Help!!! my daughter has lost her mind!

[kr2y5]

You definitely want to talk to the boyfriend, with a baseball bat. Tell her to find a new one who wants to actually work and support a family. Don't be afraid to voice your opinion.

If you voice your opinion, but the other person is not even listening, then you will not get anywhere, all they will hear is "I don't believe in you" or "you're not grown up enough to decide for yourself", and that's just going to trigger allergic reaction. To the contrary, I'd try to help, and together start to look for a professional who can help develop a business plan and sort out the logistics, and whom SHE could consider credible and unbiased. I'd let her take the lead in the process. Maybe this entrepreneurial experience is what she's looking for? Eventually, either she will turn out to be a natural, or more likely, before moving to Puerto Rico, and getting too committed, she may realize this is way over her head, and that she depends on the parents for money and guidance. I'd think that the ability to help in realizing (some of) her dreams is one thing that a parent has to offer, and a major source of influence in this negotiation, and that's not strictly about money, but she will have to understand that first...

 

[ams511]

From a 21 year old student:

From a 50 year-old college professor:

You are very naive. College degrees are a dime a dozen and having one to fall back on doesn't necessarily mean much. When an employer is looking to hire someone who do you think they prefer? A fresh grad serious about starting a career or a paddle bum that has been out of school a while and did nothing in the profession? Whose skills do you think will be fresher and whose knowledge more current?

Also business cycles go up and down so when it comes time for you to "settle down" the job market could be poor. Your college may offer career services to alumni but will always promote graduating students first.

In my opinion you are making a mistake but it is your life. My advice is to keep in contact with the people you worked with during the co-op and your fellow students. Real contact not Facebook. Keep your network current and active.

---------- Post added February 26th, 2014 at 08:30 PM ----------

If you voice your opinion, but the other person is not even listening, then you will not get anywhere, all they will hear is "I don't believe in you" or "you're not grown up enough to decide for yourself", and that's just going to trigger allergic reaction. To the contrary, I'd try to help, and together start to look for a professional who can help develop a business plan and sort out the logistics, and whom SHE could consider credible and unbiased. I'd let her take the lead in the process. Maybe this entrepreneurial experience is what she's looking for? Eventually, either she will turn out to be a natural, or more likely, before moving to Puerto Rico, and getting too committed, she may realize this is way over her head, and that she depends on the parents for money and guidance. I'd think that the ability to help in realizing (some of) her dreams is one thing that a parent has to offer, and a major source of influence in this negotiation, and that's not strictly about money, but she will have to understand that first...

Interesting advice however I would not "help" like you suggested but ask the guy for a business plan and ask many questions in a non-confrontational way. If they guy cannot answer them then maybe the daughter will realize that her boyfriend is clueless.

 

[tamas970]

I admit I was lazy to read all posts, just my 0.02$:
Having seen a few dive businesses inside, I can state with confidence,
NONE of them does 72k/year/employee (even if that employee is the boss).
Haven't dove on those pricey GBR liveaboards though, but the cost of entry to that
market is a different world than Puerto Rico.

Does the boyfriend have any diving experience???

I know, talking doesn't help much in this situation, I could only suggest her to
get through a diving course and keep her eyes open how the business looks like,
how much time is needed to become an instructor, etc. This can be done on a
spring brake vacation in Cozumel or anywhere else.

Other thing to consider: being a reputable/profitable dive business means you
have a good instructor - not someone with 100 dives rashed through the courses.

Speaking about cost of entry:
You need at least:
- 2 rooms space (check out rentals in PR)
- 10-20k$ worth of dive equipment
- compressor (~5k$)
- others (tools for servicing, furniture etc), maybe another 5-10k$
- GOOD website, ads.

Running costs:
- salaries for 2-3 (that 72k$/year ): instructor, technician
- maintenance
- taxes, insurances, licenses.

Optional: boat(!) with all its costs.

 

[THal]

Chances are this will be very short lived or very successful. There is no gray area. She is 21. She doesn't know what she wants yet so just stand by and let her make her own mistakes being there to catch her when she falls which is the most likely of circumstances unfortunately. I can confidently say that a woman with a PHD is smart enough to see stupid when she encounters it. Right now it's just a pipe dream. They will figure out that it takes more than just want to start a business like that, or any business for that matter. Plus I am pretty sure to run a dive business you have to be pretty experienced in that hobby. They have no money to start out with? How is this going to happen then? I say, don't worry. Just tell her "good luck" and await her swift return. This is from a Mothers perspective as well as someone who dives. Chasing pretty fish is a hobby. Running a dive company is work. I just started diving last year. Being a diver is challenging enough. And not cheap. No money, no diving. Hopefully that makes you feel a tiny bit better. P.s. PADI won't allow them to start a business in diving anyway without a number of dives under their belts from what I have read in other posts. They have pretty tight regulations when it comes to being a Dive Master let alone run a business. But don't take my word on that for sure. I'm a newbie myself. But she has never dove before so she doesn't even know if she will like it.