Why Did You Start Your Business

Eunice, Thats good, I like it for the kids side of it for me too.

 

Come on any more stories out there, good one's so far.

Because the agencies in my area said I didn't have the experience or portfolio work to work for them, but I had to start somewhere.... arghhhhh

After a few rejections, I decided if no one wants me, I will do it myself and 4 years on, I am still here.

At college I felt like I'd turned a point within design work and opn leaving college I was confident in my own work and attitude and after getting a taste for real world design at a Agency where my work was being used. I figured the only thing holding me back was my age. During the first year of Uni it soon became apparent that  I wasn't going to get what I wanted out of University and knew freelance would give me an advantage upon leaving. My first client told me about 4N and from there onwards everything fell into place. Summer was fast approaching and I really didn't want to have to work with dad over the holidays. so determination set in and within 2 weeks I had a number of clients and was well on my way to earning what I would working with my dad.

Unfortuneatly he didn't see that as a suitable replacement and I had to work with him painting fences and cleaning up after builders all summer anyway...

I still had the freelance bug though and a number of satisfied clients who were coming back for more work. I then continued during the rest of my studies by getting the jobs during the summer months when I wasn't doing uni work and then doing long term clients work while studying in term time. This worked great and brings me up to now where I've completed Uni and eager to get back into the swing of things and learn and grow as much as I can! 

If you want to know why I chose self employment you'd have to book me for a 4sight ha ha ha ha

Only joking folks!!!

I have a muscular and neuro condition which means I can get days where I have mega amounts of pain (not bring dramatic this time) and no ability to move a single limb.

I had to give up my job after two consecutive pregnancies took their toll on my body due to this condition. I too went to the job centre to find a suitable job only to be told I'd never work again.

So propped up with pillows in my computer chair I went back to uni via the OU got my foundation degree in business, found that business was where I got my kicks and then with mega doses of hubby's help started one!!!

Self employment suits me and I love it.....the rest is in my 4sight

A few reasons

Something I had always wanted to do but had always been put off by other non-business people.

I missed a lot of my kids growing up and it wasnt a mistake I was going to repeat with my grandkids

I hate bosses who have been promoted to their position just to get them out of the way (google the "Peter Principal").

A better lifestyle for me and my family

18 very successful years working for one company then my work started slipping (found out later I had a brain tumour), they sacked me! No looking into what had changed, just sacked me!
3 years of recovery, appeal procedures, employment tribunal, solicitors later they overturned their decision.
I went back but their treatment left a nasty taste so I vowed never to work for anyone again.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger..... there's a song there somewhere....

Alyson

 

Gareth, great and 4 years on still going strong.

Good for you.

I still want that Sig but having trouble getting the files.

Funny I share similarities with your story Stef, though not as extreme admittedly.

Me and the now missis after 5 years in London decided we needed some fresh air. I had the opportunity to join a friend in the south west and start a design business together about 12-18months later we went our separate ways and literally over night I had to start again on my own.
That's when Dot Design was born.

So why did I start my business, I sort of had to and I also didn't want to work for anyone so thought I'd have a crack myself.

 

 

 

Alyson, It is great to see the many reasons people make the call to start their own business.

This shows the text books are wrong and in this day and age anyone can start up a business for what any reason.

I worked for 13 years for a commercial property company, first as a credit controller then as credit manager.  Some of the tenants I was chasing for payment of rent and service charges were saying to me that they wished they had someone like me working for them.  I began to realise that they needed professional credit management but did not have a sales ledger big enough to warrant employing someone, even on a part-time basis.  So I decided to offer flexible  freelance credit control to small businesses for just the number of hours required each week or month.  That was 11 years ago this month and it has been very satisfying but challenging also.

Christine

I'd worked in food microbiology and laboratory quality management for over 30 years when I finally got on the end of one too many rounds of redundancies.  At the age of fifty-something and not wanting to move house there wasn't much available, so I decided to try my hobbies as a business!  I'd had computers since the ZX81 and been making marquetry for 25 years so felt I knew a bit about what I was trying to do.  The pay packet may be smaller, but the satisfaction from commissions I'm pleased with and happy clients is great!

 

I spent a long time working as a consultant for large corporate technology companies and like to think I know how technology should work for business of all shapes and sizes.

I ended up helping a few friends set up there IT and telecoms systems for their business and was appalled to see what technology companies where recommending to the SME market.

Off the back of this a few of my technology based friends decided to do IT properly for small to medium business and haven’t looked back since. 

Carl, good to see you are doing OK.

The problem with IT services, there are good and bad like you say.

Frankly, it was the only way I could get my hands on a reasonable stationery budget.

The proper story revolves around a rather fiery meeting I had with my manager where I was told, despite being on the senior management team, I wasn't paid for my opinion I was there to do what I was told. inspirational words in hindsight, I typed my letter of resignation that evening. Life's too short.