January 22th, 2020 - help! bureaucracy tries to whack me!
EDITED Feb 11th : removed the no-longer-needed links and files.
Okay guys, no GemSuite news today, but rather business-creation-bureaucracy-related cry for help.
Today was my third and last appointment with the structure that guides business creators here, and besides the "destructive critique" that I'll have to make towards what the administration of my country considers my future local "competitors" (they can't understand what a tightly knit community like this one is), I'm also required to produce around ten "will buy cut stones from this guy" written letters from jewelers and collectors.
They are not in the know for the software, because, well, bureaucracy, y'know? ("i ain't got no box to tick for two such different jobs, sir"). Not contractual by any means, the admin'z just demand proof that I have a network of potential buyers, before giving me the funds that I need and requested for the faceting machine.
Many of you have reached out to me, and I thank you so much for being here. As is often the case with paperwork, there are certain formulae that administrations are used to, so here are two different templates that you can use as a starting (or ending) point : one in French, and an almost untouched automatic English translation. Don't hesitate to make changes if you're fluent in bureaucracy - I'm definitely not. Besides inserting your name, address, and stating wether you're a jeweler, collector or museum curator (you never know, I'd love a letter from the Smithsonian - who wouldn't?) there's not much to add, unless you want to include your own background in the gemstone business - which is always nice and helps show the adminz that we mean business. And that is it. You can send them back as is (Word document) or as a PDF to my dedicated e-mail address.
If you look closely you'll find my boring real name in there (and my snail-mail address). You don't necessarily need to provide your full address (I didn't), a ZIP code, city and country will be enough.
Why the nickname, you might ask yourself? Well, it's not exactly the proper thing to do to have a facebook account with your real name when you're a physicist/college/high school teacher in France, so I went with my artist nickname and stuck with it after resigning from teaching duties.
Luv you all ❤
Tom, a.k.a. Ludwig Von Sodabowski