Foscoe and I had a good visit Tuesday. I gotta say, his camera has really
captured the feel of my joint. And the shoes really do still wear just fine.

I hope, when the real place gets open -- with God's help in cutting through
the neck deep red tape --- hopefully between August and Sept., many of you
will be able to be at the pre-grand opening.

Currently, I have a purchase agreement (finally! whew, what a story THAT
was) on the property, earnest money down. My site preparation and building
plans are in the process of "review" by the Wenatchee Planning
Department.... currently a six week time frame ( why so long? Ya gots me!!)
After the "review", the permit will be issued if no glitches surface; which
seems unlikely at this point. The cost for the permit is $4200.00. And then
there is the cost for the permit to hook up to the city sewer and water,
another $1500.00. Of course, our Public Utility will charge me $2500.00 to
do a new connection to their service.

Concurrent with the plan "review" process, we (the bank and I) have
scheduled the commercial appraisal for the property ($1500.00), which has
about a four to six week waiting list. I am hoping that the day we close on
the property (closing costs apprx. $7200.00), the permit will be in hand and
actual construct will begin the next day (priceless).

The construction of the post-frame building will only take approximately 3
to four weeks. This form of construction is quite fast -- the longest phase
is the prep and pouring and curing for the concrete pad (which will also be
the floor) on which the building will rest. The yellow and white buildings
will be totally demolished, along with the huge rock. I'll try and get
around to posting a picture on ABF showing the relative position of where
the building will be on the property. As you look at the yellow shack in the
pictures, my shop will be forward of that structure.

Right now, my garage is getting full of restaurant equipment: A 36".
six-burner propane commercial range, a 72 cu. ft. refrigerator; a 30 cu.ft
refrigerator; a rather large freezer; an ice machine with a 100 lb per day
production capacity; a three-compartment sink with drain boards (96" in
length); a produce sink; a handwashing sink; assorted pots, pans and
utensils; wire shelving units; and a buncha stuff for decorating the joint.
Some stuff I purchased used, other stuff it made more sense to purchase new.
The biggest and most expensive piece of equipment left to obtain is THE PIT.
I will have it delivered after the restaurant is more or less completed.

Looking back to when I first made my announcement on alt.food.barbecue about
my intention of opening a barbecue joint; I am amazed at:

1. How pitifully sluggish "the system" is to work through. Local governments
really don't care about delays costing you cash flow and profits.

2. If there is something to tax or charge a fee for, it will exist. The
costs that local government jurisdictions and agencies charge are a
SIGNIFICANT line item on the budget.

3. How Commercial bankers make Scrooge look like an irrepressible
philanthropist by comparison. A competent and complete business plan is a
MUST to even have them give you an initial glance.

4. The business plan is only as good as YOU are. The plan gets you in the
door, but unless you can draw the banker into your vision and SELL YOURSELF,
you won't get far. I don't know how many times I had business people tell
me "You've got three strikes against you. You are a new startup, you want to
open a restaurant, and you've never run a restaurant before." Let me tell
you, folks, between my business plan and myself, everyone -- from my
business banker, to the Small Business Development Center director, to the
few individual investors that are contributing funds --that I have needed
to convince to make my goal a reality, has been convinced. I was able to get
folks on board because I could explain the details of HOW I was going to
make the 'Q joint a success, and they say that I believed in myself.

5. How much PATIENCE it takes to move ahead. If you cannot roll with the
delays and keep your perspective, you'll burn-out long before you get the
doors open. This is sometimes difficult to do when you are pumped-up with
adrenaline and want to just charge ahead and get things accomplished so you
can begin making money; but you cannot control things which are out of your
hands. You have to learn quickly when your drive to move things quickly is
becoming counter-productive. In those situations you can actually make the
situation worse and cost yourself even more time. You don't want to make
enemies of those who hold your permit in there hands -- they could care less
if you EVER open. The more difficult patience becomes to call upon, the
more you need to make an ally out of those representatives of beauracracy
that you are trying to work with. Draw them into your goals, sell them on
your dreams, and try to get them to invest themselves personally in your
success.

