Reason for starting your business?

[dtdigital]

Hi all,

I'm new to UKBF and being new I want to find out more about fellow members, with this in mind, I'd like to know what made you start your own business? For me, its through a need for more money and flexibility.

What's your reason for starting your own business?

 

[Tier1Logistics]

I started for this company working in a warehouse, and 2 days later I was in the office and I overheard how much the company makes a year and how much someone else was on higher then me and I thought I could make that and I just went for it and I make a lot more now doing what I do and the company I worked for is now a partnership with us and we do some of their work and we do some of theres but we have our own marketing and lead finding.

 

[ryedale]

I was fed up with the way the company I was working for at the time were treating clients and the poor quality of the websites they were producing for vastly inflated sums.

 

[Mr A P Davies]

More money, along side a full time job, to start with. Then I went subcontracting. Started getting concerned about the financial, (and mental) stability of the contractors I was working for. Rightly so, as it happens.
Gave it one more try at a full time job, as a grounds maintenance operative.
Couldn't stand the corruption, and sneering attitude of the managers, so dropped my kit on the ground and walked out.
Went full time by myself, and haven't looked back.

 

[dtdigital]

I hear you on that @Mr A P Davies!

 

[dtdigital]

Great story @Phillip John

 

[Mr A P Davies]

My parting shot, apart from a few F words, was, I know I'm not indispensable, but it's going to take you a long time to find two blokes to replace me........

 

[dtdigital]

Haha @Mr A P Davies ! Never in doubt.

My father did something similar when he was frogmarched off the premises for visiting me in hospital.

 

[Virtual Assistant service]

Hi Everyone, I'm new too! I am starting my own business to have the freedom of being my own boss. I figure why should I line someone else's pockets!

 

[fisicx]

I started my business because I wanted to work fewer hours and have more time to do fun things. Got less money now but I'm much happier.

 

[Olson]

It gave freedom from boss. Now this brings me more money and pleasure.

 

[eesltd]

I do not like to get up early in the morning

 

[BustersDogs]

I wanted to keep the difficult dog I adopted while I was at home for 2 years fighting for a decent education for my autistic son.

 

[Mitch3473]

Simple really, I'm unemployable.

 

[stallfinder]

Back in 2007 I couldn't find the right stallholders for a fundraising event I was organising & I thought it would be a good idea to have a website where stallholders and event organisers could find each other. I'd always fancied running my own business so my husband and I decided to set up Stallfinder.

 

[Pish_Pash]

I was working for a blue chip company in IT & thought my length of tenure (20yrs) & background knowledge made me indispensable (especially in the light that some of my co-workers were always assessed with lower scores each year), I therefore thought I could boldly tread on my boss's boss's toes (boss²). It turned out I couldn't .....& I quickly found myself outside the main door, albeit holding a big fat redundancy cheque.

I also learned at this (late) point that I was woefully unemployable unless I wanted to earn a burger flipper's rate (oh how my wife & 3 kids laughed at the thought of baliffs closing on the family home & PS4). I cherish the memory of those subsequent visits to the job centre & feigning that I really was up for the inappropriate job that the fat lady working there told me I must apply for "else lose my £70pw"

Since nobody else would employ me, I decided I would ....I'm now fully employed 24/7 discussing my fictitious business with fellow forum member 'Richard Head'.

I guess it has sort of worked out well... I hate people (no work colleagues = a festival of win), my daily commute is 15 seconds, I earn while I sleep, I actually get to see my kids grow up (I'm always here for them)....oh yeah, the potential for creating wealth for my family is far higher vs. sucking on the nipple of a heaving corporate bosom. That said, it has taken me 4 years to get my income back to the level where it was....but thankfully my thick redundancy wad is still in tact.

 

[Carl Mintern]

I was made redundant from my job as a bricklayer when the company went bust in 08/09 due to not being nimble enough to outmanoeuvre the recession.

It hit me hard, I had my first child who was 1 and we were talking about having a second at the time. I was devastated, no idea how I was going to pay the rent etc.. Went to the citizens advice in tears, ashamed, embarrassed, as a grown man. I had never really given a **** until I got married and would have taken it in my stride previously, but the responsibility of a family weighed so heavily on me it affected me very badly.

Long story short, the day after I was made redundant I drove round every client I had done work for while working for the company and picked up 2 contracts to finish ongoing work my previous employer was part way through right off the bat.

I spent every spare minute knocking on doors, introducing myself, telling my story and handing out my contact details.. I'm not sure if I ever actually had a day off through lack of work, and before long I needed to employ help to keep up with demand for my services.

The rest is history, as they say...

 

[dtdigital]

Hi @Carl Mintern

A real triumph story there. I hope it continues going well

Daryl

 

[Mr A P Davies]

I was made redundant from my job as a bricklayer when the company went bust in 08/09 due to not being nimble enough to outmanoeuvre the recession...........



.............The rest is history, as they say...

Funny how it happens, innit. Ever find Builders often try to convince their employees that they have the last job in town? Laboured under that delusion myself for a while.
Well done for going for it. Plenty of people went down the pub, and stayed there.

 

[Mr A P Davies]

Simple really, I'm unemployable.

Aye, me too.
I'm a loose cannon, far to mouthy, pig headed, and won't take telling. And that's just what my employers said.
I'm also single...........

 

[dtdigital]

Haha It's a familiar story for me too @Mr A P Davies

 

[Mingleflow]

We are working in a family business and firstly my husband started it because it was (is) his passion. He built websites during uni for friends and family, without any financial benefit, just to see how it is done and learn the languages as he didn't really like his major after all (Mathematical Economics). But that gave him enough confidence and knowledge to start his own business.

I am joining him because I work for a company where my working schedule is 10 hours/day (financial market) and although I enjoy it, for a family, that is not optimal at all. And which is more important, I enjoy our client meetings really much and as we do business consultancy as well (like workflow management questions, etc) I feel that is the next best thing for me, so I am excited to start a new phase in life.

 

[tony84]

I was kind of pushed.
My previous employer I was paid a very small basic wage (£6k a year) and the rest of my income was made up from commission (which he took half of). I was promised leads when I joined, the reality was there were 10 boxes of files best part of a decade old which I was told to go through.

I had loads of ideas to bring in fresh new leads and every one he dismissed saying they will not work....neither were his decade old files.

I left after 6 months as I was not earning enough to pay my bills. I put in to action just some of my ideas and I have never looked back. Im so glad he did not listen and I left, otherwise he would be taking a cut of everything I earn!

 

[ADNattan]

I wanted to jump from my last job before I was pushed due to an inability to work alongside one of the company's directors (and general disatisfaction with some aspects of the way my role had developed), and decided that rather than being subject to the whims of directors and bosses, I'd have a crack at the freelance life.

I'm not earning as much as I used to, but I'm paying the mortgage and feel happier, healthier and generally enthused about my career.

 

[Lar]

I'm new to this site but I joined as I've seen posts regarding advertising on wowcher.
But I can't seem to find it now. I'm just wondering if people would recommend using them for selling personalised products. I've enclosed my Facebook account so you can see the kind of thing I sell heavenly fountains little extras

 

[Ghazi]

Me and two other friends were bouncing some ideas off one another and a new idea came into the picture. 5 years later my friend finally develops a prototype and now the wheels are turning!