposit on the lease. Nov 1 2015, we shook hands and made a written deal. SHIT WAS REAL. I spent the next 60 days researching, learning and getting tutorial from the SBA business center. My assigned "tutor" also said, you are crazy, why not start small and build bigger later? I told him because that is not my concept. He said OK, write me a business plan that make sense and change my mind.
I wrote a business plan that wowed many people. I was consistently asked how will you achieve this and how will you achieve that and I always had an answer that made sense. My tutor said just said wow. I shopped my business plan to 2 Banks and the second one fell in love with me and my plan. They got me a SBA loan and I was approved on Jan 30th 2016 and funded Feb 15th. I signed my lease and took possession of the building March 1 2016. I had my truck and my trailer and I traveled a 5 state area combing auctions, closure sales and retirement sales to equip my shop spending pennies on the dollar. I signed a lease to own to purchase 4 brand new lifts and a scan tool. Finally, I acted as my own contractor to make all the building and electrical modifications that were needed. I opened my doors, fully staffed and fully equipped shop April 18, 2016.
Fast forward to 2022, I owe $0 other than a mortgage on the building(After 4 years of leasing, I turned around and bought it) My business owns 4 Stern Pros in the waiting area on free play for the customers. I have the highest rated Google reviews of any shop in the area. I did it, and I did it all my way.
Here is John with a dream and an idea that all of us were piling on him for his ways and means. Much of it rightfully so because it was not obtainable in the real world. I stopped myself and said that maybe, just maybe if I opened a go fund me for him, he could still have a crack at his dream if everything else fails. This was a gift from ALL of us pinsiders that wanted a glimmer of hope of seeing a real pinball machine out of all of this. It would have come with some great guidance of business experience, not necessarily pinball, but purchasing, labor costs and outsourcing all work the same. We would have set up levels of achievement to distribute the funds as needed much like the SBA did with me. This was a gift of $10K that came with the expectation of every donator knowing the possibility of failure was high.
Guess what, here we are, back to ground ZERO with ZERO. John, I am sorry, but you are your own worst enemy. If a unicorn walked by and took a shit, you would focus on the pile of shit and not the fact that it was a unicorn that made the pile.
Crystal Lake, IL