6. The absolute amount of PERSEVERANCE you need to keep focused on the end
goal. If one item gets bogged down in delays, or someone tells you "I don't
think that will work", you have to have the ability to press ahead and MAKE
things work. Persevering takes a huge allotment of energy.

7. The amount of sheer detail you must keep track of. Unless you are a
person who is organized and can keep track of minutiae, don't even think of
doing something like this. I always carry: a PDA with Outlook 2003 that
interfaces with my desktop computer; a digital voice recorder that slips
easily into my pocket so that I can make random notes to myself; a small pad
of yellow paper -- with pens -- that I keep in my car. A tickle file system
that keeps me on task; and a filing system that is logically organized so
that Jill or my kids can locate things should I need to call and ask for
something.

On the financial side, I use Quickbooks Pro along with a seperate business
account. And of course I have an accountant that I confer with. I also have
my business incorporated as a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC).

8. The amount of committment to doing the right thing. I am amazed at how
many shortcuts one can employ to just "skate by". In the short term, these
might save a few bucks, but in the long run you risk your reputation. Doing
the right thing is often the best thing; and if you can't do it right you
really run a risk of doing anything at all.

Well, I wrote far more than I intended to, but I thought it would be fun to
share a few insights. For me, I have enjoyed this whole process -- from
developing my business plan, to meeting with the local jurisdiction.
Dave

wrote:

I wish you the very best. With friends like Fosco, who needs enemies?

LOL!!

Dave Bugg wrote:
Foscoe and I had a good visit Tuesday. I gotta say, his camera has really
captured the feel of my joint. And the shoes really do still wear just fine.

I hope, when the real place gets open -- with God's help in cutting through
the neck deep red tape --- hopefully between August and Sept., many of you
will be able to be at the pre-grand opening.

Currently, I have a purchase agreement (finally! whew, what a story THAT
was) on the property, earnest money down. My site preparation and building
plans are in the process of "review" by the Wenatchee Planning
Department.... currently a six week time frame ( why so long? Ya gots me!!)
After the "review", the permit will be issued if no glitches surface; which
seems unlikely at this point. The cost for the permit is $4200.00. And then
there is the cost for the permit to hook up to the city sewer and water,
another $1500.00. Of course, our Public Utility will charge me $2500.00 to
do a new connection to their service.

Concurrent with the plan "review" process, we (the bank and I) have
scheduled the commercial appraisal for the property ($1500.00), which has
about a four to six week waiting list. I am hoping that the day we close on
the property (closing costs apprx. $7200.00), the permit will be in hand and
actual construct will begin the next day (priceless).

The construction of the post-frame building will only take approximately 3
to four weeks. This form of construction is quite fast -- the longest phase
is the prep and pouring and curing for the concrete pad (which will also be
the floor) on which the building will rest. The yellow and white buildings
will be totally demolished, along with the huge rock. I'll try and get
around to posting a picture on ABF showing the relative position of where
the building will be on the property. As you look at the yellow shack in the
pictures, my shop will be forward of that structure.

Right now, my garage is getting full of restaurant equipment: A 36".
six-burner propane commercial range, a 72 cu. ft. refrigerator; a 30 cu.ft
refrigerator; a rather large freezer; an ice machine with a 100 lb per day
production capacity; a three-compartment sink with drain boards (96" in
length); a produce sink; a handwashing sink; assorted pots, pans and
utensils; wire shelving units; and a buncha stuff for decorating the joint.
Some stuff I purchased used, other stuff it made more sense to purchase new.
The biggest and most expensive piece of equipment left to obtain is THE PIT.
I will have it delivered after the restaurant is more or less completed.

Looking back to when I first made my announcement on alt.food.barbecue about
my intention of opening a barbecue joint; I am amazed at:

1. How pitifully sluggish "the system" is to work through. Local governments
really don't care about delays costing you cash flow and profits.

2. If there is something to tax or charge a fee for, it will exist. The
costs that local government jurisdictions and agencies charge are a
SIGNIFICANT line item on the budget.

3. How Commercial bankers make Scrooge look like an irrepressible
philanthropist by comparison. A competent and complete business plan is a
MUST to even have them give you an initial glance.

