My absence from Jowett Talk
Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2016 10:22 am
Some of you may have noticed my absence from the forum for the past 18 months or so - totally non intentional but 18 months ago I decided that heading into my mid fifties that my career path needed to change - I held a very respected, well paid position in project management of river / waterway civil engineering projects - great company to work for & well paid etc BUT 65 - 75 hours per week + 60k miles per annum - things needed to change - having spent the first five years of working life in classic car restoration with a brief spell working in a main dealers bodyshop I gave up the usual grind and purchased a franchise that undertook mobile cosmetic paintwork repairs on all types of vehicle - Huge success with said franchise followed BUT I very quickly found myself spiralling very close to where I had been in my salaried career! - So a few months ago I sold the franchise territory and did what I should have done in the first place - hindsight is a wonderful thing but on reflection it is not that easy to climb out of the company expensed car, give up the salaried position and start from scratch - the franchise gave me some assurance that I would be able to earn a respectable living and guaranteed the influx of work.
I have made contacts / learnt what I missed in my 25 year absence from the trade and put an effective plan into place that addresses the main point of my leaving the salaried position in the first place 'work / life balance' - fundamentality I want to work from home and find time to enjoy life a little more - get some works done to our historic property - probably commence work on some of the projects that I have tucked away - enjoy a few more breaks and holidays etc - even find the time to post on the forum
- I think you get the picture. I have a really nice workshop with loft storage above and most of the equipment that I need - So at the start of October 'Flat Cap Classic Cars' was born - my intention is to specialise in paint & panel restoration on all classics / vintage vehicles - I will also purchase / retail the odd classic that comes my way - without even trying the order book already runs into February 2017 - so far so good - apologies that you have had to wait so long for the update but that is just life - I will post when I can, especially on anything Jowett that travels through the workshop - but now you have the explanation for why the (shortly to be revived) 'Jowetts for Sale' forum posting has disappeared and that work has come to an halt on the Pfister owned (watch this space) 'Early Javelin Restoration' - So forum post for today completed - must dash the 20 metres across the drive to the workshop to maintain progress on a few of the workshop improvements that I have underway. Happy Jowetteering and I promise to post back soon ! Chris
I have made contacts / learnt what I missed in my 25 year absence from the trade and put an effective plan into place that addresses the main point of my leaving the salaried position in the first place 'work / life balance' - fundamentality I want to work from home and find time to enjoy life a little more - get some works done to our historic property - probably commence work on some of the projects that I have tucked away - enjoy a few more breaks and holidays etc - even find the time to post on the forum
- I think you get the picture. I have a really nice workshop with loft storage above and most of the equipment that I need - So at the start of October 'Flat Cap Classic Cars' was born - my intention is to specialise in paint & panel restoration on all classics / vintage vehicles - I will also purchase / retail the odd classic that comes my way - without even trying the order book already runs into February 2017 - so far so good - apologies that you have had to wait so long for the update but that is just life - I will post when I can, especially on anything Jowett that travels through the workshop - but now you have the explanation for why the (shortly to be revived) 'Jowetts for Sale' forum posting has disappeared and that work has come to an halt on the Pfister owned (watch this space) 'Early Javelin Restoration' - So forum post for today completed - must dash the 20 metres across the drive to the workshop to maintain progress on a few of the workshop improvements that I have underway. Happy Jowetteering and I promise to post back soon ! Chris