[This post is part of a series on business…for business owner/managers and their lenders.]
Sometimes you make do after careful consideration. It may be a piece of equipment you put off replacing. Perhaps it is the source or type of financing you agreed to in the short-term.
Once you decide…make it work.
Not ready to buy: Until four weeks ago, I borrowed my sister’s kayak. It was inconvenient. I only went on kayak trips she could go on. I drove 20 minutes across town to help load and unload boats. I could not customize the kayak to my needs.
But it was a good decision and I made it work.
Ready to buy: Until June 20, when I had enough birthday money to buy a kayak. My total kayak budget was $1,000 for kayak and gear. Those of you who sea kayak know that is not a lot. But it was the amount I chose to allocate to the purchase.
This is a short-term solution until I have kayaked enough to have a better idea what I want in a much more expensive boat.
Select the criteria: Ready to buy, I had to decide what criteria (besides spending $1,000 or less) was important to me. Since I need to load and unload this kayak myself on occasion, lighter weight was important.
On Craigslist I found an EasySpirit Dolphin E. $500. 34 lbs. I bought it. Later, my kayak group leader kept asking questions.
Question: Why did I get a kayak without bulkheads and hatches?
Answer: $500 and 34lbs.
Question: Why did I get a 15 foot kayak? (Most of our group has around 17 feet boats.)
Answer: $500 and 34 lbs.
Question: Why did I get a kayak with a rudder instead of a skeg?
Answer: $500 and 34 lbs.
Question: Why did I get a kayak without deck rigging?
You know the answer.
The lesson: When you have a well-thought out reason for compromising it is time to make what you have work.
I made the flotation bags from old paddle-floats. I have added deck rigging on the front and found an alternate self-rescue that works without deck rigging on the back. I am improving my forward stroke and still playing with the seat and pedal adjustments to go faster even with my smallish boat.
I went overbudget by only $100 as I bought the spray skirt, paddle, PFD (life jacket), car top carrier, pump and assorted dry bags. Not bad! It works…
Is someone at work wasting time and energy commiserating over a compromise you had to make instead of making it work?
See if you can find a short and sweet response. Mine is ‘$500 and 34 lbs’.
