Business partnership don’t always have a glamorous ending, some end in disappointment and loss of friendship, this is a summary of one. Ryan (not his real name) had just quit a venture he started with a business partner. Ryan was the investor (he invested in getting all equipment and machinery needed to make high quality men apparel), his partner was the skilled tailor. Things went sour and Ryan had to recoup his investment by selling off the sewing machines (one industrial sewing machine, one neatening machine, one embroidery machine).
He moved the equipment to my neighbor’s tailoring shop to help him find buyers for the machines. I got to know all this through conversation with my neighbor when he asked me if i knew of anyone who needed an industrial sewing machine. I took the details of the sewing machine, downloaded an image online and designed a quick poster to advertise on whatsapp. The poster was not beautiful aesthetically but it performed its function. I got an interested buyer. Let’s call him Paul.
Paul asked for pictures of the machine, i sent them to him via whatsapp. He made an offer which I accepted after some terms were negotiated. He requested that the machine be restored as the base was rusting due to warehouse conditions. We met and he made part payment as commitment. I dashed to Palace Shopping mall and bought a can of spray paint (off-white colour was the closest colour to the original colour of the machine). I was able to do the machine restoration because of prior practice with my mentor, Sika.
Restoration: The Process
The things I needed to do this restoration were sanding paper, some old printer paper, masking tape, a cleaning rug and a can of spray paint. The tailor assisted me to move the sewing machine to an open space so that I could begin work. He detached the sewing machine from the table base so that i could focus just on the table stand.
I began by removing detachable parts from the table which were plastic, laying old paper on the cement floor to prevent paint from staining the ground. I used old paper and masking tape to block out parts I did not want to spray, for example the electronic motor. I then used the sand paper to sand off the old paint so that I could get a wide surface to treat the rusting and give a first coat of spray.
After the first coat of spray, I waited a few minutes for the paint to dry then i gave the table stand another coat of spray. When it dried thoroughly it was good as new.
Delivery
Paul was satisfied when he received delivery of the sewing machine. Ryan was also glad he could recoup some of his investment. I did not get paid for the poster design but I got a token for facilitating a transaction. I am glad I used my basic skills to solve a problem for Ryan, a classic case of use what you have.
Tell me, what would you have done differently?
