Warning: This post will be somewhat on the negative side, so much so that I've dreaded writing it and even now am still debating on whether to put it out there. Please forgive me in advance for the downer.
2015 is finally over and while I shouldn't be wishing time away I'm more than a little glad it's done and dusted. Don't get me wrong, there has been some amazing moments but the last few months have been extremely trying and stressful. We finally managed to get our business up and running after several roadblocks but despite massive encouragement it seems to have hit the point where there is no interest whatsoever. Everyone who views the site agrees that it is great, the prices are very reasonable, and the work is sound but with our main camera needing repairs and replacing we can't do any photography work and the fact that quite a few people were used to getting the retouching and repair services for free from when the partner was honing his skills means there's not been any revenue generated from it since the summer. Despite this a huge thanks is due to all who shared and helped promote our work!!!!!!! We can never thank you enough!!!!
However, the opposite goes out to a few naysayers who didn't believe we were 'working' because of being self-employed and working from home. There has been so MANY hours put in sitting at our desks going blurry-eyed dealing with html issues, research, and finishing up projects but because the partner has a habit of stopping what he was doing to talk to and engage with others to help with their issues when they requested meant that some of those very same people thought all he did was sit around and play about on facebook. Of course they didn't keep those opinions to themselves and helped propagate that impression without mentioning WHY he was there to begin with--gee thanks. Despite his gruff demeanour, I am actually the one who has no problem saying no, we have other things to deal with first but he has this innate need to help other people as much as possible and usually without telling them what he has done.
So here we are facing 2016 with all of our savings and resources exhausted. I discovered too late in the game that absolutely no one will employ you in traditional employment with less than a year left on your visa and breaking the metatarsal in my foot back in October meant that I was out of my other work for 2 months (dog-walking and leading Nordic Walking sessions) which has put us even further behind. The partner tried to return to trucking work on a temporary basis until he finds a more suitable position but we discovered that in the years since he last drove that another qualification has been put in place which of course costs money that we don't have. It seems like it's a vicious circle of setbacks and disappointments and while I know we will get through this eventually, the present is extremely disheartening and our pride is taking a beating.
Again, apologies for the down and depressing post but this is where I talk about my life and this is our reality at the moment. I have so much appreciation for those that have helped us out with research, promotion, leads, emotional support, and temporary work, like I wrote above we can never thank you enough, xx. Here's to 2016 being a better year!
