It's actually an old story: I went into this venture woefully undercapitalized for what has proven to be the needs I had. In other words, the shoestring broke.
I'm not glad to shuck this off: in fact, I'm already beginning to miss it. If you're interested, what got me into a tailspin was actually a disappointing outcome of another business venture capped off by extra-generous Christmas and pre-Christmas gift-giving. I was fortunate enough to "get paid" in an arena in which this accomplishment was difficult, but doing so set off the old new-entrepreneurs' vainglory. In my case, because I let my ego get inflated by the success of that other venture, I plunged into yet another and wound up losing big. My inflated generosity was actually part of the ego trip, although I don't really regret having been so. Any stock trades I've made have, so far, been irrelevant to this outcome.
If I have any advice I'd like to pass on in my time of woe, it's this: if you "Get paid!" after a long time of struggle in a highly competitive marketplace, do yourself a favour: just spend the proceeds of the cheque on yourself. Don't bother "investing" it in your business, as you're likely to be too headstrong once you get the money in your hands. Also, don't bother being generous as if you won the lottery: such spurts don't last, and leave you with a higher "generosity base" to back down from if your "Get Paid!" experience turns out to be a mere windfall, as mine has been. Going to town on any hard-won revenue limits your spending, and keeps you from going overboard thanks to good old-fashioned prudence. I suggest that you don't "invest in your business" until your paydays from it become regular.
That being disclosed, I might as well tell you what the Barrel's Bottom Composite Index ended up at as of Dec. 31st of last year. After sinking to a little above 75, due largely to a new entrant (Winfield Resources Inc. - NEX: WWF.H) whose price fell apart once it began trading on the NEX Board, the BBCI rallied to a little above 78 due to rises in other NEX stocks - to 78.07, to be precise. The BBCI started off at 100 as of 10 AM ET, July 3rd. In the six months' following, the index dropped almost 22%.
Here is a chart of the Barrel's Bottom Composite Index from July 3rd, 2007, to Dec. 31st of that same year:
As to whether or not I'll get back into this racket, I can say that I have a domain name banked. Given what I know now about ther capital costs, though, it won't be before 2009.
Thanks for stopping by and reading what I wrote, and all the best for the year 2008.
