I have been thinking of changing the name of my company.
This has been something that has been plowing through my mind for quite some time.
There are several reasons for it.
1) Marketability. The name I have is dull and a new name would add a much needed kick. The public needs to have a better understanding of what they are looking at upon first site and a new name can bring that to light.
2) This company name is the initials of a dead guy. Need I say more?
3) Change is progressive. In changing the name I can easily incorporate a new digital strategy into my marketing by creating a new website and fully utilizing SEO. My current website is built on dead technology.
4) My client base right now is such that a transformation will be seamless. When things get super crazy again it will be harder to do.
I have weighed the pro's and cons and the pro's win by a land slide. As a matter of fact the only con I have is that it will cost some money to set things up such as a new domain name, having a site built and implementing the new strategy.
After a lot of thought on the topic I think it is easier to start from scratch as opposed to trying to revamp the old.
I have to admit that it is a daunting task and it makes me a little nervous, so must mean it's good and the right thing to do.
The Business of Land Surveying
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Administration
I have been the sole administrator for my company for a long time now.
In doing so I have learned a massive amount about business, accounting, insurance, etc.
The other day I received a letter from the IRS telling me that my form 5500 for the year 2010 had yet to be filed.
I was quite sure that they were wrong so I did a little investigating.
My company use to have a 401k program and there was a company that was doing the admin side of it.
A few years ago I received an invoice from them for things they had never done and I told them that I would never pay that invoice, after all it was a 1200 dollar deal and I had no idea what it was for.
Well I am thinking that maybe I should have paid that invoice.
In 2008 I discontinued the 401k plan and it turns out that 2009 was to be my final filing that this company was supposed to do and that's what they were billing me for.
I contacted the company and they were great. They knew exactly what to do and they only charged me $500 to do the filing and prepare my response to the IRS.
Now comes the kicker.
In order to avoid massive penalties set forth by the Department of Labor I had to send them a late filing fee of $750. Yes, that's right $750.
Once explained to me I gladly wrote that check.
In a pension plan situation if there is a late filing there is an accumulated penalty of $1000 a day is what I was told.
Apparently if this preemptive strike is not taken they accept your filing and then say thank you and send you a penalty, to which no one knows how it will turn out.
Lesson learned. Always ask what the invoice is for.
In the long run it only cost me 50 more than the original invoice but it caused a bit of temporary anxiety and frankly was an unnecessary hassle.
Funny how mistakes seem to have a more striking effect on me.
In doing so I have learned a massive amount about business, accounting, insurance, etc.
The other day I received a letter from the IRS telling me that my form 5500 for the year 2010 had yet to be filed.
I was quite sure that they were wrong so I did a little investigating.
My company use to have a 401k program and there was a company that was doing the admin side of it.
A few years ago I received an invoice from them for things they had never done and I told them that I would never pay that invoice, after all it was a 1200 dollar deal and I had no idea what it was for.
Well I am thinking that maybe I should have paid that invoice.
In 2008 I discontinued the 401k plan and it turns out that 2009 was to be my final filing that this company was supposed to do and that's what they were billing me for.
I contacted the company and they were great. They knew exactly what to do and they only charged me $500 to do the filing and prepare my response to the IRS.
Now comes the kicker.
In order to avoid massive penalties set forth by the Department of Labor I had to send them a late filing fee of $750. Yes, that's right $750.
Once explained to me I gladly wrote that check.
In a pension plan situation if there is a late filing there is an accumulated penalty of $1000 a day is what I was told.
Apparently if this preemptive strike is not taken they accept your filing and then say thank you and send you a penalty, to which no one knows how it will turn out.
Lesson learned. Always ask what the invoice is for.
In the long run it only cost me 50 more than the original invoice but it caused a bit of temporary anxiety and frankly was an unnecessary hassle.
Funny how mistakes seem to have a more striking effect on me.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Into the Pit
Last week I had to do some quantities on varies material piles in the west valley.
I arrived at the site with the impression that there were 8 to 16 individual piles and the quantities were for inventory not a sale and had to be approximate. Upon arrival I was informed that there were 26 piles.
Good thing I brought one of my contract guys. We just kind of looked at each other and laughed, he took the north pit, I took the south pit and we blazed off with our gps's.
In 5 hours we were finished and had each taken 1000 + shots each. We were both a sweaty mess and I was out of gas. There were some massive piles and I ran my ass off.
I got back to the office, uploaded the data, defined the break lines and shipped it out to a trusted person who is way better at calculating that sort of thing than I.
I am thinking in the future I may try an imaging station on this sort of thing. Usually an instrument can be set up high enough to define the tops and the sides can be done from above or around them on traverse points.
Either way technology will become a factor. That is some hard ass work. I do like the idea of a laser scan, however a lot of outfits are still having a problem paying for that kind of thing especially when they either don't need that kind of accuracy or they don't care and there is the fact that it goes right away the second a bucket hits a pile.
Old school guys are smart and sometimes trying to get them to come up to modern times is a little tough, especially when me and my contract guy are going to do the job for a third to half of the cost as a laser.
I will keep trying to sell them on it and as time goes on and the cost drops it will be easier to do.
I arrived at the site with the impression that there were 8 to 16 individual piles and the quantities were for inventory not a sale and had to be approximate. Upon arrival I was informed that there were 26 piles.
Good thing I brought one of my contract guys. We just kind of looked at each other and laughed, he took the north pit, I took the south pit and we blazed off with our gps's.
In 5 hours we were finished and had each taken 1000 + shots each. We were both a sweaty mess and I was out of gas. There were some massive piles and I ran my ass off.
I got back to the office, uploaded the data, defined the break lines and shipped it out to a trusted person who is way better at calculating that sort of thing than I.
I am thinking in the future I may try an imaging station on this sort of thing. Usually an instrument can be set up high enough to define the tops and the sides can be done from above or around them on traverse points.
Either way technology will become a factor. That is some hard ass work. I do like the idea of a laser scan, however a lot of outfits are still having a problem paying for that kind of thing especially when they either don't need that kind of accuracy or they don't care and there is the fact that it goes right away the second a bucket hits a pile.
Old school guys are smart and sometimes trying to get them to come up to modern times is a little tough, especially when me and my contract guy are going to do the job for a third to half of the cost as a laser.
I will keep trying to sell them on it and as time goes on and the cost drops it will be easier to do.
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