Nervous/worried about starting self employment - help

[Geoff0409]

Hello,

As the title suggests, I am a bit nervous and apprehensive about going self employed.

Basically I would like to do Gardening, Cleaning, or both.

I started at my current job almost 9 years ago, mid 2006, as I needed better hours as my Wife had fallen pregnant with our first child, my adorable DD, who was born at the end of 2006. DS arrived 4 years later and a few months later, mid 2011, my work relocated a bit further away. Not too bad but the journey can be an absolute pig at times. Anyway I have never really liked the job or fitted in at all, but I am quite good at it and I thought at the time "give it a year at least" as you do. Anyway about a year later, June 2012 my lovely Mum fell ill with cervical cancer. That put looking for a job right on the back burner. Fast forward to late 2013 and I started looking seriously again and got nowhere. Then last July my Mum got cancer again, it had come back and spread to her lungs and liver, and she died a few weeks afterwards, just over a week after my Birthday last August. Then in early October my Mum's Stepdad went in to Hospital (Mum's biological Dad died many years ago), and he didn't come out of Hospital, died about 10 days before Christmas. I have to stay that the whole last year ago has been a nightmare to be honest.

Anyway, after being unwell myself for a while, I started to think this was the time to start looking again, and have got nowhere, Not a sniff. I even applied to my old work for a very similar job that I used to do and didn't even get an interview. Just turned down flat. I left there on great terms and always worked my socks off so have no idea why I didn't get anywhere. Most agencies question why if you have been in a job for such a long time then why are you looking now.

I have been considering Gardening and/or Cleaning for a long time. I have researched both very thoroughly, worked out pricing, what I can offer, and can even commit for a while running alongside my current job in case it doesn't work or I don't get very far. I am desperate to take a but of pressure of my finances and would love to build something up of our own to take a bit further. My Wife is a fabulous Mum and when DS starts reception in September she would like to help out and join me in whatever endeavours I am doing at that time.

Basically I am 95% there, I just need that nudge to push me over the edge, so to speak. I am not an expert Gardener, nor Cleaner, but am very reliable, friendly and thorough.

If anyone has done anything vaguely similar, or can offer some help, advice, tips or encouragement, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much for reading,

Geoff0409.

Hello

I recognise "you" from this board & others on MN. So sorry to hear of your losses, what a very sad & difficult time.

It sounds like you have done the leg work, what is stopping you? Would thinking about it as '6 months to try this' rather than 'I need to start my own business and it needs to be a success'. I (marketing freelancer) took the former approach as it seemed too scary to consider something 'bigger'.

I don't know much about the world of gardeners/cleaners apart from using them. What service do you think would have the most demand where you live?

Are you part of any local 'Mum/Parents' Facebook groups? I am on a few where I live and there are almost daily requests for cleaner recommendations and often gardener recommendations, so join your local groups if you aren't already on there.

Not sure if that helps!

I agree that you need to think of this as a short term try out. If it takes off, great. If it goes pear shaped, so what? You will have lost nothing really, and at least you tried.
Think short term and see how it pans out.

Thank you both MrsM and Magers - I think you have both hit the nail on the head with this. Perhaps I had been thinking of it as longer term rather than considering it as a short term experiment I suppose (I imagine some or most of these types of idea start out this way). You have both helped immensely. I know I will regret it more if I don't at least give it a shot. Thanks again .

You are unemployed so have nothing to lose by trying this. Working for yourself can be great - it really puts you in control of your life. And don't worry about the bookkeeping and so on - setting up and running a small business in the UK is really very very simple. Get a basic book on how to run a small business and keep basic manual or computer records, and if necessary pay a smallish sum to a bookkeeper to do your annual tax return. I ran a one person business for a number of years and was amazed at how easy it is to do in this country, which is apparently not the case elsewhere. There is very little paperwork / reporting to authorities.

Hi Vic,

sorry, I don't think I made myself clear. I am currently still employed. I have been looking and applying for jobs and got nowhere at all. I never though of myself as being "unemployable" until I applied for very close to my previous job again and got turned down flat. I am not a big-headed person at all but I really was gobsmacked - I think considering I left there under very good terms and always felt very welcome is what surprised me the most.

I think if I run a little something alongside my current job (income for the family comes first) then that is the idea. If it works then great, and if it doesn't then at least I have had a go. I have also applied for a Private Hire / taxi licence for me as my Dad does this part-time and I can help him out when he can't do some of the jobs that he is asked to (e.g if he is away or anything).

Thanks for your help xx

I have been unemployable for some time. I have probably applied for thousands of jobs from 1993 to 2006(ended up working temporary and interim contracts while doing so).
In 2007 I gave up ever intending to be employed again and set up my own business which was reasonably successfull for some time.
Doing something other than your normal work/skills is a brilliant idea but you have to question whether it pay the same as your old work or enough give you enough income for your family to live on. Its probably unlikley. Being turned down for on job even if it was with your old company does not make you "unemployable".
Having said all that I think that there is probably a big demand for gardners and cleaners so why not research setting up a business with employees offering both gardening and cleaning services.

Definitely give it a go! Working for yourself is the best once you're settled into it. But don't think you need to take the plunge immediately. Why not set up the business and start getting a few clients just on weekends? Do the side-hustle. :)

When you get the hang of what you should be charging and what sort of jobs you won't do, then you'll be better prepared to go full time. And by then you will have a better idea of where your clients are coming from, too.

And MrsMargoLeadbetter's advice to be active in local mums/parents groups on Facebook is spot on. We all want gardeners, handypeople, cleaners and babysitters.

PS. Sorry to hear about your year, it sounds like you've had it rough.