The locals may well do hence the demise of the pound shop

As for me Oi'm not from round these parts

 

There isn't much I don't buy from Sainsbury's or amazon these days, except for coffee/tea, lunch, etc.

 

First thing to do is pass your test and get a bike of your own, then. Even if you don't really want to do it for the fun of it, from a commercial standpoint, you'll need the knowledge and experience, to speak the same language and to understand the needs and motives of other motorcyclists. You need expertise, and that only comes from actually using the kit that you sell. If you're even thinking about getting into the industry, get those lessons booked now.

Some riders do it because it's cheap transport and just an everyday necessity, but for many (most?) of us it's about enjoying the experience and making new friends. Biking is a very social thing, and your customers will engage you in conversation about what you ride. You'll enjoy the whole venture a whole lot more, and be a great deal more successful, if you're a biker yourself and have some experiences to share.

You'll need whatever competitive advantages you can get too. Bike and accessory dealers are having a hard time, seriously. Google 'George White' and 'Hein Gericke' and have a read.

 

Learning to ride a motorbike will make you a better car driver too.

 

Open a bike shop with a cafe. That way the bikers have a destination either for just somewhere to stop off to have a drink or to actually shop for stuff.

 

In grimsby you can buy a shop with a flat above for 28k

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/commercia...-38533019.html

 

The sex shop in kettering seems to do quite well

 

Whats that to the right - a shop selling Eastern European slaves?

 

I'm not that sure on France Matteeboy, do you like Hollande's socialism and taxes?

 

I don't think he was just talking about markets and money but more about 'life quality' or whatever you want to call it. In the anglo saxon world this is a concept we don't get, everything could be going to **** but so long as our home is worth loads of money we think all is right in the world.

 

but it's grimsby the clue is in the first 4 letters , horrible place

 

Absolutely right.

We are a nation of angry, selfish, jealous goons all living on the never never and putting perceived wealth above all else.

We should chill out, think more about life quality and drink more wine.

 

Agree to a point with those sentiments, but holiday return mode has made you think the grass is greener on the other side, whereas it could be argued that it is parched and wasp infested, and that because their caravan park residents eat baguettes they are all OK. The context of the thread seemed more relevant to the ease of starting a business and operating it in a relatively business friendly economy. Britain is still a great place to run a business.

I don't think we are a nation as described. From the ones I see, we are a nation of mainly hard working, honest, respectful, capable, considerate and genuinely nice people and am optimistic about the future of our country. If I thought the Great British public were as described I think my status would be "burnt out". Returning from holiday can be disappointing, but let's get things in perspective old chap?

 

To chill out, have a good quality of life and drink lots of wine you need plenty of money.

You can miss out the middle one and just chill out and drink but that just makes you a Jeremy Kyle special.

 

I think British society is making everyone more atomised and thus more 'selfish' and materialistic, we are gutting society of all its civic/social capital and you are left with fake crap like 'lympic spirit and 'the big society' rhetoric which is erected to screen the true ugly nature of a society were exchange value is all there is.

Aren't you a Doctor John? You are thus very insulated from the precariousness of modern Britain. Same goes for most professionals and many middle class people. Only the 'good' stuff is seen such as rising house prices and cheap immigrant builders.

Our society isn't as ruthless and brutal as many 3rd world countries but precariousness is something we are told is good for us and necessary.

 

I may personally be insulated from poverty now, but that is because I grew up in it (did you get teased for having free school meals, steal food because you were hungry or see a child psychiatrist because of your family dynamics?) and realised that hard work was a way out of it, I did not play the victim, and only cite my ex-poverty credentials here to give you some perspective. I have employed no immigrant builders and do a lot of the grafting on my buildings myself. I deal with the highs and lows of our society daily. Have you dealt with a pregnant 13 year old, an isolated and poor elderly person dying of cancer at home or crawled around in a dark hallway on a **** and **** soaked carpet resuscitating someone? Your assumptions about my exposure to and experience of poverty are dead wrong. Do I value material success and achievement now? You bet I do, because for me and others it is the way out of an evil situation. When you are hungry and poor you don't have the energy to debate these things, it is luxury reserved for the well fed. Today in the UK, poverty seems often to be more about obesity, poor lifestyle choices and throwing away the responsibilities that go with being recipients of welfare state benefits. For me, those free school meals and free education did me well.

 

Great post John.

 

Matteeboy post was alluding to things we might call social capital which don't easily have an exchange value attached to them, but I see you immediately try and reduce everything down to the individual and money. This is the kind of reductive and 'econometric' thinking in the Anglo Saxon world that I have a problem with. It's as if there are no social problems, only individual ones and everything can be solved by the individual voluntarily making themselves more bourgeois and/or the government lowering taxes.

