Do you work for yourself? Tell me about it!

[OneMoreForExtra]

I'm currently in a good job at the head of a small company. I should be in my element but feel increasingly meh and struggling with motivation. I'm wondering whether it's time to make a leap and work for myself. I think I've got to an equivalent stage with work as that thing where you find your own kids fascinating and everyone else's tedious!

Problem is I'm the breadwinner and DC are primary age. I'm not usefully qualified in anything recognisable like accountancy, planning, lawyer etc, I'm a senior manager. I can't rely on DH to bring home the bacon while I gear up. I'd need to be able to make around £65k which I fear rules out many self-employed roles.

I think I'd love doing something like facilitation, organisational strategy development, and have transferable skills in these areas.

So I'd love to know, have you made the leap to self- employed? What made you successful or otherwise? What do you earn (if you don't mind saying)? Do you find yourself having to employ staff to be able to earn enough? Any advice?

Very grateful in advance

Hi Op

I have been self employed for ten years. I couldn't stick to any job basically as I hate being managed and told what to do and office politics and all the bollox

So when my first two dc were small I started up as a sole trader doing cleaning. It's not in the 65k league of course! But I am fortunate as my H had always been the main earner and earns ok money. So my work has always been a helpful addition that fits around the DC rather than being essential for me to work iyswim. but being self employed has been the best thing I ever did, I love being answerable to no one. 3 years ago I took staff on and earned pretty good money although was stressful having staff

I got a bit bored of it all about a year ago and decided to rethink my whole life lol. I was going to just jack in and look for a job working for someone else but even cleaning on my own earned me £16-25 an hour. And no jobs I'd be accepted for (i have no qualifications or much work experience other than cleaning 😆) would pay anywhere near that. So I've recently trained as a semi permanent make up artist, I still clean most days but see PMU clients evenings and weekends. I'm quite busy so let's see how that goes!

Good luck!

Oh and earning wise for my PMU work , after expenses works out about £50-70 per hour

I hear you on the being managed/managing others/office politics shetlandponies ! Congratulations on retraining, takes guts. I have wondered about doing it but pathetically can't think what I'd retraining as!

I should also add with the PMU work I I wouldn't be working 8 hours a day 😂 . More like 2-4 and that depends if I get clients every day. So not earning some huge fortune but works out a decent income for not many hours

@OneMoreForExtra

I hear you on the being managed/managing others/office politics shetlandponies ! Congratulations on retraining, takes guts. I have wondered about doing it but pathetically can't think what I'd retraining as!

Thank you !!! Tbh I still have wobbles and wonder if I have done the right thing. Cost me £3000 to train plus another 3k to build my garden room which is my studio. there's insurance and inks / needles other costs

Yeah it must be hard for you to decide. Especially as you earn so well already. But I do highly recommend self employment it's been the best move for me personally. I could never stick to any job for more than six months and been sacked so many times it's unreal 😳

Sounds like you have found your right way of working. I've been on the fence so long I have splinters in my arse! Not that I'm asking for the push but I'd like to gather information to confidently decide whether to work for myself or put the idea behind me

I guess I do...dh and I run a small consultancy. What made us successful? Dh - his contacts, his reputation for insight, quality, integrity, incredibly hardworking and the way he treats people - people like working with him - clients and employees - he's incredibly bright but with very low ego - which is something that has only recently become a valued quality in the workplace.
I'd say I'm pretty average but he inspires me to be better in a very supportive way and I've never enjoyed working for anyone before, hated politics and shitty bosses - politics are something he glides through, barely touches the edges - he's a master of diplomacy!
We employ staff to ensure to we take interesting projects on board, we're not greedy - we share profits and we earn enough - so we all feel very comfortable - it's a happy place to work.

Hairymoohead that sounds wonderful! Did you and your DH set it up? Did you have to do other jobs in the gearing ip stages or did you leap in - and were you already experienced in the field? I think you've just described my ideal set-up.

