If you are self-employed and thriving, what job do you do?

[Startingagainandagain]

I used to freelance and also combined this with short term contracts for a few years. I loved working that way.

I made the mistake of taking a permanent job because I was planning to buy a house and it would be easier to get a mortgage.

Three years later, I have bought the house but I am miserable and I hate everything about being an employee to the point where it is now badly affecting my physical and mental health and I wish I could quit every day.

I want to get back to self-employment. I have a small pot of money to spend on retraining if needed.

I would love to hear some feel good stories from those who are self-employed and love what they do to get some inspiration!

I freelanced in the past in the creative industries doing things like marketing, project management, copywriting, graphic and web design, PR work and art exhibitions organisations.

But I am open to retraining and doing something a bit different from the above as I am middle-aged now...

I haven't.. but my daughter age 40 has her own beauty salon.
Did lots of training in nails/ eyelashes/ threading / pedicures/ manicures/ facials... when younger.
Now she's qualified in microneedling./ dermaplaning/ waxing and a host of other treatments.
She employs 3 others.

I started an event catering and personal chef company. I was fed up of working long hours in restaurant and pub kitchens. Now I'm my own boss.

If your old clients are still in business, the very obvious thing would be to get their opinions, advice and perhaps even some work or referrals 😊

If you could use more network support, take a look at:
https://www.visible-inc.com/home (promoting midlife women),
Women In Trading (media), and
WACL (Women in Advertising and Communications Leadership).
They're really marvellous women!

Property maintenance...far too much work and not enough hours in the day

See I would love this. Am very handy but no formal training and certainly wouldn’t attempt anything technical or requiring building regs in clients’ houses. Can I ask what sort of maintenance jobs do you do and how much approximately you make PA? I can do tiling, painting, decorating, building stud walls, that sort of thing but not plastering, electrics, and definitely not gas!

Thank you everyone for the responses so far and for the links!

Good to see that some people are happily self-employed.

I would really like to do something that does not keep me in front of a computer all day. So as much as I have enjoyed comms/marketing a bit of a change would be good :).

I run my own dog walking and pet-sitting business and have been booked up for months now. I absolutely love it but it can be physically quite tough and it can get lonely being out on your own everyday.

I run an online marketing consultancy, and I'm about to expand. I do get what you mean about 'sitting in front of the computer,' though!