All things business!

Are you interested in business? Have you done any business courses? Do you follow programmes like Dragons Den. Do you have a business dream? read business books. Chat here about anything business? Perhaps you know someone running a business.

No interest in business really. I'm a housewife and have no interest in making money - if I did I'd have a job instead!

i got into being interested in business through oh. I like helping him and hearing his ideas. I like adding to website and facebook page. I helped us to win a small business competition. I love watching DD and seeing how people come up with ideas for business.

I have been on a few enterprise courses and again love hearing peoples inspirations and dreams. I think more and more people will try and go into self employment because of lack of jobs.

I like seeing what people make on here.

Id like to do a business studies course.

I think its hard to be in business, but i wouldnt say no to a successful one if i could think of something that hasnt been done.

I like watching the Apprentice.

Don't think I'd have the confidence to run my own business, don't want to work in anyone elses business either, I'd be constantly doubting myself wondering if I'd done things right and trying to keep customers/employers happy. Thats another reason why I love being at home so much I'm not accountable to anyone but myself. I am happy being at home, think if I went to work it would totally stress me out

I am meeting someone this aft to talk about having a new website built. I have had an idea but need to see if its possible etc and the cost. If it goes ahead i sure will be mentioning it on here lol.

Ooooooh, that sounds exciting. fingers crossed.

Thanks.

I have never regarded myself as a career woman - not in the slightest I've worked because I've had to but never wanted to be a manager etc BUT since my children no longer need me like they used to and since we started making and selling our cards something strange has happened to me I want to be the next Alan Sugar lol !!!!
I think what I enjoy the most is promoting ourselves and getting orders and knowing Ive done it all myself and any money that we make is ours and isn't just goung to some big company where I'm just a number
I will never be a millionaire but I am cutting down some hours in my 'proper' job in the new year to concentrate on the cards and I can't wait
I'm a very cautious person so its just a few hours to begin with but its a start and who knows where it will lead.
I'm lucky enough that I don't have to make a certain amount with the cards each month to cover the mortgage payments for example , we always go away once a year to a big craft fair to buy new supplies and treat ourselves to a nice hotel etc so my aim for next year is that the cards will pay for that - from little acorns ........

I have my own buisness as well as being a housewife. As I believe every woman needs to be finicially independent and not reliant entirely on any man not even her husband. It leave her at a very bad disadvantage and open to all kinds of abuse. Not good.

Aisles wrote:I have my own buisness as well as being a housewife. As I believe every woman needs to be finicially independent and not reliant entirely on any man not even her husband. It leave her at a very bad disadvantage and open to all kinds of abuse. Not good.

I disagree, but I wont argue with you.

I've had various businesses. Most recently I bought a hair and beauty salon. It did well for awhile but slowly staff started causing me problems and things started going wrong and coupled with a poor local economy and high competition within a few hundred yards my business went into liquidation a week or so before Christmas.

I love business. I love having and owning and operating a business. But I will NEVER again have a business that relies on other people. If there's one thing I learnt in my last business it's to never trust your employee's and never treat them like human beings. They will treat you like crap, walk all over you and stab you in the back as soon as look at you - no matter how nice you are or what you do to try and help them.

I'm also a birth doula, a trained hypnotherapist, trained in various beauty treatments.. I also previously owned an electronics design and manufacturing business and recently resigned from my Husbands Thermal Imaging company as I wanted to focus on nothing but home and family for awhile.

I'll have another business soon. I've already got various plans and idea's going around in my head. But I just want to rest and relax for a little while now, without the stress.

I have my own buisness as well as being a housewife. As I believe every woman needs to be finicially independent and not reliant entirely on any man not even her husband. It leave her at a very bad disadvantage and open to all kinds of abuse. Not good.

I also disagree so strongly with this... But it's all down to personal choice and preference. If we were all the same, the world would be very boring! LOL

It you ever worked with abused woman you'd understand why a woman needs to be financially independent from her husband/partner.