4. The business plan is only as good as YOU are. The plan gets you in the
door, but unless you can draw the banker into your vision and SELL YOURSELF,
you won't get far. I don't know how many times I had business people tell
me "You've got three strikes against you. You are a new startup, you want to
open a restaurant, and you've never run a restaurant before." Let me tell
you, folks, between my business plan and myself, everyone -- from my
business banker, to the Small Business Development Center director, to the
few individual investors that are contributing funds --that I have needed
to convince to make my goal a reality, has been convinced. I was able to get
folks on board because I could explain the details of HOW I was going to
make the 'Q joint a success, and they say that I believed in myself.

5. How much PATIENCE it takes to move ahead. If you cannot roll with the
delays and keep your perspective, you'll burn-out long before you get the
doors open. This is sometimes difficult to do when you are pumped-up with
adrenaline and want to just charge ahead and get things accomplished so you
can begin making money; but you cannot control things which are out of your
hands. You have to learn quickly when your drive to move things quickly is
becoming counter-productive. In those situations you can actually make the
situation worse and cost yourself even more time. You don't want to make
enemies of those who hold your permit in there hands -- they could care less
if you EVER open. The more difficult patience becomes to call upon, the
more you need to make an ally out of those representatives of beauracracy
that you are trying to work with. Draw them into your goals, sell them on
your dreams, and try to get them to invest themselves personally in your
success.

6. The absolute amount of PERSEVERANCE you need to keep focused on the end
goal. If one item gets bogged down in delays, or someone tells you "I don't
think that will work", you have to have the ability to press ahead and MAKE
things work. Persevering takes a huge allotment of energy.

7. The amount of sheer detail you must keep track of. Unless you are a
person who is organized and can keep track of minutiae, don't even think of
doing something like this. I always carry: a PDA with Outlook 2003 that
interfaces with my desktop computer; a digital voice recorder that slips
easily into my pocket so that I can make random notes to myself; a small pad
of yellow paper -- with pens -- that I keep in my car. A tickle file system
that keeps me on task; and a filing system that is logically organized so
that Jill or my kids can locate things should I need to call and ask for
something.

On the financial side, I use Quickbooks Pro along with a seperate business
account. And of course I have an accountant that I confer with. I also have
my business incorporated as a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC).

8. The amount of committment to doing the right thing. I am amazed at how
many shortcuts one can employ to just "skate by". In the short term, these
might save a few bucks, but in the long run you risk your reputation. Doing
the right thing is often the best thing; and if you can't do it right you
really run a risk of doing anything at all.

Well, I wrote far more than I intended to, but I thought it would be fun to
share a few insights. For me, I have enjoyed this whole process -- from
developing my business plan, to meeting with the local jurisdiction.
Dave



Dave,

Thank you for the very informative post on what you have done and gone
through just to get started. One year ago, I was unemployed and
considered going 'on my own' in a couple of different businesses. But
after careful consideration, I came to realize that my chances of
succsess were so against me, I had better resolve to get a job.

I am happy to report that I did get a job in my chosen field at a wage I
am comfortable with for the job I do. It was, to say the least, a bumpy
ride being unemployed.

This information is very valuable to anyone seriously considering
starting or buying any business.

Good Luck with Dave's Pit Smoked BBQ. I am sure you will do well.

Happy Q'en,
BBQ

Currently, I have a purchase agreement (finally! whew, what a story THAT
was) on the property, earnest money down. My site preparation and building
plans are in the process of "review" by the Wenatchee Planning
Department.... currently a six week time frame ( why so long? Ya gots
me!!)
After the "review", the permit will be issued if no glitches surface;
which
seems unlikely at this point. The cost for the permit is $4200.00. And
then
there is the cost for the permit to hook up to the city sewer and water,
another $1500.00. Of course, our Public Utility will charge me $2500.00
to
do a new connection to their service.

Concurrent with the plan "review" process, we (the bank and I) have
scheduled the commercial appraisal for the property ($1500.00), which has
about a four to six week waiting list. I am hoping that the day we close
on
the property (closing costs apprx. $7200.00), the permit will be in hand
and
actual construct will begin the next day (priceless).




