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Am I Crazy For Considering Moving to Los Angeles?

Discussion in 'General' started by Razr, Jan 25, 2020.

  1. Dave Wolfe

    Dave Wolfe I know nuttin!

    Is Tommy's still at beverly and rampart?
     
  2. cortezmachine

    cortezmachine Banned


    Fuck yeah.

    I can’t eat Tommy’s anymore though. As I get older my ability to eat bullshit and not feel like total ass is drastically diminished
     
  3. Razr

    Razr Well-Known Member

    I finished this yesterday, waiting on limestone caps for the hearth and storage boxes. Around here this cost around 27k, I made 17k in 15 days, a lot of hard work. Out in LA that would cost 50-80k. So would I rather build them and make 17k, or sell them and make about 8-10k commission? image1-2.jpeg
     
    BigBird and The Great One like this.
  4. wsmc42

    wsmc42 Well-Known Member

    Nice looking work. Best of luck to you on your move to LA. I can't help but wonder how this thread is going to age. There really is a reason so many native Californians have left or want out. Like a bad relationship with a hot chick, at some point enough is enough.
     
    BigBird likes this.
  5. TurboBlew

    TurboBlew Registers Abusers

    I can see that sentiment. Same with NY. You have the retirees fleeing those areas... then they want to turn their destination into a copy of what they just left...lol. They have ALL the answers...lol. Transplants should just pipe down.
     
    BigBird likes this.
  6. pscook

    pscook Well-Known Member

    I would sell them to make the commission as you can likely have two-three crews going at a time, making up the difference. And you don't break a sweat.
     
    SGVRider, Razr, Rico888 and 1 other person like this.
  7. Rico888

    Rico888 Well-Known Member

    ^^^all day long^^^

    The question is, in this current work environment, can you get three really good crews to execute the work as well as you can?
     
    wsmc42 likes this.
  8. Linker48X

    Linker48X Well-Known Member

    I never could eat Tommy’s burgers. When I was at UCLA law school I was racing a nighttime motocross series at Indian Dunes every week the winter of 72-73, and I’d rush home from class, put on a clean mx t shirt, load up my CZ in the back of my El Camino, and hit the drive through at Caesars Burger at the corner of 26th and Wilshire in Santa Monica for a chili burger dinner to be enjoyed in the 5 o’clock rush hour north to the Dunes. There was a lot of chili in that burger and the result of eating in the car while steering with my knee and clutching and shifting up Sepúlveda pass was usually a fresh red racing stripe on my clean white t shirt LOL. For my money, Caesar’s chili burger was about 100% better than Tommy’s, and Caesar’s also had these 2 extremely nice looking older (ie 30-ish) countergirls. Unfortunately Tommy’s survived and Caesar’s is long gone. But Ah, the LA memories
     
    L8RSK8R and motoracer1100 like this.
  9. Razr

    Razr Well-Known Member

    No, I can't find a single crew to execute the quality that I have, that's why I do it all myself. I really like building these things, but I'm in my mid 50s, and time isn't on my side for all the physical stuff. I have a pretty good gig here in Indy. About 90% of my work are referrals, so basically they're already sold before I get there, as long as the price is within reason. This company I'm talking to wants me to sell to their higher end clients, they already have 3 sales people selling their normal services.
     
    BigBird likes this.
  10. Razr

    Razr Well-Known Member

    I know there's a huge exodus of people leaving LA, most are going to Texas, Florida, and Vegas. I'm just considering going there for 6-10 years and bank some cash.
     
  11. motion

    motion Nihilistic Member

    You also have to remember that everything else in SoCal is insanely expensive, too. Just have to factor it all in. And don't forget about the 9-10% sales tax, depending on location.
     
  12. Linker48X

    Linker48X Well-Known Member

    Yup, fun memories aside, there's a reason I live in Alaska and visit LA. The high LA cost of living includes housing, state income taxed, increased federal income taxes on the increased salaries, property taxes, state sales taxes, on and on. Amounts to maybe 25% or so. Just another thing to consider.
     
    BigBird likes this.
  13. brl0301

    brl0301 Well-Known Member

    where are your responses to everyone else who also sees where this train wreck is headed? or do you not have anything more than emojis to express your self with?
     
  14. SGVRider

    SGVRider Well-Known Member

    Sup bro? Glad to have you back. I’ve always enjoyed the stories you share, though I understand you’re trying to have fewer of them these days. :D

    Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6, fucking A right. Downtown is going tits up right quick. Who will the customers be once everyone flees though? Can’t imagine even the working class will visit anymore. If there’s any working class left after all this shit. In my mind downtown is gonna look like Beirut post fertilizer explosion in a few months, but with more drug addicts in tents.

    I think you’re asking the wrong question. I feel it’s not really a matter of whether you can find people to execute the same quality that you do.

    What I would ask is this
    1. Do you actually need the work done by your potential crews to be up the same level that you can do personally?
    2. Can you train and supervise crews to do the work to a commercially acceptable standard of quality?
    3. Can you make an acceptable ROI on commercially acceptable quality?
    4. Would you be proud and willing to attach your name to work that was acceptable by the market but not quite to your personal standard?


    I find having previously worked with artists, inventors etc. that they often want to produce product at a higher level of quality than the market actually requires. The market is usually looking for good enough at an affordable price.

    Keep in mind you’ll also have a substantial upcharge opportunity if the client wants your exacting personal attention.

    I would go for the commission all damned day instead of doing it personally if possible. You’re limited by your hourly rate when you do it personally, you have actual leverage when you have people doing it for you. You also have the potential to create a saleable organization and intellectual property, whereas doing it yourself you lose the value of all of your knowledge once you retire.

    The trade off is the headache of having people working for you.
     
  15. SGVRider

    SGVRider Well-Known Member

    It definitely looks like a train wreck, but I think overblown in some respects. I wouldn’t avoid LA entirely and would still tell people to come if there’s a great opportunity. Just be fluid and adaptable and make sure you have the capability to GTFO.

    Most major metros look like they’re in the same boat, it’s just a matter of degree.

    I’m looking to perhaps take the family out of here for the next year and see how it shakes out. It LA hasn’t burned down by next year maybe we’ll come back.
     
  16. Dave Wolfe

    Dave Wolfe I know nuttin!

    Iowa is kinda nice.
     
  17. Razr

    Razr Well-Known Member

    That's how I feel. I'm not going there to retire, I'm just considering going there for the cash. This guy is talking about quite a bit of income, and I just want to find out if it's worth the hassle.
     
  18. brl0301

    brl0301 Well-Known Member

    Th
    The problem is thats its not just contained to downtown. The ridiculous laws are effecting a wide range of areas. Dana point is 60 miles away and a super nice area thats being destroyed by the bs.
     
  19. cortezmachine

    cortezmachine Banned

    Nah bro.... a federal judge just last week yanked all the city council members into a chamber to ask them (read: demand) what the fuck they’re doing about the homeless overrunning the streets. He’s making it so they HAVE to clean it up. A lot of the problem is as because of a council member named Huizar who oversaw most of the skid row districts and pocketed the money and gave away funds meant for homeless programs. He was just indicted on federal charges and is arrested awaiting trial.

    It will get better. And people will always come to LA for the nightlife.
     
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2020
  20. Razr

    Razr Well-Known Member

    I might be coming to Cali a week or so early, to build a guy an outdoor fireplace. He's in Murrieta, does anyone know what kind of drive time to get there from the Pasadena area, it's 77 miles? If it's a logistical nightmare, I will decline that job.
     

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