Day 3: Irons in the fire, an ambitious dream and facial hair

There are a couple of things I’ve learned about my personal appearance as I’ve grown older.  The first is that I really don’t suit long hair.  The reason for this is that my hair is a kind of mousey brown colour and as it gets progressively longer, it simply starts to look greasy.  A few blonde highlights seem to have remedied this issue in the past, but my days of hoping to achieve the boyband-look are long since gone.

The second is that I definitely don’t suit a beard.  Or indeed any facial hair for that matter.  No matter how many times I’ve attempted to pull off a David Beckham-esque bit of face-fur….it just looks crap.  Think that signature patchy look that Roman Abramovich has made his own, mix it with a terrible shade of Mick Hucknall ginger and add to a face of a thousand frustrating flaws and blemishes. Not a good look.

So, what has this got to do with life after the public sector?  The simple answer is…I haven’t had a shave in almost a week now.  Not because of that classic ‘blokey’ excuse of “I can’t be arsed”, and not because I fancied another crack at trying to look like David Beckham’s weedy cousin.  I don’t have work to go to at the moment, but that’s not the reason either.  Perhaps, subconsciously, the growing of one’s hair has now developed a symbolic meaning.  Rather like ladies mark the turning of a corner with a new hair cut, my whiskery wonder has now developed a life-path of its own.  Until I have a great excuse to get the razor out and exterminate the horrible, ginger, itchy, face-flaw accentuating follicle-fur…the beard stays.  (An interview really can’t come soon enough!).

My terrible facial hair!

On the job search front, I spent the first hour of my day checking through the vacancy pages of every single High School Website in Blackburn, Darwen and Accrington, looking for ancillary and support-staff positions.  Having worked in High Schools before, this is an environment I have always enjoyed; the work has always had variety and the hectic nature of a school timetable means that tasks need to be completed to short deadlines.  Being around the enthusiasm of young people whilst they still have their dreams ahead of them is also a unique bonus, especially as they are yet to be tarnished with the brush of cynicism that exists in most adults.   Over 20 websites were visited, and despite it being the start of a new term, there wasn’t a sausage to be seen.

When the postman arrived there were no letters and despite constant hits of the ‘Refresh’ button, there were ‘No New Mail Messages’ on the laptop.  I did however receive one work-related phone call from an agency regarding a Project Administrator position I registered my interest in prior to Christmas.  The helpful and attractive sounding Samantha explained that my skills matched many of those required for the vacancy and that she would be sending my CV off to her client for consideration.

Having looked at the job description in more detail, it seems I don't tick many of the 'advantageous' areas required due to a lack of experience in the industry - but I certainly have the administrative, project management, communication and organisational skills required for the role.  I feel quite positive, but then I notice a few grey areas:  In an e-mail to Samantha later in the day I express concern that the company is linked to the aerospace industry and that this is obviously a vulnerable time for the sector.  As my last three contracts have all been fixed-term, I also ask for confirmation that the position is not a temporary one.  The reply arrives but neither of these issues are addressed.

I also receive a text from my Uncle John saying that he can “get me on at Senator again”, but the job can be secured only if it’s via their agency.  This negates the company of most of the employee rights should a new recruit turn out to be a disaster.

The company is a local success story built from foundations right here in East Lancashire and the manufacturer of good quality office furniture for distribution across the globe.  I spent around 9 weeks working at the Accrington plant two summers ago, following the end of my contract with Darwen Aldridge Academy.  The job involved working on a bench from 6am until 5pm each day, building ergonomic chairs.

It’s not a role I particularly enjoyed, but despite the lack of windows, fresh air, social interaction and opportunities to actually move my legs…it paid the bills.  They also did a damn good breakfast in the in-house canteen too!

The problem was that as a result of taking the job via the agency, I was only able to collect minimum wage.  Meanwhile, the guys working with and around me were collecting anything from £2 to £5 more per hour and thus, I’d be in for two hours overtime each morning just to make my wage up.  In turn, a 10 hour day combined with a 5am wake-up call made it difficult to concentrate on job applications on an evening and herewith, a vicious cycle ensued.

“Thanks for the kind offer our kid” I reply, “but I’ll stick it out for a couple more weeks”.  Hopefully, the chance will still be available if needs must.

Finally, I attended an appointment with a gentleman called Andrew McAvoy of Blackburn Enterprise this afternoon.  Andrew is a qualified accountant and as an employee of this government-funded trust, he’s been helping me with the financials on my pipe dream of opening up my own wine bar/coffee shop.  We’ve met four times now over the last two months and despite him being very impressed with my Business Plan and ideas, it’s difficult for us to project solid footfall estimates based on the current marketplace.  In short, the project needs approximately £55K to get off the ground and I have precisely …Zilch. 

The main aim of the concept is to provide a classy alternative to the two high street coffee bars and independent café’s in Blackburn town centre.  Even more importantly, the business would represent the first significant investment into the night time economy for many years, adding a fresh, vibrant, atmospheric and sophisticated venue to the evening circuit.

By day, the bar would serve a range of competitively priced coffee, smoothies, fruit juices and supplementary drinks to enjoy within the premises or to take away.  The menu would include tasty, convenient and reasonably priced food, focusing on fresh and healthy local produce. 

Uniquely for the town, the coffee shop would have soft, comfortable furnishing, multi-media entertainment, contemporary music and wi-fi accessibility.

By night, the bar would transform into an inviting social spot to snack and meet in the early evening, before dancing with cocktails through the night.  LED lighting would help transform the ambience of the bar into a warm, funky, electro-inspired bar for the discerning drinker, complemented by a crisp, sophisticated sound system and the coolest DJ’s and live music around.

All of this would be encased within the unique and iconic building of the vacant Waterloo Pavilion building on Church Street, mixing old with new and enjoying views over the historic Blackburn Cathedral.  The pavilion building sits on a pedestrianised route adjacent to the brand new £66million extension of the shopping Mall and the new home to Blackburn market.  Footfall from shoppers here is complemented by a student population of 12,000 students and 19,000 commuters, whilst the town’s main bus and rail terminus is within 60 seconds walk of the premises.

That’s the dream, but how do I make it a reality?  I really feel there’s a gap in the market for a quality venue, and that the working class young public of Blackburn would welcome a funky new bar in the town.  But why haven’t Smith & Jones, JD Wetherspoons, Nando’s or Pizza Express taken up this ideal location, which brims with potential?

My next step is a business meeting with an old acquaintance tomorrow evening.  He’s got lots of links and contacts within the business, but selling my car, taking out an unsecured loan and ‘betting the ranch’ to make this dream become a reality, would surely be my biggest gamble yet.

Thanks for reading once again, and many blessings to you all

Jason