You forgot the permits from the city, county and the health dept. for your
cooking gear. They'll jam it up your ass there and start demanding an
elaborate hood and sprinkler system among other things.

Good luck,

Spud

bbq wrote:

Good Luck with Dave's Pit Smoked BBQ. I am sure you will do well.

Thanks!!! :-)

Spud wrote:

You forgot the permits from the city, county and the health dept. for
your cooking gear. They'll jam it up your ass there and start
demanding an elaborate hood and sprinkler system among other things.

Believe me, they're not forgotten. In fact, the 12 page application for the
Health Dept. was just completed and is ready to turn in --- along with the
$250.00 application fee :-(
Dave

Plow through it Dave. You know a) how to cook great Q and b) how to get
along with people. Get your joint going and you're gonna hit a long ball.

Jack Curry
-Bettin' on Ya-

This better than watching "The Restaurant" on Monday nights.

Best of luck, Dave. Did you tell us what kind of pit you decided on?

--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Louis Cohen
Living la vida loca at N37° 43' 7.9" W122° 8' 42.8"


"Dave Bugg" deebuggatcharterdotnet wrote in message
...
Foscoe and I had a good visit Tuesday. I gotta say, his camera has really
captured the feel of my joint. And the shoes really do still wear just
fine.

I hope, when the real place gets open -- with God's help in cutting
through
the neck deep red tape --- hopefully between August and Sept., many of you
will be able to be at the pre-grand opening.

Currently, I have a purchase agreement (finally! whew, what a story THAT
was) on the property, earnest money down. My site preparation and building
plans are in the process of "review" by the Wenatchee Planning
Department.... currently a six week time frame ( why so long? Ya gots
me!!)
After the "review", the permit will be issued if no glitches surface;
which
seems unlikely at this point. The cost for the permit is $4200.00. And
then
there is the cost for the permit to hook up to the city sewer and water,
another $1500.00. Of course, our Public Utility will charge me $2500.00
to
do a new connection to their service.

Concurrent with the plan "review" process, we (the bank and I) have
scheduled the commercial appraisal for the property ($1500.00), which has
about a four to six week waiting list. I am hoping that the day we close
on
the property (closing costs apprx. $7200.00), the permit will be in hand
and
actual construct will begin the next day (priceless).

The construction of the post-frame building will only take approximately 3
to four weeks. This form of construction is quite fast -- the longest
phase
is the prep and pouring and curing for the concrete pad (which will also
be
the floor) on which the building will rest. The yellow and white buildings
will be totally demolished, along with the huge rock. I'll try and get
around to posting a picture on ABF showing the relative position of where
the building will be on the property. As you look at the yellow shack in
the
pictures, my shop will be forward of that structure.

Right now, my garage is getting full of restaurant equipment: A 36".
six-burner propane commercial range, a 72 cu. ft. refrigerator; a 30 cu.ft
refrigerator; a rather large freezer; an ice machine with a 100 lb per day
production capacity; a three-compartment sink with drain boards (96" in
length); a produce sink; a handwashing sink; assorted pots, pans and
utensils; wire shelving units; and a buncha stuff for decorating the
joint.
Some stuff I purchased used, other stuff it made more sense to purchase
new.
The biggest and most expensive piece of equipment left to obtain is THE
PIT.
I will have it delivered after the restaurant is more or less completed.

Looking back to when I first made my announcement on alt.food.barbecue
about
my intention of opening a barbecue joint; I am amazed at:

1. How pitifully sluggish "the system" is to work through. Local
governments
really don't care about delays costing you cash flow and profits.

2. If there is something to tax or charge a fee for, it will exist. The
costs that local government jurisdictions and agencies charge are a
SIGNIFICANT line item on the budget.

3. How Commercial bankers make Scrooge look like an irrepressible
philanthropist by comparison. A competent and complete business plan is a
MUST to even have them give you an initial glance.

4. The business plan is only as good as YOU are. The plan gets you in the
door, but unless you can draw the banker into your vision and SELL
YOURSELF,
you won't get far. I don't know how many times I had business people tell
me "You've got three strikes against you. You are a new startup, you want
to
open a restaurant, and you've never run a restaurant before." Let me tell
you, folks, between my business plan and myself, everyone -- from my
business banker, to the Small Business Development Center director, to the
few individual investors that are contributing funds --that I have needed
to convince to make my goal a reality, has been convinced. I was able to
get
folks on board because I could explain the details of HOW I was going to
make the 'Q joint a success, and they say that I believed in myself.

