A
female
age
41-50,
anonymous
writes:My fiance told me yesterday he wants to carry on the magic of Christmas year-round to deserving people.But here's the catch; we're not mega-rich. Not poor, but middle-class.He says apart from the presents (who doesn't like presents at Christmas unless they're Scrooge??) he likes the whole magic of Christmas, the run-up to it, the day itself.Now he wants to start his own business helping people and doing massive surprises.No surprise really, since when we'd started dating, like 18 months in, he'd got me a massive surprise, wangled a beauty therapist to get me a special day and Thai massage, he'd got them to come to my house and do it, paid them a decent some of money. He had to tell me first, obviously, but goddamn it was good.He's also delivered Christmas presents anonymously pre-pandemic, around 5 years ago, when he delivered some toys to kids he'd bought from a local shop, didn't want fanfare for doing this. He claims "best $200 I ever spent".Don't get me wrong, he's a big-hearted guy.However, my worry is how he'll get this venture off to a good start, since he doesn't know anything about how to run this sort of business, he only knows about the side involving doing the actual help.I'm pleased for him and glad he found something he enjoys, but am I wrong to worry his business idea may prove problematic for someone like him who knows little about the charity sector and has spent most of his life working in marketing or in pizza restaurants as in-between jobs? (Apparently he took the pizza jobs as a way to keep his hand in at customer service-related stuff and not becoming one of "the suits", so he said).I'm not against his idea, just worrying about the practicalities of it.Is what he's doing noble, or is it too risky?
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female
reader, Honeypie  + ♥, writes (22 March 2022):
 Why not find one of the MANY MANY charities that help people in need? Or charities like "make a wish foundation"?
I don't really see how anyone can build a profitable business giving stuff away.
And yeah, having a business that isn't profitable is not sustainable. (even non-profit charities are in need of some kind of income).
Also, if you two move in together at some point, is he going to rely on YOUR income for bills? While he has fun giving stuff away?
A
reader, anonymous, writes (22 March 2022): I've set up and run a lot of businesses, all successful.
I could have tired years ago when in my thirties.
But I enjoy working so I carry on. Your boyfriend's idea is led by emotion, by wanting to feel a joy, not common sense. It has no chance of breaking even let alone making money.
It's a dream. A fantasy. Any time he spends on it is wasted, any money that goes into it, and he could spend a fortune on it if he had it to spare, is down the drain.
You need commercial ideas to make money even if it is just to make enough to live on. It's very easy to take his money and buy gifts with it, he will not make money out of it. People will not pay him to arrange this, they can easily do it themselves.
Years ago there were singing telegrams and visiting happy birthday peeps in costumes etc. It died a death. People resented the cost of it and did not think it good value for money. Nowadays a lot of people are trying to work out ways to do things the enjoy and get paid for it. Life is not that convenient. Real work is often long hours doing things other people could never do and have no skill set for. There are no short cuts. I get an average of a hundred people a week contact me nagging me for a job because I pay well. 99% of them have no skills whatsoever, how realistic is that?
They are tempted by the good wages and trying to convince me they are worth a lot of money when they have no skills?
This is the same situation my dear. If he is used to working at a pizza place delivering or serving that is his skill set. Ignore this big talk about how he did that stuff rather than be in a suit. He did that stuff because it's much easier and needs less skills and less brains. Not through choice. Am also wondering why you say you are middle class. All the people I know who are middle class have a lot of money and plenty of them retired young.
Those that do work do very well paid careers/businesses/professions, not pizza joints and not being unemployed.
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