Well, without wanting to bore anyone, here is the short version of the last few months They say confession is good for the soul, so maybe this is my baring of my soul. No need to read or comment if you don't want to. Just getting a few things off my chest.
I owned my own company, an Architectural and Interior design business that specialised in Restaurants, Bars, Corporate offices and Retail Shops. We did a lot of work and made some very good money over the last years. And had a lot of fun doing it, despite the pressure and time constraints inherent in the industry.
Due to a few bad debts and difficult projects (major complications with City councils) that my company had undertaken in the last year the business was struggling for cash flow. I made some bad managerial decisions, in the hope that it would all somehow turn out right, and compounded the problems. I had to let go all of my employees and take on all the work myself.
I cut back on spending and every thing I could think of. For a while I teetered on the edge of financial collapse and struggled through for a few months, working up to eighty hours a week; trying, vainly, to dig myself out from under.
About this time, not surprisingly, I became depressed. Very bloody depressed! It's hard to work effectively when in that state and I fell further behind. I can make no excuses for the position I found myself in. It's my business and the final responsibility rests with me. I've been running the business since 1989 so I'm not exactly inexperienced and should have seen the challenges coming and put the necessary plans in place. I didn't.
During this time my laptop died, the car broke down and my office was robbed again. The home backup computer failed and a good friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer... sheesh, enough already!
In January the Company was put into Administration, voluntarily, and then it proceeded to Liquidation and was wound up in late February. Some of the creditors continued to chase me as the managing director of the company, but by the end of February it had all been sorted out.
This has been one of the most difficult periods of my life. And thoughts of ending it all did cross my mind, I'm embarrassed to say. But I'm still here and fighting on. Running afoul of big business, legal firms and the Taxation Office is not for the feint hearted, let me tell you.
I'm still working in the same industry, trying to rebuild. I work by myself now, sharing an office with another designer (graphic and signs).
Sorry I ignored all of you, but I basically ignored everyone for the period until I came out the other side. Anything other than the problem at hand was a distraction and sapped any strength I had left. It's amazing what seems trivial during a time like this.
Well, that's the story, for what it's worth. Thanks for reading if you've made it this far. Anyone who has a feeling that they might have a financial problem ahead, my advice; sort it out fast. Don't hesitate for a day, just face it and get it solved.
Thank you to all my friends, simply for just being here to chat to when I could. You don't know how much this place can be a haven at times...
Ozy...
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Computer Lie #1: You'll never use all that disk space.
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound as they fly by." - Douglas Adams
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Too much trouble
. Damnit ! It seems that in the last period wrong things has happened to a lot of my friends here 
