How might I earn £1000 a month working from home?

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Hello, i wondered if any of you had any ideas about how I coud earn £1000 a month working from home?

I have spent 20 yrs working in the health service as a nurse then counsellor, just gone back after second lot of mat leave and realised I am done with the nhs, after child care I bring in £1000 a month, so I figure if I can earn this at home, I will be able to stay at home until kids in school. Any ideas ladies? (Working as private counsellor not an option at the moment as we don't have enough space)

It's not business entertaining which is entertaining of people who are not employees of the business (or officers of the company) providing (i.e. paying for) the catering. It's probably not even entertaining as the provision of food and drink is incidental to the meeting for strategic discussions.

Still think that you can't save money by having an accountant ?

Tee hee.
Yup, regular board meetings are an essential thing.

I have recently started my own business as a storyteller. Any advice on where to start re. Keeping track of Accounts, tax, expenses would be great. I still have some notice to work at my day job, but I'd rather have the business infrastructure in place before I get too busy with bookings.

Thanks, I'd got as far as the spreadsheets, I wasn't sure whether I needed to wait until I was no longer an "employee" before registering as self employed.

Glad people are finding it useful.

InMy, you can be both. I was self employed and an employee and some people have several part time employments. It's getting more common than just one and only one PAYE employer.

Anyone who has a second income must remember to declare that on their tax return even if they are paying tax on their employment income through PAYE. It is not very complicatedb ut also look at national insurance as it's a different category if you are self employed and if you have paid the full lot through your employment that has an effect - see www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1086264769&r.l1=1073858808&r.l2=1073859218&r.l3=1086264764&r.s=sc&type=RESOURCES

If you don't earn enough from employment or self employment to pay NI at all then of course it's not an issue.

What is unfair is that the state keeps changing the rules so that at some point they con you into paying more NI because you will get extra benefits and then they change their minds - look at what is happening with proposals on pensions that those who might have been persuaded to pay into what was SERPs (second state pension) and now possibly they will have no benefit from that at all with everyone just getting one £140 a week state pension or whatever. It just makes you lose your faith in the state and think even not getting the tax reliefs but keeping the money might be most wise, perhaps even for those who will be automatically enrolled into the new automatic pension for employees coming up soon (heretic though I may be for suggesting opting out. I remember the days when we had automatic optiing in and then the Tories changed that around)

(Ah, I was assuming it was business entertaining in which case no matter how important the client you cannot tax deduct the meal cost. That's why it can't help me as I cannot really buy myself internal lunches... I think I've done pretty well without an accountant for 30 years. I even won tax prizes actaully which was particularly fun as just about everyone else I beat was male!)

In my professional life I have found that awareness and acknowledgement of the limits of my knowledge is as important as extending and advertising the depth of that knowledge.

In other words when I don't know what I am talking about I shut up, and when I am wrong I admit it.

Absolutely. I certainly recommend that people take advice when they need it.

We are very lucky in the UK compared to some countries that it is terribly easy to set up a business. We don't need state approvals for most things and you can do it in an evening if you want to. Let us hope it remains so.

Inmy
I wrote this for ebayers but its pretty much applicable to all self employed.
members.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=talkinpeace
ThHe links all work and it regularly gets picked over by other accountants.
Feel free to print it out and take a highlighter to it (coffee is also recommended)

You can have multiple self employents and employments at the same time - you just need to be really organised!

MrAnchovy
So true. I love forums and discussion boards as I can learn by reading, learn by joining in and learn by being corrected by those who know more. Its always the chats over coffee at courses that are the really useful bit!

Right. I'm doing it...

Registered with HMRC, website up and generating interest, charity fundraiser for 100 booked - going to raise 1k for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research AND get feedback on the parties from that, bookings coming in, other businesses offering help and goods...speaking to mumsnet HQ about running a campaign about continence - and they've offered to tweet me!

xiting.

You know what I'm confused with - mn rules of advertising. Am I allowed to mention "follow me at twitter" or , have a look at "x" website as long as I'm not directly asking for business? I nearly got into trouble over something I posted, it all got sorted really quickly, but I am new to this and Don't Want To Mess It Up.

