Wade Patton Velo

[WadePatton]

I'm taking a new approach.

Instead of slowsuspendedunanimation, i'm going with. "close the door" and bust my ass for cash. AND (this is a huge fuggin conjunction) instead of blowing several hundred bucks on going to the big show, I'll put that money into tooling and parts for pushing my goal into fruition. This is a very very difficult thing to do as I love the BigShow so much, and will be my first absence since 2008 at Portland. That and i've never been to CO. But fuggit, Decisions have to be made and I'd rather go to CO when I can ride it.

Piddling with bikes/parts is getting me nowhere. I'm going to build a fund and budget the hell out of it. Chopping firewood now. Although a quick study in most things...I've taken a sweet long time learning that brokeness = suckness and immobility. and that you can't "ease" into anything.

Thanks to everyone who has been supportive and all the "remote" friends I've made in this field. I'll be there when I get there, but right now I have to get some sort of regular income going. I have to Do all I can Do as Art Williams says.

I'll be fleshing hides today (as they were free and have value tanned) and trying to figger the best use of lots of small antlers accumulated over the years. knife handles i reckon.

Keep after it-whatever it is, because you'll never get it if you quit.

thankfully yours,

wp

[WadePatton]

as above

[WadePatton]

I should say it here for those who don't utilize the FaceBook for social interplay (nttawwt), that WPVelo has been placed on ice for a little bit. Just until a real GO FWD Fund is funded.

Logging this year will certainly be a boost to that envelope, but I am quite likely to seek a day job in order to complete the funding and also to provide a few years of stability. Seems that many others are moon-lighting and I have no qualms about being in their company for as long as it takes to move my shopwork into the primary income position.

I'm actually focused on American Longrifles at present. I'm currently completing my first and acquiring the parts for the next few. These, unlike bikes, are articles of historic reenactment and remembrance in large part. Plus they're a bunch of fun to shoot, compete, and hunt with.

I'll post those in the "handmade" section here as i can.

Cheers Y'all

[WadePatton]

I tell you what. Life Happens.

and then it Happens some more, IF you are lucky.

and sometimes I fancy myself Lucky, as optimism is a trait (even if weary at times) of mine.

Enough scatter-mumble, this post is to announce that there is renewed energy and focus here at the WPV. And i won't for a minute try to disguise the fact that it has a lot to do with my highly-successful, leadership-oriented, and beautiful GF. She knows nothing about bikes, but all about biz, organization, and getting things DONE. I thank her for helping me achieve a new plane of focus.

I've not had this sort of close-support before. This should get interesting real soon.

There are some shop-completion and tooling/supplies and organization issues to sort first. After that, the torch should stay hot for a while...

stay tuned-or even pipe up with inquiries or comments.

[hmbatrail]

Wade-O,
I salute your new found vigor!

Now that WPV is back on and open for business, how will that impact your approach to attracting customers? Were you getting inquiries while you were shut down? Presumably you didn't pawn off the oxy/acet tanks or the fixtures you had amassed from before WPV was shuttered and you were cutting down trees and making guns. What was keeping you from taking an order or two if they arrived? Time? Money? Insurance? Desire? My follow up question to that is what variable has changed from then to now?

[datas_brother]

Congratulations! nothing motivates more than a girl standing behind you kicking you in the ass! Ask me how I know!

[WadePatton]

Wade-O,
I salute your new found vigor!

Now that WPV is back on and open for business, how will that impact your approach to attracting customers? Were you getting inquiries while you were shut down? Presumably you didn't pawn off the oxy/acet tanks or the fixtures you had amassed from before WPV was shuttered and you were cutting down trees and making guns. What was keeping you from taking an order or two if they arrived? Time? Money? Insurance? Desire? My follow up question to that is what variable has changed from then to now?

thanks Tim, WPV is back ON, but yet in the process of getting doors open properly for bidness.

A lot of things have happened since I decided to make bike frames and bike frame accessories. The support of my pals here has never waned, and thanks to all y'all. But more significantly I'm now guided by someone with great success and organizational skills WRT getting BIZ done.

Intelligence is sometimes a hindrance to accomplishing work. I'm learning to get myself out of the way and to use proper goals, planning, and evaluations. Easy to hang goals out there, but then i kept getting lost without a real plan.

As one with focus issues, either too much or not enough, part of the new daily process is to manage that focus. In order to do this I must have a written plan, tailored to my notions, that i can return to every time i get distracted. Distraction management is another way to capsulize this new "angle" to the plan suiting my needs.

Although my dad had been "in business/self-employed" since i was 5 years old. I have learned from his mistakes, just how ugly things can get when despite apparent success(es), there is no plan behind the curtain.

I'm older than he was, and opener. And Lucky--really for not starting down that same path and owing money without a plan.

Life Happens and now

I now have a brilliant, beautiful, and witty GF now who shares my excitement and/but also brings management skills galore. We are untangling the hodge-podge mixture of my personal and to-be professional life-for our mutual benefit. She helps me re-focus each day in order that I can become the builder of bike frames and bike frame accessories that i want to be.

[WadePatton]

Congratulations! nothing motivates more than a girl standing behind you kicking you in the ass! Ask me how I know!

Heck yeah! well there are nags and then there are team managers (and some in-betweens i reckon). And be it as it is right now--methinks i've shirley learned already how to get back fully on track, but this time with the track formally and fully and dynamically defined.

Synergistic Tendencies yo.

Re-creating the workspace happens next.

[WadePatton]

Ripping out the ceiling/insulation to install new spacing, and insulation, and ceiling. Such that maybe the shop will be coolable this summer. If not, I'll build over it on the outside...creating sunscreen and shade.

moving some light fixtures too.

adding window film windows and skylights too.

volunteers trained on the spot...