At cross roads with businesses....mumsnet vibes needed !!!!

[Boobsgonesouth]

Probably something to do with youngest (DD) who'll be 4 starting school in September but have run various businesses since taking redundancy when DS (6) was 5 months old. Have worked really hard, balanced being WAHM with needs of the family but earnt very little...everything pretty much ploughed back into the businesses...

Feel now that in order to grow I need to get finance, which means a different attitude..and long term committment...

I was a high earner before children and wonder if I'd be better getting a job that I should be able to do reasonably easy, earn good money for doing a good job...and not have the hassle of all the things that I really don't like doing when running a business (mainly company accounts & finance)

Any words of wisdom most greatly appreciated....

Oh this is SUCH a difficult one.

Yes if you get a job with someone else you may get more immediate income. But your hours are set by them, if your child is ill one day you have to 'grovel' to your employer, and sometimes do things that seem unreasonable/outside the bounds of what you expected when you took the job.

If you build your own business up, you know from the beginning that you have to be prepared to do all of it. You have to be self-disciplined to commit to the business as much as your family, but a child-crisis is more easily dealt with (even tho' you feel guilty postponing a meetin with a customer or whatever). Get someone else to do the bits you don't like, bookkeeping etc. Concentrate on the bits you do like and excel at.
At the end you may have a business to sell. So less monthly salary reaps rewards with a lump sum at the end.

I've done it both ways, and know that I would carry on with our own business come hell or high water, even tho' I get sick of people who say "oh that's nice, you can work when you like", and those who think you must be wealthy because you are a company director.

Where in the country are you BTW (nosey gene coming to the fore here)

am in Somerset....moved in October from Wiltshire, it's wonderful here.....

Ah, I'm in Nottingham, just wondered if you are nearby, but sadly not.

I do freelance bookkeeping and I.T support for small business you see, thought we might be able to help you out.

...that's a shame...a mumsnetter designed my website(s) so would have been nice to have similar for other 'tasks'