5. How much PATIENCE it takes to move ahead. If you cannot roll with the
delays and keep your perspective, you'll burn-out long before you get the
doors open. This is sometimes difficult to do when you are pumped-up with
adrenaline and want to just charge ahead and get things accomplished so
you
can begin making money; but you cannot control things which are out of
your
hands. You have to learn quickly when your drive to move things quickly is
becoming counter-productive. In those situations you can actually make the
situation worse and cost yourself even more time. You don't want to make
enemies of those who hold your permit in there hands -- they could care
less
if you EVER open. The more difficult patience becomes to call upon, the
more you need to make an ally out of those representatives of beauracracy
that you are trying to work with. Draw them into your goals, sell them on
your dreams, and try to get them to invest themselves personally in your
success.

6. The absolute amount of PERSEVERANCE you need to keep focused on the end
goal. If one item gets bogged down in delays, or someone tells you "I
don't
think that will work", you have to have the ability to press ahead and
MAKE
things work. Persevering takes a huge allotment of energy.

7. The amount of sheer detail you must keep track of. Unless you are a
person who is organized and can keep track of minutiae, don't even think
of
doing something like this. I always carry: a PDA with Outlook 2003 that
interfaces with my desktop computer; a digital voice recorder that slips
easily into my pocket so that I can make random notes to myself; a small
pad
of yellow paper -- with pens -- that I keep in my car. A tickle file
system
that keeps me on task; and a filing system that is logically organized so
that Jill or my kids can locate things should I need to call and ask for
something.

On the financial side, I use Quickbooks Pro along with a seperate business
account. And of course I have an accountant that I confer with. I also
have
my business incorporated as a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC).

8. The amount of committment to doing the right thing. I am amazed at how
many shortcuts one can employ to just "skate by". In the short term, these
might save a few bucks, but in the long run you risk your reputation.
Doing
the right thing is often the best thing; and if you can't do it right you
really run a risk of doing anything at all.

Well, I wrote far more than I intended to, but I thought it would be fun
to
share a few insights. For me, I have enjoyed this whole process -- from
developing my business plan, to meeting with the local jurisdiction.
Dave

Jack Curry wrote:
Plow through it Dave. You know a) how to cook great Q and b) how to
get along with people. Get your joint going and you're gonna hit a
long ball.

'preciate the thoughts, Jack :-)

Louis Cohen wrote:
This better than watching "The Restaurant" on Monday nights.

Best of luck, Dave. Did you tell us what kind of pit you decided on?

Thanks, Louis. I'll be using an Ole Hickory, EL model.
Dave

On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 15:55:50 -0700, "Dave Bugg"
deebuggatcharterdotnet wrote:

bbq wrote:

Good Luck with Dave's Pit Smoked BBQ. I am sure you will do well.

Thanks!!! :-)

I'm sure Dave will. I felt that when the words 'business plan' first
appeared in his posts. You go, Dave. Just make sure you open before
Golf Season closes!

Harry

Harry Demidavicius wrote:

I'm sure Dave will. I felt that when the words 'business plan' first
appeared in his posts. You go, Dave. Just make sure you open before
Golf Season closes!

I'm sure I can guarantee that. In fact, Wenatchee has two great courses, and
a few other enjoyable ones. :-)

Dave Bugg wrote in alt.binaries.food

Good luck to you Dave. Just keep your head on
straight and you'll get through all this bs that
it takes to start a business. You can do it.


--
BigDog
To E-mail me, you know what to do.

Wow Dave, keep on truckin' sounds like your gettin' it done. I hope Wife and
I can be there for your opening. Heck with a view like that (referring to
the high mountains) how can we not?
Fos you had me LMAO nice photo tour of the new Q joint ! Looks a lot like a
few joints I ate at in Georgia, although a big cast iron pot of boiling
peanuts would have completed the image.
Love ya all
Bruce-n-Gold Beach