Does anyone have their own business?

Loneliness, Depression & Relationship Forum

Help Support Loneliness, Depression & Relationship Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

LonelySutton

Well-known member
Joined
May 10, 2014
Messages
721
Reaction score
1
For some reason, I think people like us just do not do well in the workplace. The workplace largely I don't think looks for good employees.. I think mostly they are looking for "winners". The process of getting older at a job I think weeds out the winners from the losers. We may all start out at 25 largely the same but over the years... people get married, get "winning" spouses; get the pregnancy, get the new home... and, if you aren't like this cookie cutter image, you to some extent will be cutting years off your work life. And it all has to be in the right order or the right way.

I saw this with my dad, he had the wife and kids but wayy too late. He graduated college very late in life. And ended up out of work largely at 55. So with his work peers he was always the oldest in the room.

I have the possibility of starting my own business but I feel like that is a tremendous risk. But I also feel like everyone who does have their own business is so much happier. But also, most of them have someone who works and can support the up and down revenue. I just don't know how to do it by myself. At the same time it seems like all the really savvy people do go out on their own... and it seems as if you hang your shingle and people come a running. Everyone I know who started one is still doing it.

Anyone ?
 
I've always wanted to own my own business. I just like the idea of setting my own hours, taking vacations when I feel like it and not being constrained by an amount of vacation or personal days, and not having to answer to a boss. You still have to answer to customers, of course. But it seems different. You wouldn't necessarily get yanked around like a slave for being late or not being groomed or something petty like that - but those could still hurt you when it comes to your customers though. There's no boss dominating you, but if you lose customers over those things, it's on you.

I also like the idea that you pay yourself first, and most of all, the idea of selling the business for enough to retire early. I don't even really need extravagance. I just want my freedom and my time, I want to buy my life back. Ever since school started as a youngster I've always hated the idea of having to wake up every day to go to a place I didn't want to go, to do things I had no interest in doing. I always dreamed of the day that would end.

If I had my own business, I'd just feel that much more in control of my life. But you are right. It's a huge risk.

The problem is, I'm not an expert at anything so I don't know what kind of business I could even go into. I didn't grow up around construction or fixing cars or computers or anything like that. I have no expertise, so I can't really start any sort of business. I have no idea what I'd go into business doing.

The problem is one, I don't have training and can't afford it, and two, there isn't really a profession that jumps out at me. I am as indifferent to construction as I am to computers as I am to finance as I am to practicing law as I am to joining the military as I am to accounting. It's all just very "meh" to me. The things I like don't really work as businesses.
 
It's a huge risk. I didn't start a company, but I tried to work independently. I went from working at a day trading firm to taking medical leave, then trying to write for a living. It was a lot of pressure for me and I couldn't handle it both financially and emotionally. I'm stronger now, so I am still trying, submitting poetry and short stories to publishing firms and agents. I got some interest but I haven't gotten my big break yet.. I do freelance editing for a publishing firm, but it's not what I would call a home business as it's part-time work. My bf started a record label about 6 years ago, and only this year is he seeing a decent profit. He had to do some part-time work over the years to pay the bills, but at this point, he can work from home and still contribute to half of our expenses. But he does work a good 16 hours some days and he's kind of "on call" all the time for his clients. A "weekend" doesn't exist for him yet.
 
TheSkaFish said:
Well, I will give you an idea... I am dying trying to find a competent property manager for my condo. It seems like such an easy job... my current property manager just needs to manage, ie, make sure that payments come in and calling up vendors to do work, but somehow, it never seems to happen. But apparently there aren't a lot for condos under a certain size. I digress.

It seems implicit that one reason that those who do have their own business do well is because every tom dick and harry is afraid to try it. 80% of people are fighting to work for someone else and 20% have the stones to give it a shot. When it turns out to be easy, they keep their mouth shut and rake in the dough.
 
Hmmm, it can be done, but obviously it's important for you to really know your honeysuckle and have a bit (a lot) of money to spare to get it started. If you are in it just for the money, and you have no real passion for your business or for money, it probably won't pay off for you, because it's a lot of unrewarded work at first. Or forever.

