The end of an era (for me)

[Rolig Loon]

I'm sorry to hear about your decision, Phil, but I congratulate you for making it.  Eras change all the time in SL (and RL too, apparently), and we have to be prepared to move along with them.  You and I have never met in world, but we've both been posting in the forums for a very long time, so I've gotten to know you as a thoughtful and inventive sort.  You'll do fine in whatever comes.  And I agree with Maddy that wandering is a decent plan, in any case.

I had a succession of stores on a half dozen regions until 2012, when I too gave it up. I wasn't losing money yet, but I wasn't in the mood to switch over to making mesh clothing.  My commissioned work had turned entirely to scripting anyway, and my clothing was starting to look passe, so I just walked away from it.

This is hobby time.  When the world changes or when our interests evolve, I see no reason to keep on doing the same things.  Unlike in RL, we don't have a warehouse of unsold merchandise or an army of employees to worry about, or a mountain of legal and financial documents to file.  We just move on. 

[Tamara Artis]

Interesting thread... interesting in a way that I am trying to figure it out lol

I am the kind of a person that will jump on something because its new or because I haven't tried it before and also the kind of person that likes to trash things when they are no longer worth so for me, keeping an old store is kind of an enigma. I could understand if it was some sort of a group project and there were lots of people involved so you kept it as a memory of those people... 

 

Do you think there is a chance that you have kept the store all these years just so you can continue to exist as a business owner and participate in business related threads? Do you ever think, if you were not a business owner, what would you be, what else would you like to do? 

Can you share it with us, what made you give up the business? And I don't mean now, I mean ages ago ,when you realized you have no intentions of making any sort of effort in order to improve it? 

 

[Phil Deakins]

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Tamara Artis wrote:

Do you think there is a chance that you have kept the store all these years just so you can continue to exist as a business owner and participate in business related threads?

That's a very interesting thought and question, and it's making me think.The reason I didn't close the store during most of the time that it was fading away is because it was making worthwhile money. But the last part was not really because of that. It was making money but not so much that it would have been silly to cut it off. So why did I keep it going through the last months? I can still be involved in 'business' threads the same as I always was, because I didn't really get too involved in them unless I had some experience that would be useful, and that hasn't happened for years simply because SL business these days is the marketplace, and I never sold there. I think I stuck it out as long as it didn't lose money because, closing down really was the end of era for me and, with nothing to follow it, I would have felt at a totally loose end in SL - just like I feel now. Many years ago I used to go to clubs and socialise quite often, but I haven't done that for years. I don't do anything other than log in and stay put, out of sight of everyone. Of course, I don't sit at the computer staring at a lonely screen, but I don't actually do anything in SL.

Along with all that, I think your suggestion is right - that it made me feel like an SL business owner, which I found desirable. It also provided me with something that I could sit down and do whenever I felt like being creative. That happened several times during those years - even quite recently when I updated my beds and security device.

Do you ever think, if you were not a business owner, what would you be, what else would you like to do? 

That's something I have to think about now, but I haven't thought about it before.

Can you share it with us, what made you give up the business? And I don't mean now, I mean ages ago ,when you realized you have no intentions of making any sort of effort in order to improve it? 

I don't mind sharing that. My nature is such that I tend to simply stop doing what I'm doing for a living when I no longer want to do it. That's the RL me and it's what I've done in RL through the years. I stop suddenly, and then wait for the next idea to come along. For much of my working life I've been blessed by being (happily) single and owning my home (no mortgage or rent), so I could do it. Just before I came to SL at the end of 1996, I decided that I had enough in the bank that, together with the pension I would get in the future, would see me though my expected life as long as I spend sensibly. (I'm budgeted to live to 87. If I last longer, I'll starve

). So I retired and put my time into SL, which, as an environment, was right up my street. I did not expect to make any money here. I sort of stumbled into it.

My cousin's daughter introduced me to SL. After a few of weeks, she suggested starting a business renting out skyboxes. Neither of us knew how to go about it but we managed it. Then she stopped but I carried on. For the skyboxes, I learned how to make furniture, and I learned LSL - I'd been a programmer since the mid 80s so that was easy. After a while, I had some spare land that was no good for skyboxes so I created a yard sale and allowed my tenants to sell their no-longer-wanted, and self-made, stuff in it. Then I realised that I could open my own little store selling the stuff I'd made for the skyboxes. That's when it started, and it went from strength to strength. I had no idea of how much could be made like that. It was a total surprise.

