Who run's their own business?

Associate
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Just wondering what members of this forum who run their own business (or are thinking of doing so/or would like to) actually do/(like to do).

Do you enjoy it?

Are the rewards worth it?

Etc, etc.

Just fill us in with the details. How long have you been doing it? You get the idea, just interested in how many members are working for themselves.

Oh, if you dont mind, age please as well.

Stax
 
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interesting thread mate... im curious about the ins and outs of small business too... but more specifically the ins and outs of certain industries as opposed to generalities of business... any florists here? i walk past an interflora now and then and always wonder about the industry...

i mean who grows up dreaming of being a florist? ... stock broker, astronaut, formula 1 driver, but florist? hehe

cheers
 
Soldato
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Did seriously look at starting an ebay buisness, selling various bits and bobs (don't want to say incase i decide to give the same thing a second try). Got as far as trying it out while working but sales were far less than expected from research so i gave up. Lost about £300 and 100+ hrs but the experiance was well worth it and i am going to try again probably with a different product.

Loved every minuite of doing it though and the effort was well worth what the benefits could have been, just didn't work out that time.

Aged 20 btw.
 
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Am just trying to get my own PC repair business up and running at the moment:

Link removed - no business promotion

Nothing new here, just been repairing PC's for companies for most my life and dont see why I should continue making someone else money.

Am 28 now, so would be good if I got it going before I was 30.

am also interested in the questions you've asked, but more specifically business banking (see other thread here: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17604457)
 
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28, been doing a callout PC repair service for about 5 years now. Getting a bit bored of it now though as I want to get back into engineering. On the other hand I get by on working about 2-3 days a week and muck about making stuff in the garage the rest of the time.
 

Tru

Tru

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OcUK Peoples Champion
I ran a wee IT support business (as a sole trader) for a couple of years, I enjoyed it at the time but my heart wasn't in it for the long term. Doing the work and meeting clients was great but I couldn't be arsed with the minutiae like accounts and crap.

As a person you need to be a lot of things to make your own business work; driven, organised, passionate (about your work, obviously), dedicated etc, and you can forget about being particularly socially active. You need to have a plan, a vision of where your company will be in 5 and 10 years time and unless you know exactly how to get it there, you can forget it.

You always hear successful businessmen being described as charismatic and confident, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. It's the calculating, and usually ruthless, person that lies behind that who achieves success.
 
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Soldato
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The_KiD said:
Am just trying to get my own PC repair business up and running at the moment:

Link removed - no business promotion

Nothing new here, just been repairing PC's for companies for most my life and dont see why I should continue making someone else money.

Am 28 now, so would be good if I got it going before I was 30.

am also interested in the questions you've asked, but more specifically business banking (see other thread here: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17604457)

I noticed you didn't have a normal number, how about getting a voip setup in your house which means you can buy a number its cheaper than renting a new line.

A draytek Vigor2800V / Vigor2800VG should do the job
 
Soldato
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I sell my body for a living....

Jokes :p

Although my mum had her own small business selling designer baby clothes. lasted a good few year but she got bored so gave it up lol.

My old next door neibour used to (and still does I think due to the 4x4 been full of parcels all the time) buy and sell stuff on ebay. Must make a decent amount to carry on doing it this long.
 
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I used to run a business with my beloved OH for many years. We were in the catering business and used to work from 6 in the morning until whenever at night, 7 days a week. We ended up completely exhausted and never saw the family. The beaurocracy is endless, the red tape mind numbing and the paperwork mountainous. Only gave up when the beloved OH had a serious accident.

Would we do it again? Probably, but smaller scale and somewhere else eg. France. You need to be self motivated, confident, able to juggle many balls at once and keep going no matter what. Get lots of advice before you start anything and learn by others mistakes.
 
Associate
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I'm 20 and I'd love to do my own little business thing. Unfortunately I don't really have any marketable skills yet. I looked into the whole Ebay buying/selling thing but it's very inconsistent.
 
Soldato
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Do you enjoy it?

Yes I do at the moment its not like having a normal job, if im not at university I can be working from 8 in the morning to 11 at night. I am constantly in the car going from meeting to meeting. My phone never stops ringing, I literally never mange to get through a meal without my phone going off.

Are the rewards worth it?
Yes they are, its a lot of hard work but at the end of the day I am my own boss and I make enough to pay for university, my cars and watches. I meet lots and lots of interesting people.

How long have you been doing it?
3 and half years. It did not make any money for the first 2 years.

age please as well.
24
 
Associate
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I've been running my own biz for about 10 years now and wouldn't/ couldn't work for an organisation now even if I tried.

That said, I work with lots of organisations as part of a team to get a project finished, but at the end of day I answer to myself.

This has an upside and a downside.

Upside: It's great - you work the hours you want, on your terms, and to your strategy.

Downside: It's ****** hard to find the motivation sometimes to do anything (OCUK aside ;) You have to force yourself to get motivated, etc.

I generally create music/ video for broadcast and net and weeks can go by without an actual contract I'm working on.
At the end of the day it's down to you. Any fool can start up their own business - but any fool can starve as well.
You have to be well determined to make it work and that's usually born of a dislike of being told what to do by others.

Oh, and a good idea ready to fit a niche market!
Good Luck and go for it.
 
Associate
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this is something i have always wanted to do, but part-time alongside my 'proper' job. i never really seem to be able to find any concrete information on running a business as a sole trader whilst still in permanent employment though. from what it looks like it's 'just' a case of keeping books and filling in a tax return at the end of the year... but im 100% sure that is no where near as simple as it sounds!!! to do it all legit, of course(!), would probably make it not worth it from a financial standpoint!
 
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atomiser said:
this is something i have always wanted to do, but part-time alongside my 'proper' job. i never really seem to be able to find any concrete information on running a business as a sole trader whilst still in permanent employment though. from what it looks like it's 'just' a case of keeping books and filling in a tax return at the end of the year... but im 100% sure that is no where near as simple as it sounds!!! to do it all legit, of course(!), would probably make it not worth it from a financial standpoint!

You're not wrong. Sorry to get ever so slightly political but a certain chancellor with the first name Gordon, has NOT made it easy for small business Startups over the last few years. The biggest thing being Invoicing laws - absolutely crippling for a small business (with stressed cashflow) to have to wait for some BIG company to pay Invoices at their liesure - sometimes 90 days. OK for them - end of show for the limited cashflow small business.

Damn nearly sunk me a few times.
That having been ranted there are plenty of schemes and grants available to the "Guy With A Good Idea".
Business Link should be a first port of call if you're serious.
(Won't post the link as don't want to upset MODs) google it.
 
Soldato
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Derby
I'll do it for my Dad if you want:

Do you enjoy it?

Did until a few years ago.

Are the rewards worth it?

I get paid craploads but still hate it and still have to drive up and down the country all week.

What is it?

Civil & Structural Engineering Contractor
Project Management contractor.

How long have you been doing it?

Err, since 1971 he had his charters by 25. (Which is impressive)

Age - 58.

And he's retiring soon so he can fix his 1938 Morris 8. :)
 
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