Today marks the 6th anniversary of Technacraft's incorporation. I wish I could say things are great and that we've made it "over the hump"... but they're not and we haven't. For the first time in our history, we are cutting back hours. Only for a week, but it still bugs me. There have been other times when I probably should have and didn't, but I find it hard to do when I know my employees depend on getting in their time and getting a paycheck. Maybe I'm too soft for this stuff.

Anyway, I'll be using the quiet hours to catch up on some tax issues and do some break-even analyses and strategic planning. I can't seem to get these critical things done with the hubbub of daily activity all around. We are a small place and I don't have a private office. Things can get pretty distracting during normal business hours. I know... that's why there are evenings and weekends.

I've always been a morning person and, by 6 p.m., I'm pretty well shot. That's why I like to get into the office before 7 a.m. The first couple of hours are my most productive. Also, Saturdays are great for "brain work". No interruptions.

So it's time to do some serious analysis and see how things really are. Have we really learned anything? Has our lack of new products and debt load placed us in a can't-win situation? What is our true break-even sales volume? Should we raise prices? Should we drop some models? How can I clone myself?