Don't Take My Advice? Don't Come Back When It Goes Wrong!

highlandsflyer

Retro Wizard
Feedback
View
My cousin came to me three years ago asking for help with his landscaping business. He wanted to take on a couple of grass cutters. I told him he was too small to compete on grass cutting, so should use another firm where needed.

Now he is back, knowing we sold our house here not long ago, asking for a 'loan'. As soon as we looked into where he lost money the last couple of years it was obvious. Two sets of wages paid out for seasonal grass cutting work.

After some terse exchanges I have advised him to sell his Warrior, after all we are driving around in old 4x4s to save money, and we are already paying my aunt more than a reasonable rent, even though we have helped out with their farm problems for many years and were not asked to pay anything more than our bills here in return!

OK, all that you did not need to suffer, but when I give advise to people it is a rule of mine not to help when they don't follow it.

Is that unreasonable?
 
I get this all too often, im young so get overlooked a lot.

I tend to only give advice if im pretty sure about something so its not just guess work.

You are wll within your rights to say i hate to say i told you so!
 
A mate a few years ago was a cameraman for Sky news and was pulling in around £30k a year back when that was serious money. He decided that he should maybe go freelance as the good freelancers could be on even more.

He asked my advice as I was freelance at the time in a similar type of business. I advised him to stay where he was for the guaranteed wage as he had just taken a mortgage on (the real reason was that I knew he was very unpopular in the business and nobody would employ him)

He then didn't get a single days work for 3 years and only survived as he had some savings and his dad died and left him a big chunk of cash which paid off the mortgage. He worked his way through all his money and had a massive nervous breakdown that led to serious mental illness issues and is pretty much unemployable now.

I don't take much pleasure and indeed wish I had told him the real reason for keeping his job.
 
I am always honest with people. One aspect of the current problem is that we paid my aunt rent, that was not asked for and not really owed, upfront for two years. My cousin was not availed of this information, and has come to us as though we kind of 'owe' this loan to him, when ironically he actually already had the loan as his mum has been covering his losses.

Push comes to shove we will help out, family is family.

I get no pleasure from telling anyone I told you so. We all screw up.

However, we have very limited resources at the moment. This is not the time to lend a helping hand to someone who only has one foot over the cliff, and merely seeking an easy way out of the poo they put themselves in.

I have talked to my pal who is an IFA, and he is going to give cousin free advice. Perhaps this time he will listen!
 
Not saying you will enjoy saying i hate to say i told you so (you may very much hate it) but its much nicer for everyone when when advice is heeded.
 
I am not so arrogant to assume all my advice is good. My cousin is fifteen years younger than me, and he knows I know my shit. He just should not have asked again knowing that, and then ignored me.

Life is a learning process, why can't everyone learn as fast as I did?

I negotiated a deal on a fast food trailer, and they didn't go ahead with it.

Tomorrow is the third year running they would have made serious wedge thanks to the Snowman Rally.

I am such a genius! Why won't they listen?

;)
 
No one likes to told.."i told you so".."you dont listen".. I think when people go into business they see how some people are doing well and "miss" or brush over the people who are struggling.

I know colleges who have resigned and gone onto to do bullet catching{PSD/body guarding} in Iraq and Ganners..£10,000 a month..but of course risk :roll: ...now that gravy train is slowing down..now it maritime security..these jobs are ok if you want to do it for 2 years and clear a mortgage or a large bill

I am fortunate to work in the public sector..but :roll: "could" :roll: be out of a job by march 2014.

If person who wants to start there own business and they are hap hazzrd/easy come easy go with their own finances{house hold bills/credit}..then it looks like the business which other people rely on {empoyees} will suffer.

I treat the household as a business..everything is accounted for..youngest bus fare for college absolutely everything ..always looking to get better deals..communication/homework is the key.

So Highlands you are right :wink: ..because after all its your money and you might not see it again...

Ernie :wink:
 
Back
Top