Who wants to be an entrepreneur? Start here... (and those who are, help here please!?)

[WilfSell]

OK, I was inspired by the 'earn 1k a month working from home' thread, which turned into an inspiring if terrifying 'don't sell yourself short' thread. And wondered if, those of us who might like to work for ourselves but don't currently, could get started here? I aim to keep my job, and perhaps try to move to part-time at some point. I have some business ideas, some good, some over-ambitious, mostly attempts to roll-out my current skills into a private consultancy, not necessarily linked to my existing job (university research/teaching).

I know it is an incredibly tricky time to think about this, and I'm sure it is not easy or comfortable to make a living... But some people manage it, so why shouldn't more of us?

2 months seems great. I also think do something towards your business every day if you can is a good idea, even if it's only thinking about an issue or doing 5 minutes of research. Good luck with your venture. You are much further on than i am at the moment but i will get there!

Can I join in?

I'm an artist/designer and have been working for myself since I had my eldest DC 4 years ago. I've read most of the thread with interest, it's great to get together a group of ambitious, like-minded ladies to support each other.

One of the things I agree with Xenia about is doing lots of different types of work or projects at the same time in order to spread risk. What I do is a million miles away from Xenia's line of work but I do have several earning avenues: I work freelance as a commercial graphic designer (logos, brochures etc), I paint and sell my artwork and I have a range of personalised prints for children which I sell on Etsy and Not On The High Street. This way, if one thing goes quiet I find another part of my work will pick up which spreads the risk and covers any slow periods.

One slight concern I have is the focus this thread seems to have on earning money without any discussion as to getting enjoyment from your work. Xenia's rather disparaging comments about avoiding low paid 'women's work' such as crafts and embroidery etc completely overlooks the sheer satisfaction that comes from making and selling something. I absolutely love what I do. It is what makes me tick and if I ever get to earn £1k a day then great but if not then at least I adore what I am doing. Surely that is worth something?

Xenia is extremely motivating and knowledgeable, but I'm sure she'd be the first to agree that there's more than one way to skin a cat. You don't need a PhD from Durham to make $$$ either.

I've PM'd you details.

Ok! So I have read this thread and decided to grab the bull by the horns, put together my CV offering consultancy and today got my first reply! Wow - that was unexpected.
They are a charity and the only slightly annoying thing is that in the reply they said they didn't know if they could afford me. I didn't state my costs as I was unsure what projects I would be offered. So now I need to call and chat through ideas BUT help! Where do I even start when it comes to my fees? I don't want to loose this work as it will be a great start to my CV. Xenia I know you stated before not to under charge but I jave no idea where to even start?? Hourly rate/whole project cost??

Phoebe I'm with you on this - I do a bit of stand up comedy and have some knitted props hide behind for the punch line. (It's a fairly graphic bag for keeping condoms in)

I get asked at Every Single Gig - "oh, you should sell those" "will you knit me one?"

I worked out that there are 17, 000 stitches in it. It took me three weeks to design and knit and rip back and knit again, and swear a bit No, I can't effing knit you one, unless you are willing to pay me properly for my time.

People won't pay for handmade stuff. Especially for crafts formerly seen as skills for improving young laydees' marriage prospects.

Howevah - crafting in general is on the rise...gotta be a way to make money on publishing patterns? I'm slooowly writing up rude cross stitch patterns, part of a Fringe Show for maybe next year - but, ultimately, a book. Not too vulgar, medium to high skill level, naice enough for your wall - but take a second look and you'll see that it's rather rude stuff. I blurdy love it.

So, that gives me: clinical stuff, visiting services, zumba stuff for frail people, pelvic floor stuff and nasty craft stuff. Stand up doesn't count, I'm most definitely an open spot and have no desire whatsoever to be driving around the country at 3am with a bunch of drunk blokes eating McDonalds and explaining to me Why Women Just Aren't Funny. Do you actually have to be making money for it to be a portfolio? Well, I'm going to regard that as my portfolio anyway.

I certainly did not mean to imply you should not enjoy your work. Most people my age who have been successful carry on because we adore it. There is little I enjoy as much as most of the work that I do. If you can find that and earn £1k a day+ on it then that's great. There is no reason enjoyable work has to be low paid. Loadsof high paid work is huge fun.

Ah, Xenia, didn't mean to imply that you were wrong - more a musing on the problems with people expecting mass produced prices v home produced quality.

