[titus]

Hello Shane,

Oh it's just that after I've spent so much time and effort and money (the business is at a loss), there's always a part in me that wants to go back. So whenever I see people talking/inquiring about availability, it gets me thinking.

But....

I am in no shape to run the business at this moment because of school. And I also can't hire anyone if I can't employ them full time. A lot of the acrylic work require someone with very good experience/skill (afterall this is not a DIY product, but product manufactured by a business) and therefore anyone operating at that level would be a full time type.

After about half a year of development, prototyping, testing, marketing, customer supporting, etc the business is at minus $9889.00 CAD on the income tax report my accountant did, and I still haven't been paid for my time and the money that goes to fund and operate this board. I believe I can break even if I keep doing it but I decided finishing off my master is more important and my salary (when I find a job) is more worthwhile.

The biggest problem in this business is I can not possibly compete with Precision Marine and sell products at their price range. So I have to sell cheap. But if I sell cheap, a lot of customers went to the DIY people in the US. These DIY people don't have the operating overhead a business incur.

Let me give you an example. It costs me $270.00 CAD to make a ca reactor for just the material/CNC/manual cost. The online retailers want to buy it at $200.00 USD. This mean I get paid at $300.00 CAD after the credit and bank charges. Then UPS break a few of my shipments. After including my labor costs, business overhead, customer support time, and battling with UPS over a 4 month period of who's right/wrong, I can't possibly make any money. And no one in the right mind with an engineering degree would be willing to do this when all of his friends are getting paid $60k - $80k USD for salary. I'm doing this because I'm completely addicted.

The material I use are brought up from the US. So I pay shipping on both ways, plus the duty I pay for the Eheim pumps. I therefore can't get the discount similar companies get in the US.

So yes I'm tempted by the e-mails I received but no, I'm not making anything soon (at least not until summer 2002). And if anything is up for sale, it'll only be the parts for DIY.

[ 11 December 2001: Message edited by: Titus ]