I know you didn't ask for that potted history - sorry. The exact reason that I decided to let the business fade away was because it's my nature to simply stop doing what I'm doing for a living when I no longer want to do it, and I got bored with the store, and no longer wanted to service it. So I just left it to itself.

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[Phil Deakins]

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Rolig Loon wrote:

I'm sorry to hear about your decision, Phil, but I congratulate you for making it.  Eras change all the time in SL (and RL too, apparently), and we have to be prepared to move along with them.  You and I have never met in world, but we've both been posting in the forums for a very long time, so I've gotten to know you as a thoughtful and inventive sort.  You'll do fine in whatever comes.  And I agree with Maddy that wandering is a decent plan, in any case.

Thank you, Rolig. We do feel like we get to know forum people, don't we. I think that most of my SL social life is here in the forum. Sad, init? lol.

I had a succession of stores on a half dozen regions until 2012, when I too gave it up. I wasn't losing money yet, but I wasn't in the mood to switch over to making mesh clothing.  My commissioned work had turned entirely to scripting anyway, and

my clothing was starting to look passe

, so I just walked away from it.

For quite some time now, I've been amazed that people still bought my furniture. Some of it was positively embarrassing to have out for sale, but it still sold. A few pieces were still good though - I'm still proud of my prim Chesterfields - in spite of sculpties and mesh

This is hobby time.  When the world changes or when our interests evolve, I see no reason to keep on doing the same things.  Unlike in RL, we don't have a warehouse of unsold merchandise or an army of employees to worry about, or a mountain of legal and financial documents to file.  We just move on. 

Exactly

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[Madelaine McMasters]

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Rolig Loon wrote:

...

Wandering is a decent plan, in any case.

...

We just move on. 

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I've never had long term goals and I don't expect I ever will. That requires far more self discipline and drive than I can muster. Like Tamara, I jump into things that are new to me. Once I've figured them out, I lose interest and move on. It bothered some of my colleagues that I never attended the launch celebrations for new products my team and I had designed. I was already off to the next thing. I also had little "pride" in the result.. Had I known what I learned by doing it before I started it, I would have done it better. That makes it pretty easy to move on.

Knowing I will do a better job on the next thing if it is similar to the last thing, simply by avoiding the mistakes, is demotivating. I'd rather try something completely different, where I won't how hard it is going to be.

If there is a God, I pity him for his omniscience.

Ignorance is bliss.

;-).

 

[Perrie Juran]

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Phil Deakins wrote:

Thank you, Rayanna.

Emulating you by wandering aimlessly around SL sounds like a good plan to me

  I won't be homeless though - at least not for some time.

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The Martian had been to your store a few times and I may have even sent a few customers your way.

Wish you well in your wanderings.

[Phil Deakins]

Thank you, Perrie. I haven't set off yet. It's taking ages to decide which direction to go

[Amalia Broome]

When it stops being fun or interesting or creative, it's time to take a break. Have you considered becoming a stripper? Or maybe a nude model? SL is like politics, move on every 4 years and try something new..if it doesn't work, try something new, if it doesn't work..well you get the point...

[Phil Deakins]

Heh. Before we went into the skybox renting business, my cousin and I wanted to earn a bit of money poledancing, and I created my main alt (a female) for that purpose. We never found out how to go about it though. The alt wasn't wasted though - I used her through the years for positioning couples animations.

[Tamara Artis]

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Phil Deakins wrote:

My cousin's daughter introduced me to SL. After a few of weeks, she suggested starting a business renting out skyboxes. Neither of us knew how to go about it but we managed it. Then she stopped but I carried on. For the skyboxes, I learned how to make furniture, and I learned LSL - I'd been a programmer since the mid 80s so that was easy. After a while, I had some spare land that was no good for skyboxes so I created a yard sale and allowed my tenants to sell their no-longer-wanted, and self-made, stuff in it. Then I realised that I could open my own little store selling the stuff I'd made for the skyboxes. That's when it started, and it went from strength to strength. I had no idea of how much could be made like that. It was a total surprise.

I know you didn't ask for that potted history - sorry. The exact reason that I decided to let the business fade away was because it's my nature to simply stop doing what I'm doing for a living when I no longer want to do it, and I got bored with the store, and no longer wanted to service it. So I just left it to itself.

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LOL yes I didn't ask and often I get annoyed when people start to explain something waaay back from ancient history but...

Here its interesting to see something that happens really often, its when people start a project and try something on their own and that project brings them a lot of benefits that they otherwise wouldn't get - new opportunities, money, new knowledges, brings new people in their lifes... 

  have a nice day!

[Solaria Goldshark]

Career advice