Next month will be a year since I sold PNX and closed my retail store.  Some of the aspects of being self employed I miss.  I miss the pace and the interaction with my customers.  I always enjoyed the challenge when someone would come in and ask “Can you do so and so?”  Most of the time, I’d tell them yes.  Then, once they left the store I’d get busy and figure out how I was going to do “so and so.”  Many times I had no idea what I was going to do to meet their expectations but I loved the challenge.  I would usually brainstorm with my staff on how to solve the problem or I would pick up the phone and call someone I knew could help, depending on what the challenge was.  I can’t remember a single time I had to call someone back and tell them I wasn’t able to take care of their request.

Some of the aspects of being self employed, I don’t miss.  I will never miss filing sales tax reports, payroll tax withholdings, quarterly tax reports or corporate income tax returns.  I don’t miss dealing with customers who stole from me, customers who would agree to a price for services and then refuse to pay once the work was complete.  Fortunately those customers were few but why is it that they’re the ones you remember right away when you start thinking about the past?

There were thousands of customers who came through my doors over the 25+ years I was in business.  I wish I could remember each and every one of their names.  Almost weekly I’m embarrassed when someone comes up to me and asks me a computer question or they just want to know how I’m doing and I recognize their face but I can’t call their name.  Many times I never can remember their name.  And many times after a couple of hours or maybe even the next day, their name comes to me.  I almost hate to go to Wal-Mart.  I worry that I’ll walk right past an old customer and not recognize them and they’ll think I snubbed them.  And when I do run into someone that I recognize but can’t call their name I usually introduce myself.  Naturally they say they already know who I am but I’m hoping they would then tell me their name so I could put 2 and 2 together.  Lately, I just tell them I recognize them but can’t remember their name.  With that, many will tell me their name but there are always a few who don’t even get that hint.  So let me just say it here.  If I run into you in public and don’t call you by name it’s because I can’t remember your name.  Can you help me out???  Please, just tell me your name.

Another aspect of my business that I don’t really miss was the challenge for me to stay current with technology.  What was once fairly straight forward and fun now confuses and frustrates me.  In the early 1990’s designing a computer system for a specific application was a pretty straight forward process.  As the demand for technology grew, computer components were being redesigned at break neck speed.  The newest, fastest XYZ chip had a life span of maybe 6 months before the newer and faster XYZ-2 was introduced.  As these advances churned through the retail market it was definitely in favor of the consumer as computers were quickly becoming faster and cheaper.  I always got a laugh because many of these advances would affect computer speed by nanoseconds.  Do you know how much difference it makes to be a nanosecond faster?  Regardless, there was always someone out there who wanted the newest, fastest computer on the market.

In my experience, the two factors driving technology advances in the computer industry were gamers and the Internet.  I personally never had the patience or desire to sit in front of a computer screen and try to attain Level 639 against Godzilla or some other villain.  But there are those of you who want just such a product.  It was this demand that caused me a lot of grief.  Now, instead of a couple of choices of RAM (Random Access Memory) there were close to a dozen.  The breakdown as to which RAM you specify with this processor or that processor totally confused me.  And to some degree it was that way with several of the components; hard drives, DVD burners, sound cards and on and on.  The last couple of years I was never comfortable designing a computer system and giving the customer a price without first asking one of my technicians to make sure what I specified was the correct combination of parts.  Most of the time they tweaked my specifications and all ended well.  But due to all the many different parts combinations and the fear of making a mistake when pricing out a system, I lost interest.

As I reflect back now with my new job, I realize that when I was in the construction industry from the early 1970s to the early 1980s I saw that industry before technology, specifically the use of the personal computer, really became common place.  Slide rules and Smoley’s Tables (a must have reference book for all designers) were the “computers” of their time.  Then I spent the next 25 years immersed in technology; first as a consumer when I computerized my business in 1987, then as a retail computer sales, service and repair business and an Internet Service Provider from the early 1990s through mid 2008.  Now I’ve come full circle and have the best of both worlds.  I’m back in the construction industry and the use of technology; namely computers, cell phones, digital cameras, laser devices, etc. is the norm.  I’m fascinated that most anyplace I go I can receive my email, view video files, check the weather forecast and Listen to my voice messages all on my cell phone.  Can you remember when cell phones were only used for making and receiving phone calls?  And when was the last time you saw anyone carrying a pager?

The down side to all the technology in my opinion however is the fact that it speeds up our lives.  We’re “busy.”  I carry my phone 5 days a week.  When I get in from work on Friday I take my phone off and usually won’t pick it up again until Monday morning.  But I’m thinking now maybe I need to keep it with me all the time.  That way I’ll have it with me when I run into someone who’s name I can’t remember.  Then I can discreetly take their picture and when I remember their name I’ll put it in my phone to have it forever.  Better yet, I think I’ll try and do without my phone more often and when I can’t remember someone’s name I’ll just ask them.  Then we can just visit and have a converation.  Now that’s a novel idea…