FWIW - when I get horribly sentimental, I think there's luuuurve knitted into the things that are produced by my ain wee hauns - hard to put a price on that. Which is why I don't knit or sew to commission - "it's like sex. If I love you, it's free. If not, not for any price"

Not even 1k/day.

Yes, my father said when we were teenagers pick work you will enjoy for the rest of your life. For me the ingredients of that are intellectual challenging, never dull and changes all the time, lots of different people and industries and high status and pay are useful too.

Anyone who watched the programme on iplayer about Class by the artist Gryason Perry will have seen you can certainly make art (tapestry in his case) interesting and also lucrative although I am sure most of us would be suggesting to our children that acting, drawing, music, modelling and writing however much fun they are might be a nice hobby to keep alongside your lucrative profession and once you have your Oxbridge degree and find you are making loads of money from those areas by all means then give up the day job but perhaps not before.

I wonder if any others of our entrepreneurs were at their desks at 7am on a Saturday? I was dealing with a customer in the US but that was a really interesting issue and I am at my best at this time which is a great pity as for over 25 years I have had to be getting children up and ready for school at my mentally best working time. Other people come into their own at night and work well then.

Funny Xenia - I was up at that time, writing about working at that time and how it suits me. I start at 5am daily (including weekends) and allowed myself a rare treat last night and didn't work after 5pm or so. In fact on Thursday I started a little after 4 - it's utter bliss - there are no demands on my time or attention except my own.

If I wait until the children are in bed, all creativity and inspiration has been sapped.

I have always been a morning person though - so I have no idea what it's like at the other end of the spectrum having energy at 10pm!

Can anyone recommend any books or websites that they found invaluable when they were first starting out?

I did read an inspiring book on working for yourself, which I now can't remember, but I will come back with it when I do...

Each chapter was one person telling the story of their journey to being their own boss, one of them I think was Lynne Franks.

I just went on Amazon to try and find it (didn't) but I did see Which do a guide to working for yourself. Their books are really good usually.

Bluetimer, I'm not sure the tone of your post is quite in the spirit of this thread. Of course, people starting up businesses should be able to network with women on this thread but perhaps you'd like to consider requesting to remove this post and starting again but without the blatant advertising which is counter to MN rules?

We'd be really willing to hear more about your company if the post was in the spirit of sharing expertise, finding out how to build your business further, telling us a bit of your story etc.

But such a blatant plug for an established business is just gonna hack me everyone off.

NiceBiscuits - i've got a Prince's Trust book that's good and will definitely have a look at the Which guide too. Thank you.

Do you want to know what happened to me today?

Two new patients, and an offer of a contract with a national sports team...

So, not exactly the work I was trying to get - no one elderly or with a weak pelvic floor, but, squee!

Oooh nanky - since I am the only one still awake I shall be the first to dish out the congratulations. You seem very excited. Well done you.

Gosh! Well done! I do hope it's the French national rugby team?

Good work!

Nankeeeeeeeeee go go girl. I am delighted for you.
Hope it's the start of a fab business for you.

I think we can cope with the odd plug. Although womankind probably does not really want women in beauty. We want them in oil and stocks. We need to challenge gender stereotypes. Anyway saubject to that yes some women in beauty have done quite well eg Net porter, Mellon at Jimmy Choo etc.

np, doesn't matter if it is the work you expect. I do a good line in my glorious failures but as long as enough succeeds even from unexpected quarters then you seize the day.

Hi. Can I join in?
Been lurking- some ideas on resources I've found useful/inspiring:
(no commercial plug here just what I've found useful!)
Making the Big Leap: Coach Yourself to Create the Life You Really Want [Paperback]
Suzy Greaves-she has a great blog/website too
forwardladies-networking/training and mentoring particularly n/e based
The Seed handbook-Lyn Franks-a little woo woo for me but v inspiring
There are lots on mumpreneur websites and groups out there too- Women in Rural Enterprise good for more rural areas(funnily enough..)

Well done Nanky!

Well done Nanky! Sorry, haven't been around on MN that much recently.

But this is a great book about freelancing, and I think v much in the spirit of this thread, not least because it made me laugh out loud once or twice but also because he's very much in the camp that being self employed is about charging loads and having time off. He's written a new one too, but I haven't read that.

Great news nanky! Well done you :)