Watching with interest

I’m very similar to you OP - senior role, manage a large department, and now I’m here I’m a bit “meh”. Hate the politics but love the safety net of a corporate with great salary, perks, holiday, pension etc.

DH is v part time & SAHD and now my earning are at a pretty comfortable level, I feel a bit trapped as he couldn’t match my salary and my options are not as numerous as I progress.

I would love to work for myself, have thought about consulting but have a fear that there’s just not enough work about, that I’m not actually good enough, and that my self-motivation is too piss-poor.

The thought of retaining fills me with horror - god knows what I’d do anyway, but the thought of going back to square one in something makes me exhausted just thinking about it!

Loony trapped was the very word I was thinking today. I do feel stuck. Obviously the longer I half-ass it the worse it'll feel.

I would love to work for myself, have thought about consulting but have a fear that there’s just not enough work about, that I’m not actually good enough, and that my self-motivation is too piss-poor.

This stuck out from your post. I absolutely completely also think all those things. But what a way to limit ourselves, right? I'm not feeling very articulate but these thoughts are at least part of the trapped feeling, I'm sure.

@OneMoreForExtra

Hairymoohead that sounds wonderful! Did you and your DH set it up? Did you have to do other jobs in the gearing ip stages or did you leap in - and were you already experienced in the field? I think you've just described my ideal set-up.

I now run the business side of things - this started off small but has grown considerably, with help from more experienced professionals (I know when I'm out of my depth) at times - I take care of the accounting, HR/recruiting, marketing and anything else that needs to be done. Dh and I agree the business strategy. I was a SAHM, I was not expecting to get involved but I really do love what I do - I love what we've created, love the culture we have developed.

Dh leap straight in - we had a plan if things went wrong - ie couldn't sell work - we had enough money to last about a year, if we tightened our belts, we had disaster recovery plans that involved strategies to stay put until the dcs finished secondary - moving them was not an option we were willing to consider - I needed to look at the worst possible scenario, look it square in the eye and come to terms with what we'd do - it's how I deal with uncertainty. We are a few years on now and it's not something that concerns me any more.

Dh has worked very long hours though - at times 90hrs a week, more generally about 65hrs a week. We have to work hard at not talking shop all the time. So it's not easy - but anything worthwhile usually isn't.

A rival company has made a generous attempt to buy us out which was flattering but we have resisted - too much would change, it always does.

I've worked for the same small employer for many years and the last few have been a pain to be honest.

Both bosses are related and the arguements and lack of organisation between them is horrendous.

One of them is in the business a few days a week max but demands someone to help and assist constantly even if the rest of us need help it's tough.
We are constantly told we need to earn more money within the business even though the boss is the only one working part time but wont discuss coming in more which causes arguments with the off site boss who deals with money and business side of things.

We then get caught in the cross fire and it's got very personal and down right wrong.

Since Covid things have changed a lot but the business bosses don't seem to want to move along with it so it's just crap.

We get made to few like we should be grateful to have a job although we remind them they're lucky to have skilled loyal staff that aren't treated well

It's miserable so I'm currently training in other things alongside what I do now and will then be working for myself and expanding my skill set and income because what I get paid now is shocking for a long standing very skilled staff member.

I can not work for someone else any longer.
It's utterly demoralising and miserable.

Op I say find your niche train hard and just go for it

It's all about contacts.

I'm very experienced and good at what I do. Hairymoodhead's husband sounds like my twin brother!

But, and it's a very big but, I don't have the corporate background/old school or university friends contacts to generate enough work anymore.

My sector used to be pretty niche. People used to contact me because there weren't many people doing what I do, and would become repeat purchasers because they liked my work.

My sector has recently become very mainstream and it's very noticeable that people with these types of contacts have moved in, self-appointed themselves as experts and are hoovering up the work.

Central government funding cuts have impacted on my work from the public sector, to be fair, but it's definitely contacts in the private and even third sector.

If you have contacts in the area that you want to go into, or can generate them, then go for it.

I did try networking, but was unsuccessful as I just don't fit the corporate mould.