Light at the end of the tunnel (2)

I just re-read my last post, and it's strange that one's view can change so completely over such a short time. Two weeks later and the prospect of selling Drylines seems easy. The Rotaire Dryline sells itself! The only matters that prevent more sales are uncertainty (because it is a totally new concept) and the relatively high price. It is obvious when the Dryline is shown to a customer that it is well made, without cutting corners - and that the Dryline is made to last, unlike so many imported products.
I look forward to the Malvern Spring Gardening Show, where people show such enthusiasm for the idea. After all, it is so simple, and so obvious, that if you want to dry clothes in the British climate you need to cover the laundry. The Rotaire Dryline washing line rain cover is the first and only cover to fit existing airers - across the range.
Roll on the April Showers!

The Light at the end of the tunnel

Some days the light at the end of the tunnel just seems to go out, as if turned off by an invisible hand. I searched my soul to find out if I really thought I could pull it off; the international marketing, patent costs for all those territories, the sheer day to day grind of fielding questions and sending out orders. It wouldn't be hard if I had not had to invest so much money to get the project to this stage. Now maintaining the debt is getting more and more difficult. Moreover, the financial melt down has caused the jolly British Pound to tumble to 75% of its value, meaning that I can only buy 3 Drylines for my money instead of 4.
If the product is adopted by a major retailer (negotiations under way) I will have to take on an extra £100k in short term debt from the bank in order to bridge the gap between purchase of goods and payment of invoice. The little entrepreneur gets trampled by the bigger fish! And the rates they are charging??? At a time when the bank rate is lower than ever in history the banks are still lending at premium rates. There ought to be a Law...
Don't expect cheap imports to go on forever. Tomatoes have gone up considerably, as will anything from the continent.