Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

It`s been 1 year since my husband and I went throught Katrina with our five children. We are an online flooring store and handle local installation of flooring for ourselves and other stores. You would think flooring would be booming, but it`s just now coming into it`s own because it`s one of the last things to be put in a house when it`s reconstructed. I got an sba loan and now I owe more than my house is worth and have no savings left. I can only hope that we can keep surviving. I brought about this topic because I`m scared. I don`t know if you would call it post traumatic stress or what, I`m not sure. I keep waiting for another storm to hit. It`s been one year, and yet I`m still not out of limbo. What do you do when your life is ripped away, turned upside down, and your community and business devastated and then you`re told to live with it? I don`t know.

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Sunday Schenck
Revolutionary Flooring
www.revolutionaryflooring.com
sunday@revolutionaryflooring.com

Hello Sunday, 

Unfortunately, I do not have much in the way of advice for you other than just try to hang in there - and I am sure that is getting old. Like you said though, flooring is one of the last things to put into a house so hopefully things will start to pick up for you very soon.

Is there any way to partner up with some of the contractors in charge of re-development? Maybe offer some kind of incentive for them to recommend your company?

I can`t imagine what your family is going through right now. Just remember the saying, `what doesn`t kill you, makes you stronger`...and try to believe that.

I hope that some of the others here will have more suggestions for you. This is a great community, and you will be glad you found SUN.

Melissa

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Melissa Yamello
Owner/Designer
Storybook Studio
www.storybookstudio.net

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Thank you, Melissa, for your kind words. I fell kind of embarrassed even that I listed this, but I wonder how many other people suffer something similar and feel lost. I know it will pick up. We`ve had a lot of offers from contractors and others that are just coming in. Fortunately, we have our reputation in the industry to carry us. It is a lot though to absorb. CNN keeps running the Katrina special and everytime I`m reminded, it just brings up old wounds. The benefit of being an entrepreneur is that if I was stuck on a street cold and naked, I`d find a way to get myself and family back up and could still survive. Call it grit, call it just being too stupid to quit, I don`t know. I just needed to vent, I guess. I don`t know if any of this makes sense.

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Sunday Schenck
Revolutionary Flooring
www.revolutionaryflooring.com
sunday@revolutionaryflooring.com