For self employed business people

[T.H. Oughts]

I've been in business for about 10 years now. I'm onto my second business now of 8 years. I love being my own boss, it not only means that I can play at Lit when I want to, but it means I don't have to put up with people who don't have a creative enough mind to think outside the square.

I started my latest business because people where not offering me enough money for the product I wanted to produce. (writing books) I was already in the writing/publishing industry so I decided to start my own publishing company and export the books internationaly that I write. I built a wonderful monster that keeps my day busy.

Though late last year the work load was starting to take it's toll on my heath so I have backed away from a lot of the work I used to do via the publishing company.

So what made you decide to start your own business??

What motivates you to keep being self employed?

Is being self employed what you thought it was going to be?

 

[T.H. Oughts]

Bumping for the night crowd.

 

[Dragon Dreamer]

So what made you decide to start your own business??

What motivates you to keep being self employed?

Is being self employed what you thought it was going to be?

Well, for the next two weeks, I will still be self employed, running my own used bookstore. The business is closing, but I hope that sometime in the near future, I will be re-opening in a new location.

I have always wanted to own a bookstore, and that's why I started it. It's still my dream, just not fiscally possible at the moment. What makes me keep wanting to do it is the love I have for it.
In some ways it is what I thought it would be, and in some ways it isn't. I expected the long hours and tight budgets, what I didn't expect was the bad advice I got from the firm I payed good money to for market research. But you live and learn, and I won't make the same mistakes twice.

 

[T.H. Oughts]

Re: Re: For self employed business people

what I didn't expect was the bad advice I got from the firm I payed good money to for market research. But you live and learn, and I won't make the same mistakes twice.

Yes it is not often I take advice from some person who has only been to university. Nothing beats the hands on knowledge of having been in a industry.

I have often thought that is I went into a retail shop business it would be a book or art supply type of shop.

 

[koalabear]

So what made you decide to start your own business?
Tired of making money for idiots.

What motivates you to keep being self employed?
Just retired

Is being self employed what you thought it was going to be? [/B]
It was great!

 

[Siren]

Re: Re: For self employed business people

 

[koalabear]

Re: Re: Re: For self employed business people

Now why would anyone want to stiff a poor lawyer!

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

[T.H. Oughts]

Re: Re: Re: For self employed business people

No, as a lawyer, I hate also having to be a bill collector to get some clients to pay me the retainer they agreed to pay when it is not all paid upfront......a lesson learned, if they cant pay it all upfront or within 3 -4 payments, they will stiff ya and getting off a case is very difficult indeed.

Because I export 90% of what I sell my customers pay me before the product leaves me.

The retail clients in NZ here that I sell to I do not run accounts for. Money first and then they get the product. I have seen too many businesses go under because of accounts not being paid so I made that rule right from the beginning.

I also have a good mailorder business with my books here in NZ for the public, so they pay me before I send out orders.

 

[Siren]

Koalabear

 

[koalabear]

I always had large angry ape like construction workers to collect for me. Never was a problem, unless I was waiting on the Gov. to pay their bills!

 

[T.H. Oughts]

Re: Koalabear

If I dont get paid, then I have a problem.
If I spend hours working for a client that doesnt pay me, that is time away from working for someone that will pay me.

Yep, I know what you mean. It does not matter what type of business you run. If you give someone a service they should pay for that service. Unless of course if the sevice provided was not up to scratch, then go play by the law.

How much a person charges for a service if up to them, the public in most cases do not realise the hours and training that some people have to go through to get qualified at their job. Or how many hours through the night we are working to get the job done for them.

 

[1stTwistedSistr]

Hey all! What a great question!

So what made you decide to start your own business??
What motivates you to keep being self employed?

Is being self employed what you thought it was going to be?

What motivated me?

Well I have a custom made beaded jewelry biz. and what really motivated me was the demand for the product that, even with the multitude of indian reservations in my area, wasn't being met. I've been in it for 15 years now.

What keeps me motivated?

The demand for my product really hasn't waned, and there are several clients in the entertainment business that are constantly needing new and different product. Besides it keeps my creative juices flowing, which in turn makes me a happy camper!

Is it what I thought it would be?

That and so much more. Not only do I have an outlet for my creativity, it makes me some serious bucks! And, I've met some of the most fascinating people this way... I've recently been talking to a screenwriter that has written a movie that will go into production later this year and he's asked me to design and create all of the jewelry for the movie! I'm too excited!

