Mumsnet Talk

Wow...is this the or one the longest threads on MN? What a great read although had to skim towards the end

Another book I would recommend is The Laptop Millionaire by Mark Anastasi. Should be available via Amazon but is certainly available from his website. Great ideas on building online businesses, marketing them on a limited (or even NO) budget, outsourcing...similar to The 4 Hour Week but Mark breaks it all down very simply. There are a lot of testimonials in the book also which I liked but some people feel is just bragging!

Also, the World Internet Summit is taking place in London next week. It's over 4 days I think - it will be packed with information for those who want to exploit the power of the internet for their current business or who are looking for ideas. However, there will be lots of promoting by the speakers as they will all have programs, courses etc to sell. Nevertheless, if you can put up with the sales patter you can often get a lot of information out of it that will still allow you to put plans in place.

As far as I remember the best part was near the start including my various glorious failures.

I agree with the post above - always avoid people with something to sell (or try to turn it round on to what you can sell to them, like my mother trying to convert the Jehovah's witnesses to Catholicism at the door - that certainly saw them turn tail and flee).

The main advice I have is do not just think. Of course plan but if you never make a start at anything you don't get anywhere. Better to place a local ad and actually try to market some service even if you have 4 other better plans up your sleeve than just sitting there thinking about it for years. The only reason I wrote 30 books was I sat down and spent hours typing nothing to do with any intrinsic skill which is any better than anyone else's. Effort tends to pay off.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/freelancers/1588051-1000-quid-club-revisited?msgid=35180433#35180433

The ideas here are fantastic and inspiring!

I have 10 years experience managing an IT helpdesk in local healthcare, a top honours degree in IT and experience of managing staff. However, in terms of transferable skills I don't really feel I have any. My working environment is highly competitive and has perhaps dented my confidence...a perfect reason to get out!

In the past I have started two businesses without success. Just a kid when I started my first business and the last business failed as I could not give up my regular salary. I was savvy enough not to be left in debt though and continued with my secure but boring, chained to the desk job!

Now looking for my next move and how great is it to see all these women sharing ideas!

I just need to figure out what I can do! Don't feel my skills are good enough to transfer into consultancy...I am a risk taker but also a realist!

My child has not long started school so long hours are out but you've got to expect to put some extra hours in to be a success. To date, I've been working part-time but it's now time to start thinking of making serious cash.

I am a single parent.

Many thanks to all for the great ideas and advice and good luck to all! x

A very timely thread - just marking my place for now.

Happy New Year to all of you!

How is it going for those that were inspired back in August when this thread started? Any plans coming to fruition?

Anyone else inspired by the 'New Year.....a new start!' feeling?

Business doing well here, a decent FB following, I have had a paid job already, which was more than I had planned for.
Several places with decent footfall would like to display my framed stories, which is free advertising for me.
A local magazine offered me advertising space at a discount. I declined but will write a short story article for the magazine (again free advertising).
I am using this time to build brand awareness and to build up a stock of framed stories ready for sale.

I am also in the over £1000k/day club
The secrets are very boring
In the early years, Work long hours and also study for further qualifications while your friends are travelling/ partying every night
Choose a well paid profession
Take sensible risks (eg borrow lots of money to start my own practice, but not until I had 80% equity in our home)
And (in my case) delay starting a family until well on the way to achieving all this, and make sure your partner does at least as much child care / house stuff as you do
None of it is unobtainable but the biggest factor is believing that you deserve it

Just read this thread from start to finish, it was quite inspirational.

What sort of careers or potential freelance work could you suggest for a scientist? I am quite a technical person, very academically minded, came top at school, top universities and results for degree and PhD etc. I currently have a job doing science research (permanent, not in academia), but I find myself only earning £30k/year with the prospect of never really earning a huge amount.

I have considered switching to patent law, which would require 5 years of training but would put me on the road to eventually earning £1k/day if I became a partner etc. I am apprehensive though as I want to start a family within the next couple of years and am worried about spreading myself too thin. All the talk on this thread about earning £1k/day buying you lots of time is great when you get to the point of earning freelance, but of course that's not an option when you are still training...

Madonna If I'd left having children and 80% equity until I had children I'd have been travelling to Romania for IVF and the Daily Mail would've done a DPS on me.

I do however agree 100% on your comment "believe you deserve it".

Because for me - I knew I was smarter than most, I knew I could work more than most (as you pointed out you did when you were younger), I just didn't know that "someone like me" could work for myself.

I thought people who worked for themselves were "market traders", naice middle-class girls worked for someone else.

I had a real set-back when things didn't work out with a partner so I had to start all over again. But it's going very well and I'm looking at opportunities to diversify and get that passive elusive income.

My confidence is increasing daily. My (latest) business has only actually been live 3 weeks now and there are plenty of wrinkles to be ironed out, but the interest is phenomenal - from both myself and clients!

bondgirl I too come from an IT background, don't sell yourself short - I bet you have 1000 skills - just because you've been working in an unsupportive and poisonous industry (or project) doesn't mean you are worthless at all - see Madonna's point!

carcassone Students will always require mood-altering supplements. It's how my chemistry teacher funded his degree. Seriously though, writing white papers for no think tanks? Special advisor? It will probably require leaving the laboratory unless you start manufacturing drugs to sell to the NHS at massively inflated prices.

Madonna, I fluffed the "planning" aspect of DCs, graduated from my first degree 6 months pregnant.
I used the time while the DCs were little (they're 11 and 8) to study for another degree, I now have a science and an arts degree. We are close to mortgage free though, I'll be 40 when it's paid off, and by then my current business will be a steady income stream and I'll have moved on to something everything else.
Right now, not even 100 a day, but within a few years it's definitely achievable.

Actually Inmysparetime, having your kids really early can also work out perfectly ( wel done on being nearly mortgage free, that increases your options so much)
The important thing is not to somehow undervalue your time and feel it should now be cheap/free as I have seen so many mothers do (why??)
Actually time away from your kids is now worth even more than the time of a person who has not had kids yet so you should apply for the higher salary job / cost your self-employed time at the higher end of the range

I'm an author and storyteller so there's not really a "range", more what the market will stand.
This phase of my business is about building the brand and my social media presence. I seem to have a knack for this (I joined FB 2 months ago and know more about FB marketing strategies than my DM who's been marketing through FB for years!).
When my media presence is big enough and I've built up a decent stock of illustrated stories I'll be ready to publish, then should have a more reliable income stream.

Sounds like a viable strategy IMST
Go for it !

Hi
I'm a long way from earning £1000 per month but I did start selling more on eBay around last August. I started selling items I bought from wholesalers and outlet shops. I hit upon a niche making soaps , crayons and birthday candles for children. They sold really well in the run up til Christmas , I also attended a couple of craft markets . I am really surprised at myself , I've never considered creative or entrepreneurial at all. My next step is to work out how to market on FB and expand my range. I have a FB selling page but I don't really know what to do with it. It's linked to my own FB profile. Do I need set up a new FB profile for my business?

Right xenia, its time you came over here! I think I badly need your help on 1000 pounds a day. Just for a few years tho, all being good I'll be a doctor then. (Tho its on your 1000/day list I'm really not believing it!!)