Things I Did in 2022

This year I lugged a Little Giant Ladder (a ladder as heavy as it is configurable) into my office, and a handful of other tools. I found a spot near a stud but not too close to any wiring, and I used a plunge saw to carve a rectangular hole in the dry wall at ground outlet level.

Surprisingly competent drywall surgery. This is not one of the services we normally offer.

Then I wrestled my heavy ladder into a position where I could open the ceiling directly above the new hole and cut another new drywall hole directly above the previous one. Then I used an extended drill bit to cut a ¾” hole down through the horizontal stud, and I threaded a flexible rod, which I screwed together in 18” sections, from the top drywall hole, through the drilled stud hole, down through soft pink wall insulation, all the way down to my initial drywall hole. I reached my hand into the lower hole and found the bottom of the rod and pulled it out, leaving it exposed. Then I measured (in approximate arm spans) the length of appropriately rated CAT-6 riser cable I would need to travel from the outlet by my desk, up the wall, across the two rooms to my server area, down that wall and to that outlet, allowing extra room for routing in the ceiling and trimming on the ends. Next I attached one end of the cable length to the top of my rod and pulled it down, through the drywall, through the insulation, and out through what would become the outlet near my desk. I repeated this process for a second length at the same outlet so that I can have two ethernet ports in my office, ran the other ends of the two cables through the ceiling to the other end of my office and repeated the process on the server side. I then used some other fun tools to trim off the abused ends of the cables, trim off the sheath, unwind the colored cables inside, order them properly, and then put RJ-45 connectors on the ends, turning them into ethernet cables. I used a cable tester with a remote end to test the quality of the cables and their connection points, and when they were good, I labeled them and attached them to my network and my computer.

Except for plugging in ethernet cables at the end of the job, every single step of this process was the first time I have ever done any of these things. This is just one of many things I have gotten to try and needed to accomplish in opening my small business, and that is what opening a small business is like. For any light to turn on ever, there are a hundred people, if not more, who needed to do their job correctly, and for the world to go ‘round, a million invisible and often thankless jobs have to get done. Opening a small business is a microcosm of this.

What other tasks have I done? In no particular order, I have…

·         Shopped for office space

·         Negotiated a lease

·         Set up an office phone system

·         Set up an Exchange server

·         Designed and ordered business cards

·         Set up business accounts on various social media outlets

·         Opened a business bank account

·         Set up a merchant processing account

·         Bought and assembled various items of office furniture

·         Bought and configured various network components

·         Registered an LLC

·         Licensed my company with the relevant state occupational boards

·         Licensed my company with the relevant taxing authorities

·         Set up ad campaigns

·         Solicited business for myself

·         Ordered real checks

·         Set up an accounting system

That was all needed set-up before I could do any work for anyone. From that list only one or two of those things are even in my line of work.

There were some things that I hired other experts to do. I can run ethernet cable, but I wouldn’t try doing any actual plumbing or electrical work because it is not optional that those get done correctly. I am not confident that I could learn what I need to do them properly from a bit of reading online, and the physical foundation of my office is absolutely critical to its successful future function.

If you are setting up your business also, you should make sure that you have professionals designing your critical infrastructure, but that doesn’t just mean your plumbing and electrical. Your accounting system and operating agreements are absolutely a part of your business’s critical systems. Like those other things, a flaw in one of these systems might appear benign, but it could burn your whole business to the ground if it runs unchecked.

Your business without infrastructure. Even your burning newspaper won’t be right-side up!

If you’re in the process of setting up your critical infrastructure, give us a call. Whether you need a full configuration of an accounting and payroll system or just some pointers to make sure you’re headed in the right direction, we’re here to help.