Cherrie

 

[Laurel]

What motivates you to keep being self employed?

The spectre of the Asshole Boss.

If I'm going to have an Asshole Boss, it'd better be me.

 

[VanB]

I started working for myself because I got pissed off with making money for other people and not being fairly rewarded for it.

Now i like the freedom I have to take on clients and projects that interest me and to turn away non profitable business.

If someone doesn't pay I sue them - you don't need clients that don't pay so it doesn't matter if you upset them.

What keeps me going - financial freedom, the opportunity to learn, the buzz from closing a deal and knowing that the benefit is mine.

Is it what I thought it would be? Yes that and so much more - I havene't regretted it for one second and I'm 11 years in.

 

[T.H. Oughts]

the buzz from closing a deal and knowing that the benefit is mine.

I know what you mean, I've just got off the phone from talking to a client at Hampton Court. Because I telephoned after getting their email order I was able to double the order size. YES!

Ok, it's 11pm at night and I should not be working, but with the UK 12 hours behind me she would have been asleep if I had rung at my 4pm.....

Though she did have a very sexy voice, I bet is sounds more lovely at 3am her time.

 

[T.H. Oughts]

Re: Re: For self employed business people

If I'm going to have an Asshole Boss, it'd better be me.

I'm sure there are weeks we put in more hours than we would for a boss we worked for.

 

[SINthysist]

Being self-employed is the best and the worst...

In my first career, I had to sell myself and continually kiss client ass.

In my current career, others sell me and kiss my ass.




[Read into it what you will - T.H. will know where I am coming from, OS!]

 

[unclej]

i've been self employed since 1982 and wouldn't change for the world. in 1976 i went to work for a growing company involved in the personnel/recruiting business. the business grew and i eventually became vp of personnel. i was dedicated, worked many hours and was totally sold on the company. because of some expensive habits on the part of the owner and a downturn in the industry the company went bankrupt and i found myself unemployed and heavily in debt. i made a promise to myself then to never put all my eggs into someone else's basket again. i haven't.

at this point i'm too spoiled to go to work for someone else and no one would hire me anyway after all these years but self employment has provided me with a very good income and the freedom to pursue whatever interests me at the moment.

 

[Wave_Rider]

13 years of hard work and luck

have allowed me to build my "small" entertainment company into one that is now recognized as one of the "players" in the "Jungle O' Hollywood." Before I started my company I was a partner in a Real Estate developement company: huge salary, many perks, lots of travel; however the other partner was my father in law. Enough said.

What I especially will remember of the first few years was the myriad of emotions each day, each week. The thrill of a challenge, fear, responsibility to pay my one employee, etc, the fight to attract new clients.

I can never see myself working for anyone else again. I love the challenges, and the freedoms, self ownership provides.

 

[T.H. Oughts]

i made a promise to myself then to never put all my eggs into someone else's basket again. i haven't.

Diversity is the key these days I think. When one part of the business is slow you can tap into another part. I not only publish the books and export them but have a mailorder business in NZ with them. I tutor my art also part time. I freelance write for magazines in the art world internatinaly. I seem to always to have variety in my day and when one area is slow I have another area to work in.

I have seen my Inlaws in busness all their lives. They have had a myrid of businesses and have had the diversity to allow for seasonal work and then the boring "bread and butter" stuff. Because they have diversity they have always had a good income. Though I think the thing is to have the diversity in feilds that compliment each other in some way or can be worked from the same building.

I know without my Inlaws I would not have had the guts to go into business for myself. My own family are the "work for someone else to make a living" people. Where my inlaws are the "do the numbers and if they stack up, go for it."

 

[calif_hunk_2002]

I've been in business for about 10 years now. I'm onto my second business now of 8 years. I love being my own boss, it not only means that I can play at Lit when I want to, but it means I don't have to put up with people who don't have a creative enough mind to think outside the square.

I started my latest business because people where not offering me enough money for the product I wanted to produce. (writing books) I was already in the writing/publishing industry so I decided to start my own publishing company and export the books internationaly that I write. I built a wonderful monster that keeps my day busy.

Though late last year the work load was starting to take it's toll on my heath so I have backed away from a lot of the work I used to do via the publishing company.

So what made you decide to start your own business??

To be my own Boss. Sense of Security and Achievement.[B/]

What motivates you to keep being self employed?

Just the thought of not having a BOSS.[B/]

Is being self employed what you thought it was going to be?

Yes and more.[B/]