Aisles wrote:It you ever worked with abused woman you'd understand why a woman needs to be financially independent from her husband/partner.

I lived, for several years, in various battered women's shelters. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter.

MumofMany - glad things are better for you now.

Aisles, part of the abuse I have experienced between a man and his wife is financial control to the extent where the woman wasn't allowed to have a job, run a business or have a bank account. So running a business, unless done in secret just wasn't an option for them.

Plus there are more relationships that are based on mutual respect and trust than there are abuse. I don't live my life based on fear of any other crime so I won't based on this either. I don't work outside the house but I have pensions, savings and investments in my name as we have joint savings and Dan has things in his name too. We are a partnership, money is money, not mine and his.

And if things go wrong for us then I'll have to deal with the consequence of my choices.

Then you already have some sort of independance as you have you own monies in your own name.

Every woman needs that for herself and children(if there are children) for not only for if the worst happen but for her own self respect so she's not 'living off' another person, holding her hand out for hand outs.

im interested in business. Never had one though. Oh has though.

My OH is very good at mending cars (self taught) (he does this now for family) and garden tools/machinery and we are torn whether he should start up his own business doing one or the other. He isn't very happy working where he is for a low wage but it is local and as I am a SAHM we worry as we would not want to get in any debt as he is the only one bringing money into the household. Luckily we paid off the mortgage about 3 years ago so I have said we will get some savings together and see what we think but we always seem to be putting the idea off and I see him unhappy doing his present job and it makes me sad that neither of us seem to have the confidence to go for it.

I see the dilemma. One is a steady wage against an unreliable unknown wage.

Why not sit down and look into the whole thing a bit more deeply.

Ie There's liabity insurance you will require
All the equipment you will require insurance of larger pieces of equipement ie engine hoists, gear box trolleys, and all the tools themselves.
Disposal of engine oils, gearbox oils, aircondition gases etc etc.
VAT registration
Company registration
Space for customer cars
Security of customer cars should they stay over night for longer jobs
Work shop or mobile large transit van and security of both/either.
Advertising costs
Accountant costs


There are even more things to consider when starting up a garage buisness such as ie parts supply, how quick and easy can you obtain a parts for a customers car, are you will to fit customer supplied parts?

There's offering estimates for work and then doing a quotation and then there's your policy on finding etra work on a customers car what do you do. Ie if you do extra work not on your quote the customer doesn't have to pay for that extra work as they didn't ask for it to be done and you'll be out of pocket.

Who deals with the ordering and answering your phone while you're working on a customers car.

See it's not simply doing a oil change or replacing a damaged rad or fuel injector.

I would seriously spend a few days looking at everything you need before making that final decision.

It's better to know what you are letting yourself into first so you can get everything in order before you start trading.

Thanks for going into depth a bit and giving us things to think about. My husband does actually work in the motor trade at the moment and has done for many years just not for himself, selling parts, stripping cars and various mechanical jobs so does have quite a few contacts etc. We have always wanted a business we could spend time together in so I would be happy to be involved. A lack of knowledge of tax matters and a fear of having any debt is the main thing holding us back so that is where I think getting sufficient savings to tide us over until we have found our feet is the way to go before taking the plunge. I am also of the opinion perhaps mistakenly that you needed mechanical papers (exams) from attending college before you could start in the garage business, my husband is self taught and often gets asked to help out younger mechanics who have all the correct papers so don't think that should really be holding us back.

You could try contacting the local small buisness department the banks have them for banking advice as do some local authorities to give advice on seting up small businesses some even have grants to offer.

You will proberly find there's a local entrerprise centre that will also be available with free advice and service's like premises at extra low rates.

It's always easier if you have the certicate up on your wall so people can see how qualified you are. As he's already has wealth of knowledge behind him you might find he can gain his normal 4 year certicate without having to do the entire course. It is something he could look into.

Before we moved to surrey I was offered a place to gain mine and it meant me not having to do the first 2 years. This wass due to my forma knowledge working on cars for racing. (I race modified road legal cars)