Business start up and two children under two? Are you doing this?!

[Littleraysofsunshine]

I am! Anyone want to share experience/tips??

I'll be watching answers to this one! My husband and I are hoping to buy an existing business in the next few weeks with a 10 week old DD. This will also involve a move to the other end of the country so a pretty huge change for us. Good luck in whatever it is you're doing!

I don't see why not, I started my degree with 2 under 2 and finishing it with 5 under 7! And my OH has bought a business since and I am just getting together my plan for my new business (slowly due to full on degree!) What are you doing?

I did. Started my first business a few week weeks after #2 was born.

I also worked full-time from when he was 4 months. :)

Takes a will of steel to get it all done.

Photography business. How about you all?

Ooh sounds good, a couple of my friends have done this and are very busy, great flexible work! Mine is a party hire business, I'm going to start with a couple of bouncy castles and princess party hosting, then get a black jack and roulette table and move on from there. My husbands business already has a van so other then start up costs there should be minimal on going costs.

Oh interesting! That sounds fab. Do your photog friends have small children? X

Yes they do, one seems to have moved on from photography into being a make up artist, I see pics of her on fb with famous hair stylists etc, its pretty amazing how far she has come, she has one preschool age child and one in infants. My other friends children are now at school but weren't when she started out.

I am! I have 2 little ones and am launching my business. My biggest hurdle is finding ad hoc childcare, as work is very sporadic and that's the main thing holding me back! (Well, total lack of confidence too )

What business ALWAYS?

I am too, have 2 under 5 and started a buisness that gives me chance to stay more at home and have steady income

Littlerays I am an image consultant and personal shopper. (Well, trying to be )

I have been trained and know roughly what I am doing but I haven't managed to really get going yet for various reasons; one major one being the childcare issue!

I'm not sure what I need to do about claiming self employed? As I don't have regular hours or income yet???

What do you mean by claiming self employed - do you mean declaring yourself as self employed to HMRC?

Yes.

I believe that as soon as you start advertising and are set up as a business, you need to declare it to HMRC (I am happy to be corrected if I'm wrong!). Even if you have no work at all, or if work is sporadic, you still need to declare as SE.

It's so easy to declare it though, literally a 3 minute phone call, or you can do it online. If you don't do it within (I think) 3 months of setting up as self employed, you can be fined.