I haven't read them but I would imagine it quite clearly says in the rules what you can and cannot say.

I suspect a lot of people on entrepreneur threads would like to see the websites of those women who have set up on their own but I would not put mine as I want to be anonymous and one mention which isn ot an advert is probably okay as it encourages others.

Re Talk's very useful link also see www.hmrc.gov.uk/guidance/selling/index.htm to which I have sometimes referred people too.

Xenia
The joke is I wrote the original version of mine YEARS AND YEARS before HMRC did - and Ebay staff actually refer their sellers to my page.

nanky
one way round it that has been used is to ask people to critique a website or to ask for help with a particular page of it ....

What an interesting thread, going to mark my place and come back later and read through it all, Dp is just starting up his own business.

I think the problem occurred because I posted in two threads to follow me on twitter - and someone reported it for advertising. Which, whilst I see why they would think that, wasn't my intention - and the Naice Fowk at MNTowers reinstated the post.

In fact, it has really helped me because MN have tweeted a link to my website and it's gotten me chatting to them about possibly running a campaign - which, again, might be classed as advertising.

The reason I ask is because there's a grey area I've fallen into. When does health promotion, or giving people free advice on an anonymous forum become advertising?

I'm a physio, giving out free advice on here to women posting about continence ishoos. It's a common, and ghastly problem - and, it's not properly addressed so some people live with the most horrendous problems. My background is in the NHS, and my nature is to want to help.

So, I'm sort of falling into a grey area in the talk guidelines, Xenia. Whilst MN understand that my intentions are honest, I don't want to come across as spamming to other MNrs.

Anyhoo. They tweeted me! Squee!

Anyone want to have a quick swatch at my amateurish website? gusset grippers - for feedback, not advertising, honest gov!

There will always be grey areas. Female incontinence is a really important issue. I remember at a party of school friends only 2 of us there had never had it (and I was the one who had had 5 children - I'm very lucky). I was amazed that so very many had it. I had never had any idea that was so. Good luck with it.

If I were running a website I would first of all not want things posted which drove most posters away. Secondly I would not want people being directed to rival websites. Thirdly I would want control of the advertising from people who pay me so woudl ban advertising by posters (as they do). I would not mind on threads about businesses people just saying I am starting a business selling cup cakes (although personally I'd rather women were starting businesses in areas like mining in Kazakhstan rather than low paid girl stuff.

(Someone will now tell me they make £1k a day selling cupcakes and I will eat my words....Mind you I have very strong views against sugar and tend to regard cupcake sellers like those peddling cocaine so I'd better shut up).

LOL!
I know of somebody who makes darned near that selling the equipment for making and decorating cupcakes
but they do not sell the sugar so I guess we can forgive him !

Thanks, Xenia - that's a really helpful way of looking at what would be acceptable to MNHQ and what would not.

Continence - it is shocking. 1 in 3 aged 35-55, 1 in 2 aged 55+. And, that's the ones who admit to it...it's the last taboo.

I love a bit of taboo-busting, me.

Makes me cross, because most cases are really easily fixed with simple exercises. But, folk don't know where to go for help, so they bulk buy pads online and put up with it. It destroys lives, and there really isn't any need.

Oh, can anyone help me down off this soap box? Thanks.

nanky
I've not really explored it on Mumsnet, but in my original home (the Ebay Business Board) each user was allowed a "Me" page. Mine I have linked to above, others were just chat, but the canny people made their me pages be mirrors with significant links of their websites. And as all the comments were "further information" "as well as here" but no active selling, there was little the Pinks could do.
It may be worth having a look to see what you can do with your profile - to prove that you are an expert on the issues you post about ....

PS - I do yoga - mula banda is GREAT for improving continence ....

I must admit, until nanky told me about the incontinence I had no idea, you're right - it's a massive taboo.

Nanky
Looking at the public profile stuff - you can probably get away with putting quite a bit about your site (which is excellent by the way) onto the profile as information about you and what you do.
And with your real name and history, then you can be found on linkedin facebook etc etc