30
Sep
Turning Over an Old Leaf
Topic: Family and Friends
Tags: Me, U Penn
I’ve blogged very little over the past several months, as the candy business and my web consulting work were keeping me incredibly busy. I’ve recently come to realize that, unfortunately, the candy business isn’t going to make it. It turns out there was a good reason the market for imported Japanese hand-made candy was wide open - it’s not a viable market. The production and import costs are too high, and the market niche is too small. But I did master the dense, intricate web of FDA and Custom regulations for importing food. At first I thought I’d get help from a consultant, but FDA consultants demand $800 per 15 minutes (yup, $2400/hour, but they prefer to pitch the number for 15 minutes). So I figured it all out on my own, and we got two shipments through FDA, USDA, Customs, and FAA inspections without a hitch. We’ll keep selling the political candies we have until the end of the campaign season, and then we’ll shut down the business.
The idea behind my web consulting was to keep some income flowing while we got the candy business going. It’s not something I wanted to do full time, and I’ve already wound down my consulting work, save for one project that’s almost finished.
So what’s next? I’ve actually been back full-time at the U Penn School of Medicine’s Information Services (SOMIS) for about a month now. I started here in 2004 as a web developer, and at the time I left at the end of 2007, I was a project manager. Now I’m back as a senior developer. At least one thing I’ve gained this past year is clarity on the kind of work that I find rewarding. When I left SOMIS last year, I told my co-workers that part of me felt crazy for leaving. It turns out that part of me was right, and I consider myself very lucky for having the opportunity to come back (especially given the current state of the economy). We have a good team, the clients aren’t insane, and the work is challenging but not pull-your-hair-out stressful.
And as you can see, my blog has a new design, although it still needs a little work. I intend to get back to blogging regularly, and I have a big backlog of pictures to post from the summer.
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