This is my son Jared just prior to his begining his paper route. Of course with 800+ papers its become a family activity. The first day it took us 9 hours then 8 hours, last night we got it done in 5 hours, so we are getting better.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
I'VE BECOME A PAPER BOY!!
Yes, it's true- I've become a paper boy!! Of course, I'm not the only one, as Chuck and Jared are involved in this new business adventure as well. Jared has been looking for ways to make money this summer. It is hard for a 13 year old to find jobs that make serious money. When the local Bellevue Reporter advertised that it was looking for delivery personnel for some of its routes, Chuck and I thought it was the perfect opportunity. Chuck had a paper route from the time he was 11 til age 16 and thought it would be a good experience for Jay.
However, this is a whole different animal than the route Chuck knew as a kid- he delivered 100 papers, whereas our route is 800 papers! The very first day it took us 9 hours to fold the papers, stuff them in a plastic sleeve, wrap the paper with a rubber band, find all the addresses and throw the papers. That was with 3 people working!! 2ND day it was 8 hours- we're getting better. Luckily this paper is only delivered twice a week- Wednesdays and Saturdays. All this, just to get Jared a summer job.
More exciting news in our household as well- Chuck has been offered a promotion with his company as a National Account Manager. It will involve more traveling than he is doing now, about the same amount as he was doing years ago when he was a District Manager. His area will cover the Northwest ( WA,OR, ID, and UT) plus No Calif and Arizona. Although he is not that excited about the travel, it is an opportunity to do something different, as he was getting bored after being a sales rep for so many years, plus there is always the additional $$$. If nothing else, it will look spectacular on his resume when the time comes to make another career change.
Becca is leaving this am for her vacation- which is a week in Canada at a special youth conference for our church known as EFY (Especially For Youth). This is her 4th EFY, the others being in Utah, Idaho, and Washington. This year is special because she is old enough that she and her best friend Carly White are driving to Canada by themselves- their first official ROAD TRIP! They have been waiting for this for a long, long time. They just walked out the door with spoons and a large jar of Nutella in their hands to satisfy any chocolate cravings during their trip.
I love my dog walking business, it is a lot of fun. I not only enjoy the dogs, but the owners as well. Anyone who would spend that kind of money just to let their dog have fun is my kind of person!! I am getting more confident handling multiple dogs simultaneously and am anxious to build up my client base. I have gotten somewhat sidetracked by the paper route, but it is time to get back into investing time into my own advertising. So, if you know anyone who wants their dog walked.......
However, this is a whole different animal than the route Chuck knew as a kid- he delivered 100 papers, whereas our route is 800 papers! The very first day it took us 9 hours to fold the papers, stuff them in a plastic sleeve, wrap the paper with a rubber band, find all the addresses and throw the papers. That was with 3 people working!! 2ND day it was 8 hours- we're getting better. Luckily this paper is only delivered twice a week- Wednesdays and Saturdays. All this, just to get Jared a summer job.
More exciting news in our household as well- Chuck has been offered a promotion with his company as a National Account Manager. It will involve more traveling than he is doing now, about the same amount as he was doing years ago when he was a District Manager. His area will cover the Northwest ( WA,OR, ID, and UT) plus No Calif and Arizona. Although he is not that excited about the travel, it is an opportunity to do something different, as he was getting bored after being a sales rep for so many years, plus there is always the additional $$$. If nothing else, it will look spectacular on his resume when the time comes to make another career change.
Becca is leaving this am for her vacation- which is a week in Canada at a special youth conference for our church known as EFY (Especially For Youth). This is her 4th EFY, the others being in Utah, Idaho, and Washington. This year is special because she is old enough that she and her best friend Carly White are driving to Canada by themselves- their first official ROAD TRIP! They have been waiting for this for a long, long time. They just walked out the door with spoons and a large jar of Nutella in their hands to satisfy any chocolate cravings during their trip.
I love my dog walking business, it is a lot of fun. I not only enjoy the dogs, but the owners as well. Anyone who would spend that kind of money just to let their dog have fun is my kind of person!! I am getting more confident handling multiple dogs simultaneously and am anxious to build up my client base. I have gotten somewhat sidetracked by the paper route, but it is time to get back into investing time into my own advertising. So, if you know anyone who wants their dog walked.......
Sunday, July 1, 2007
It is officially summer
The kids are all out of school and summer has officially begun at the Escoto household.
Becca is working full-time as a nanny besides being responsible for laundry and cooking dinner every night at our house.
Jared is doing summer school, tennis team, distributing flyers for my business and walking dogs around our own neighborhood, washing cars and anything he can think of to earn money.
Chuck is spending this week in Denver and New Jersey interviewing for a promotion with his company. He has started playing some golf with Jared, so his knee is slowly improving. He still gimps a little bit, and winces when he steps on it the wrong way.
My business is starting to move. I picked up a new client last week that has 2 dogs, and I am meeting with another client on Friday for the first time, who is looking for a walker for her lab 2-3 days a week. I am still walking Carol Fairbanks' dog (I take Fozzi to Marymoor 2 days a week and Jared walks him around the neighborhood the other 3) but not for pay, I am trading walking for embroidery services. She is embroidering matching dog collars with my business name and phone number, in case I lose a dog, whoever finds it will know who to call. She is also embroidering my business name on sweatshirts, hats and rain jackets so that I can advertise everywhere I go. Soon I will be known as the "Moosepaw Lady"!!
Becca is working full-time as a nanny besides being responsible for laundry and cooking dinner every night at our house.
Jared is doing summer school, tennis team, distributing flyers for my business and walking dogs around our own neighborhood, washing cars and anything he can think of to earn money.
Chuck is spending this week in Denver and New Jersey interviewing for a promotion with his company. He has started playing some golf with Jared, so his knee is slowly improving. He still gimps a little bit, and winces when he steps on it the wrong way.
My business is starting to move. I picked up a new client last week that has 2 dogs, and I am meeting with another client on Friday for the first time, who is looking for a walker for her lab 2-3 days a week. I am still walking Carol Fairbanks' dog (I take Fozzi to Marymoor 2 days a week and Jared walks him around the neighborhood the other 3) but not for pay, I am trading walking for embroidery services. She is embroidering matching dog collars with my business name and phone number, in case I lose a dog, whoever finds it will know who to call. She is also embroidering my business name on sweatshirts, hats and rain jackets so that I can advertise everywhere I go. Soon I will be known as the "Moosepaw Lady"!!
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