Even in the realm of individuals economic life I'm not sure I agree with your narrative, and that is what it is...a truth, a point of view; this is where I am in a position of power, now lets rationalise it and tell a story, legitimise it, explain it as a reward for my 'worth', let's draw a line between me and the lower value people, make them authors of their own failure as I claim authorship of my own success, all is right in the world. If only they could become like me they would be saved, if only they could become more bourgeois.

You know what this is completely chauvinistic!

 

I think you have me spot on and I am not ashamed of these views. Champagne socialists can debate poverty all they like whilst spending other people's money and effectively keep most subjugated to them. Not being poor gives freedom. Grit is the way out of poverty, policy to reward grit is what I will keep voting for. I watch multiple families over years and the decisions they make and their attitudes are the biggest predictors of their health and happiness. None of them get away with calling me privileged or saying I don't understand their ****ty situation but I will support them to the hilt if they want to help themselves out of it. Funnily enough I have a rapport with my patients that cuts through class and politics and have a great mutual respect with a massive proportion of my patients based on surveys of them. So I guess I am doing something right.

 

Go to any large city and there are an enormous number of places to eat.

 

You might like to read this

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013...-packer-review

 

No one's home is worth any money because you need it to live in. If you sell it, you need another one. Therefore it is worthless. Worse than that, it is a giant pit that you throw money at each month. It only becomes worthless once you have paid off the mortgage and even then it's needs maintaining. In financial terms, it's a "liability".

A house that you don't live in but own and use to generate income - that's an "asset".

All these TV shows that went on about "increasing the value of your home" fooled millions of people into thinking their homes are somehow an asset.

Anyway, back on topic - shops are still a capped income. You can only get so many people round a table or through the door each day, so there will come a time where you can't squeeze any more money out of it.

 

Nick Ross from crime watch made over 25 million from his home, tax free!!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/...id-for-it.html

So he might disagree with you

 

We stayed with mates who live there and run their own business. Their kids are at a school there (aged 3 and 5) and our four year old went with us to pick them up; they really do value kids over there but also place huge importance on politeness and inclusiveness. So kids seem better behaved and more polite.

Then look at the infrastructure; yes both countries are also in financial mire but we are both worse off and have absolutely nothing to show for it; they have a fantastic transport infrastructure, they have a health system that seems to work better.

Sure it's tough and the early days of living there sound hard but our mates swear they'd never ever move back.

I value the freedom we have to make our own way and I'm very happy with our current lot (although not complacent like many who are doing okay) but this country is falling to bits, it has nothing to fall back on once property does actually crash (it will; trust me) and we take too many values from a nation that largely depresses me; the USA.

Ding; for decent Bordeaux and Rioja for around £2, you don't need to be wealthy to drink a lot of wine. We only took back 30 bottles but could have gone mad.

Cold can of Coke in Spain? 55 Euro cents. San Miguel? 35!!!!

Both countries also have proper mountains and great surf which is nice.

Life is good here but it does make us wonder.

 

The French can be even colder than the Cornish to outsiders, if that is possible

 

Try the Basques - my word; as welcoming as the BNP are to Muslims!

We found the French pretty friendly overall- it may help that my French is fairly decent (miles off fluent but reasonable), or something else but we generally felt welcome. I met another mate who moved out there ten years ago near the Ardeche and we did some cliff diving - a slightly scary looking group of lads (big dogs, gold chains, etc) watched and we though "uh oh" yet a few minutes later they offered us a drag of their bong (we politely declined). Over here we probably would have been stabbed!

I've heard of serious xenophobia out there but try being an ex Surrey posh boy then move to a comp in Cornwall... surely NOTHING is harder than that?!!

Anyway I don't find a frosty reception a problem, more of a challenge. Someone has to be a proper miserable sod for me to give up.

 

Frosty I can deal with 'cos you can win people over, it's nice to you face but knife in the back which is more worrying.

 

I think you get that anywhere - I can think of plenty of such people in this neck of the woods.

Anyway when you are well aware most people probably think you're a ****, what more can people do to hurt you?

 

I heard that France was a nightmare to run a business in through red tape, taxes and employment laws.

 

My mates had to jump through a few hoops but nothing too bad.

The bloke is very busy (private physio), the girl has plenty on (music teacher). They aren't loaded but have a pretty cracking pad for less than the price of their flat in Walthamstow they sold five years ago:



Several acres, direct views of the Pyrenees. Much of it is knackered but they are prepared to put the work in - we "paid" for our stay by mowing the grass (my missus did this - took 6 hours!) and I did some labouring to help concrete a floor. The view from our camper (we stayed in a barn with just a roof) was of the snow capped mountains.

Now it IS very remote and wouldn't be for us but it shows what can be done with a bit of grit and determination.