Cascade Advanced Design ~ Greetings to All

[CADesign]

Cascade Advanced Design (CAD) is a sole-proprietorship, service oriented business located in the Pacific Northwest.

I do drafting and design and have consulting as a tag as well to cover the rest of what I do.
I'm a relatively young business but, hopefully, I'm getting my roots firmly implanted in this neck of the woods. I've been a draftsman for over 16 years now but finally broke loose of those corporate bonds and started my own business a few years ago.

I was, of course, terrified about the uncertainty of "going it alone" but, to be truthful, found working as an employee to be nearly as uncertain. As our economy changed, so changed the structures of the companies that I worked for. I got laid off several times due to corporate downsizing and it seemed to happen every 5 years or so. The last employer that I had simply retired and I had little choice but to find small jobs since I live in a rural setting here in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington.

I had many contacts through my work for the Architect that retired so in using these contacts I was able to network locally and get the word out that I was open for business.
I was really "wingin' it" for a while but eventually things started to click. I was now working from home, so no commute (as gas prices started to rise). I maintain a nearly paperless office by sending data either directly to clients or, if hard copies are needed, I send files to "Service Bureaus" like Kiko's or The UPS Store for customer pickup.

My only real costs are for software and general office supplies with some travel expenses and marketing. With low overhead I have managed to make things work so that I can get through the down times and save during the upswings.
At 55, I want to be able to wind down somewhat and ease into retirement (which will also include working, but at a bit slower pace).

Owning my own business is the best way I know to take control of my destiny. Through hard work and some planning and endurance I have no doubt that things will work out.

It's the funniest thing that, just when I start to doubt or worry about making ends meet, I get a few more calls and am suddenly too busy and worrying if I bit off more than I can chew.

I'd love to have a much greater margin to buffer tough times but know that I can gradually work toward that end. If you are young, start saving now, you'll never regret it. Fortunately our humble home is nearly paid off and we are virtually debt free so at least we are able to keep our heads above water in this souring economy. By keeping an open mind and drawing on past experiences it's surprising how smoothly things go in the long run.

I wish you all well in your business pursuits, follow your heart and your gut feelings and you'll never go wrong.

With Best Wishes,

Dave
(CADesign)

[vangogh]

Welcome to the forum Dave and thanks for sharing your story.

I couldn't help but notice a few similarities we share. I was working in different tech jobs before starting my business and saw the same thing about a lack of security. For me the layoff cycle was about a year. Somewhere in this generation employers stopped being as loyal to employees as they were in earlier generations. Working for someone else is no guarantee and I agree with you that the best way to control your destiny is to be in business for yourself.

I also have a mostly paperless office. Everything I do is online and rarely if ever do I need to print anything. It took me several years to get through one large pack of printer paper. In fact I still haven't gone through it.

I have the same low overhead too, which helps a lot during slow times. I don't need much money to keep my business running, though the money can always be put to some use or another.

I'm glad you found us. We know there are still a number of people who weren't around when we moved so it's nice to know people are still able to find their way here.

[KristineS]

Welcome to the forum. It's always nice to see new faces.

[CADesign]

Great to be here Steve!
Sure is nice to have a good sounding board and support mechanism, so easily accessed.

It took me about 3 min. on the 'other' board to see that there was some kind of tension, then I saw a reference to the ".net" forum on a post dealing with editing of links.

I'm a true believer that forums don't (or at least shouldn't) need to "control" members, but rather guide discussions and just filter the total rubbish out. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door." I think you've got a better mousetrap here, I like the quality of discussions. I've got ya bookmarked!

Thanks to you and your Co-Owner(s) for providing this forum.
I'm not great at being a regular on any forum but I'll certainly try to touch bases and share in the business experience. I appreciate that opportunity.

Dave
...CADesign

[CADesign]

KristineS,

Appreciate the warm welcome - look forward to reading more and learning here.

Thanx,

Dave
...CADesign

[vangogh]

Interesting that you could see the tension on the old forum so quickly. A few of us have been banned at the old placed. I get to claim the honor of being the first. We think people visiting will think it odd that many of the people who had been there the longest have all been banned.

One thing I forgot to mention before is I've experienced the same thing where there have been moments along the way where little was coming in and I wondered if I'd be able to sustain a business. Just at those moments new clients appeared and old clients needed work and next thing I knew the revenue was there again. It's important to stick through some of the rough times and hold on because something good is usually going to follow.

No worries if you aren't going to be around all the time. We're still happy you joined the community however often you're able to post.

[CADesign]

Interesting that you could see the tension on the old forum so quickly

The posts that I did read were on the front page so I didn't need to dig deep at all.

Funny (true) Story:

It may also be that, for a short while, I was a moderator on a troubled forum (VisforVoltage.net)
Several of us (moderators) and the webmaster were concerned about the direction the forum was going and we all jumped ship to VisforVoltage.org ... (amazingly similar situation ... ).
I certainly found that being a moderator (my first and only time) can be somewhat stressful under the wrong conditions ... I resigned after the new ship was sailing straight and back on course.

Dave
...CADesign

[cbscreative]

Welcome, Dave. That's a great intro and I also share the same perspective on controlling your own destiny, and the insecurity of working for the man. I'm glad you found us, and I'm the second one to be banned about a day after vangogh. I expected that some members would sense the problem when they see the goings on of that forum. Many of the members here were on the other forum for years. I was over 3, and some here were there much longer.

That was actually a very good forum until earlier this year. What we set out to do here is keep what was left before it got any worse, and this one is actually better now. Thanks for your compliments.

[vangogh]

Sounds like a very familiar situation. Moderating the old forum was becoming a chore. I didn't have much privileges to really do anything and the owners never communicated anything about how they wanted to see things done. Even if the owner didn't post publicly he should have been communicating with staff.

I think in the end it worked out for the best. I already like what we have here more than what we ever had there.

[cbscreative]

Amen to that, vangogh. Even though the forum was very good at one time, I think this one is much better. We may be in the driver's seat here, but it's the member response that has made this forum such a success.