On the White Line

I am astounded by the paperwork required by the City of Phoenix to sell something in their boundaries.

To put an exclamation point on just how complicated they’ve made their two-sided form, the clerk includes a schedule of classes on how to fill out the paperwork when she hands over the license. It really is that complicated… OVER 70 lines that must be filled out… I think that’s more lines than the 1040EZ Federal Income Tax form.

Truth is, I bet there are only two lines that apply to us, but the fact that we need to figure what “35% Construction Contracting” means and that they are worried that we would include “Food for home consumption” is a bit over-the-top.

Oh, and did I mention this is only for temporary vendors. I can only imagine what the regulars go through.

Privileges in Arizona

We also had to get an Arizona Transaction Privilege License. Yes, Arizona considers it a privilege for us to sell things in their state. Their system isn’t too bad… a simple form with only four boxes. Super easy, especially since we started the paperwork online and finished it at the office.

The cashier explained that although the online form asks for all the locations we’ll be selling goods in the State, they really only want our home address… in Wisconsin (like we should have been able to figure that out on our own). If we followed the instructions, they would charge $12 for each location; instead, we just had to fork over $12. Whew, that bit of advice saved us $36.

Comparing the States

Gotta say, Arizona has the most paperwork we’ve had to deal with… $12 to the State and then each city charges a fee ($20 for the two cities we’ve worked with so far). Michigan and Illinois both have simple temporary sales tax forms to fill out… no licenses, no fees. California has a central office that gives out licenses for each town… no fees.

This paperwork is the worst thing about being in the making and selling stuff business.

Tasty food and great company with Wakako and Frido at the King's Highway at the Ace Hotel

When Liam and I started redesigning our life, we knew we weren’t following a traditional path. The interesting thing was that as we started getting serious about change, inspiring people seemed to walk into our lives on cue.

These weren’t the live-in-a-fantasy-land types… you know the kind, all daydreaming and no practicality. Fanciful notions are nice, but to make things happen, it takes a specific attitude, and, as we learned, the support of very special people… the “right people.”

These are the ones who both embrace ideas and inspire solutions to the challenges that come with them. These are the people with vision… or at least the capacity to envision an unconventional future. These are the people who motivate us to take a closer look at our plans. They promote action without it feeling like work.

Over the weekend, we were visited by our friends Frido and Wakako. They are among the “right people.” There is such a buzz being around friends who can listen to an idea and their natural instinct is to be inquisitive rather than practical. They don’t kill the creative process. They understand that great ideas just need time to steep.

And best of all, they share their ambitions. Talking with them sets off a chain-reaction. Gotta love that. A big giant, digital kiss to Wakako, Frido and all the “right people” in our lives!

Hitting the Road Again

Our month in Palm Springs has come to an end. Tomorrow we head for Phoenix where we have to get things lined up with the Arizona Tax Office in preparation for our upcoming shows… Arizona has a more tedious process than California.

I must confess, I’d really like another week or ten days in Palm Springs. I think we’d be very productive in that time. That said, we just went over the books and shows in California paid off. Our expenses for the trip have been covered, so during our next three shows, we should be “making” money.

Whew! We took a risk heading out here and so far it’s paying off.

This Sunday we skipped the College of the Desert Street Fair in favor of our RV park’s Super Swap Meet. In the end, we made more money selling to our neighbors than we did to the Sunday crowd at College of the Desert… another risk that paid off.