Business update!
Hey, wow! Magenta Stripe Media is now an officially registered business with the city of San Francisco!
Well, almost. The sole proprietorship of Charlotte Koch (that’s me) has been officially registered and now I have a Business Account Number with the city. The next step is to file a Fictitious Business Name such that “Magenta Stripe Media” becomes officially synonymous with “Charlotte Koch’s business.” I would’ve just marched right up to city hall tomorrow with the paperwork, but – surprise – most city functions are actually closed tomorrow for Dianne Feinstein’s memorial service. It makes sense, honestly. She was kind of a big deal here.
But the point is, for all intents and purposes, Magenta Stripe Media officially commenced business on October 4, 2023. That’s just so cool. The fact that I can actually, legitimately say this is kind of a dream come true.
I feel rewarded, but all of this work to set up my own business has honestly been kind of strenuous. I can likely say my experience has been more fraught than usual, because of the particulars of my current situation.
Overall, I’m beginning to realize that, counterintuitively, it would have been a lot easier to go through this whole process while I still had a full-time job. At the absolute minimum, I would have felt more secure about certain things. I’m sorry that I sound rather vague right now, but there are a few details that I’m not willing to share with the world at the moment.
What I can tell you right now is that I lost my job in mid-August, which was Extremely Not Part of The Plan. I had thought about quitting on my own terms and on my own schedule, but instead I got laid off… prematurely, from my perspective. Basically, I wasn’t prepared for the accelerated schedule.
But taking into account the little successes I’ve garnered over the past few days, it really does seem as though my ducks are in a row.
Writing news
I’ve been extremely focused on the business/planning side of things, and not very much time dedicated to actually writing. In particular, Wolfskull has not seen as much development as I had anticipated. The original release date of December 2023 is extremely unrealistic at this point. January 2024 is much more doable. I ought to reset everyone’s expectations, including my own.
In the meanwhile, I have been aggressively pre-planning, outlining and plotting what will become Novel #2 and Novel #3. I’m dying to leave behind some teasers for y’all, to give you something to ponder over and play with. Not yet, though… one thing at a time.
(Actually, if you’ve been paying very close attention to my Mastodon feed you might be able to guess what they will be about…)