So like, if you want to do it, by all means go ahead, but make sure that you are aware of what you are getting yourself into and that you have the means and the knowledge to make it happen.
 
Ymir said:
but make sure that you are aware of what you are getting yourself into and that you have the means and the knowledge to make it happen.

And there is the rub. I don't come from a family of people who had their own businesses and there is only so much information that others are willing to share. I have this "feeling" that there is this whole world of riches and freedom in the work for yourself business, but to get there you have to travel through a moat filled with alligators and danger. This keeps most people trapped. It would be doable if I had some sort of support for a year, but, I don't have that. Though I am hopeful that I could get laid off, but that is probably not going to happen. We will see...

Every time I do look into this I get suggestions but with in a year all those avenues have changed.
 
LonelySutton said:
Well, I will give you an idea... I am dying trying to find a competent property manager for my condo. It seems like such an easy job... my current property manager just needs to manage, ie, make sure that payments come in and calling up vendors to do work, but somehow, it never seems to happen. But apparently there aren't a lot for condos under a certain size. I digress.



Oh, do digress, please! I have a property manager for my small condo but they found crappy tenants, ugh! I hate being a landlord :(

To your original point, though, I have a number of friends and acquaintances that have started businesses, some as full-time ventures but most do them as side businesses as a supplement to their day jobs. I'm not interested in being a small business owner but if I did, I would definitely start out small so the risk factor is smaller and the amount of startup capital you need would be less.

-Teresa
 
LonelySutton said:
It seems implicit that one reason that those who do have their own business do well is because every tom dick and harry is afraid to try it. 80% of people are fighting to work for someone else and 20% have the stones to give it a shot. When it turns out to be easy, they keep their mouth shut and rake in the dough.

Yea, that would make sense. It's great if you know you are good at something that makes money, in other words, you know how to create value on your own. Then you can avoid having to compete with everyone else for jobs, because you can make your own job. I'm having a real hard time finding work because my resume isn't very competitive. I wish I knew of some other way to make money.

I've just always hated the feeling I have had when I've worked for someone else. I feel like I don't even own my own life, I feel like their prisoner or their slave. I feel like their victim, their prey, and I hate it. I feel like I can't hold my head up high, I can't have any pride. I feel like I am being bled dry of my health, happiness, sanity, my very life. I don't want to spend my one and only existence helping to enrich someone else and theirs, I want to use it to build myself and mine up.

There's a couple books I've been looking at that may help you. One has been around a while, it's called "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. It's supposed to sort of start you on the road to empowering yourself, to understanding that anyone can be an entrepreneur, not just the special few. Then there's another book called "The Millionaire Fastlane" by M.J. DeMarco. You should check them out!
 
Triple Bogey said:
TropicalStarfish said:
I make and a I sell soap...

totally kidding, wonder if anyone get's the reference...


fight club :)

I actually made cinnamon soap in the lab and I'm starting up an illegal soap business as we speak.
 
I likes the sound of illegal soap!

I have my own business, I love working for myself-being my own boss, I don't think I'd make a good return to a daily grind to be quite honest.
 
I'd like to start a food place or something. If I could ever get my aunt into the idea, I'd go for it.
 
soap is a good idea.. I was free lance for one year, and I did have two jobs without even looking for them, don't know if that would be enough to support myself -
my ideal would be one or two days a week somewhere with a boss and free lance the rest of the time, and hopefully work as little as possible
 
I hope you guys like pink soap.



Turns out red food dye doesn't work very well on soap (I had to make it work with what I had) but hey, I can put some sparkles in it if the clients are interested :p
 
I do, but it takes money to make money, so now I'm 6 feet under in debt, regretting what i did, and that Im not eligible for unemployment, and that I probably wont be able to afford to even do my taxes let alone pay them. Living on my credit cards. Its that whole fishing metaphor.
That whole "teach a man to fish" thing. It doesn't matter that I may be a fantastic fisherman, if I don't have a rod, and bait and transportation to the lake…I cant catch anything.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top