Day 211

Today was discouraging. I lost one of my very first website accounts. We'd worked together for many years, but the company decided to take everything back in-house to save money. This isn't the first time this has happened, and it probably won't be the last. The economy is terrible and if someone has to choose between me or staying in business, it's a safe bet they're going to choose staying in business. What I do isn't rocket science. I lost one account last year when my client decided to give the work I was doing to his kids. The kids actually did a great job.

A friend of mine who works in retail tells me that whenever he asks the rhetorical question "How's business these days?" he always gets the same answer. No matter what business his customers are actually in, they always tell him "I'm working twice as hard, but only making half as much money." It's certainly true for me. When I started my company, $40,000 was considered an extremely low price for a TV commercial. Ten years later, $10,000 was considered a low price. Now people are offering to do local TV commercials in Dallas for $1,000.  I don't know where this depressing downward spiral is going to end, but it certainly is getting harder for a guy like me to make a living these days.

One of the producers for the Unlikely Animal Friends show that airs on the National Geographic Channel called me today. They want to use some of the pictures I took of the reunion between the dog and the goat on their show. I've seen the program a few times and it's pretty good. I put what I had in a FedEx envelope and sent it to their office in Washington DC. With any luck, you might see my name on the show's credits in a month or two.

So, I lost a good client who was paying me a nice monthly retainer, and in exchange, I got a chance to give away my video for free to a cable channel. I guess that sounds fair. I also found out about my car today. The good news is that I didn't destroy my engine. The bad news is that I will be paying Land Rover's usual exorbitant rates to get the car repaired.

You'd think with all this bad news today, I'd be doing a little belt tightening. Nope. I went out and bought a belt at Culwell & Son instead. Actually I bought more than a belt, but I needed something to cheer me up. Some people eat ice cream when they get depressed. I buy things.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day