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Kelly Cairns
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FaerieB
- Original Poster
- #127
Who de-railed this thread 
... My business has survived me being shafted by the local council ... a large company completely copying our concept before we got it to a wider market ... losing the shop, house and workshop when the credit crunch hit and then being homeless for 2 years ... finding the will to keep going and create a new website and blog with lots of help from the lovely SEO guys on here ... to then have my business name totally trashed by a bunch of half wit bullies off another forum which finally culminated in a stress breakdown ... the stress breakdown was misdiagnosed and resulted in me being sectioned and treated with anti-psychotic drugs for months by uneducated social workers who have never heard of email hacking and SEO ... does that make me an entrepreneur or an idiot ...
No .. A Faerie ... I spent 10 years developing the brand and it's still selling now in its existing outlets ... I will drive the brand name through the recession and I will come out the other side stronger and wiser but more importantly than anything ... living my life in the moment and counting my blessings instead of my money x
... My business has survived me being shafted by the local council ... a large company completely copying our concept before we got it to a wider market ... losing the shop, house and workshop when the credit crunch hit and then being homeless for 2 years ... finding the will to keep going and create a new website and blog with lots of help from the lovely SEO guys on here ... to then have my business name totally trashed by a bunch of half wit bullies off another forum which finally culminated in a stress breakdown ... the stress breakdown was misdiagnosed and resulted in me being sectioned and treated with anti-psychotic drugs for months by uneducated social workers who have never heard of email hacking and SEO ... does that make me an entrepreneur or an idiot ...No .. A Faerie ... I spent 10 years developing the brand and it's still selling now in its existing outlets ... I will drive the brand name through the recession and I will come out the other side stronger and wiser but more importantly than anything ... living my life in the moment and counting my blessings instead of my money
x
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Can you tell me if a natural disaster could completely destroy the business you told us all about?
Good question. Let cover a few.
Flooding - Not on a flood plane but rolling hills so no risk there.
Hurricane - Never got one that far north.
Fire - Had a fire in the past. Affected nothing.
Tornado - Had those as well. The key element is water from wells and trucked in. Tornadoes cant get to ground water.
Drought - Had those in the past as well. Water from acquifiers not affected by drought.
Water table contamination - Not really sure how this would happen so we will rule it out.
Direct Meteor strike big enough to make say a mile wide crater - This I think would do it. However because I have a mile wide crater in my back yard I would wind down the cattle business and open up a meteor rock selling and crater visiting business just because it would be cooler. However I just checked some online forums for near earth objects on a collision course to earth big enough to create my hole and there are apparently none due to hit within a reasonable amount of time.
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Damb forgot one.
Earths Magnetic Pole reversing causing a new ice age - This might do it as well. However with the advent of new ice age the argument for cloning the now extinct wolly mammoth from DNA samples found not so long ago would would gain some merit. As we all know wolly mammoths are much better at living in cold environments and could prove to be a much better source of food for us humans in a post apocalyptic frozen earth.
However this I must admit might be a risky endeavor if the man made DNA mutates and the wolly mammoth turn into mutant wolly mammoths who like to hunt down humans.
Earths Magnetic Pole reversing causing a new ice age - This might do it as well. However with the advent of new ice age the argument for cloning the now extinct wolly mammoth from DNA samples found not so long ago would would gain some merit. As we all know wolly mammoths are much better at living in cold environments and could prove to be a much better source of food for us humans in a post apocalyptic frozen earth.
However this I must admit might be a risky endeavor if the man made DNA mutates and the wolly mammoth turn into mutant wolly mammoths who like to hunt down humans.
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dragonflies
- Original Poster
- #139
This will be my 2nd time round in business. First time round was with an over-ambitious ex husband who was volatile to say the least. I wound the company up about 12 years ago and swore I'd never go into business again.
Here I am on the verge of signing a lease on commercial premises and investing the money my mum left to me when she died last year. Well, actually I'm investing part of the money after she instructed me "do something wonderful with it". Can't tell you how difficult it is when you feel that you have an obligation to spend said money wisely.
Anyway, I digress.....what is the hardest thing? I guess its feeling completely different to the majority of family and friends I have who have always had 9-5 jobs and no concept of what running a business is actually like. For some reason they have some glamourous idea of me taking lunches and choosing my own hours?? The reality is that I spend hours and hours putting my time and energy into delivering what I promise to my customers in my existing on-line business and planning my next BIG venture. Is it a bad thing that I feel more in common with other business owners on the net and various trade fairs I have attended than i do with most people in real life?
I have a fairly young family and a very supportive husband, and its very difficult to to strike a balance. My established business has fitted in with my family life to an extent and been very little in the way of risk for me. Whilst I am lucky that I don't have to borrow to fund my venture, I do think of all the other things it could buy us as a family and feel a lot of pressure to succeed and not let them down. I also dont ever want to go back to how utterly defeated and demoralised I felt when my business folded 12 years ago. But I'd like to think that I've grown and learnt from that mistake.....namely never to go into business with a husband! I'm kinda glad that my current hubby (sorry, sound like Liz Taylor here) isn't going to be involved as such in this business, I'm also really fortunate that he says if I succeed or fail he's with me all the way.
In a nutshell = fear of failure!
Here I am on the verge of signing a lease on commercial premises and investing the money my mum left to me when she died last year. Well, actually I'm investing part of the money after she instructed me "do something wonderful with it". Can't tell you how difficult it is when you feel that you have an obligation to spend said money wisely.
Anyway, I digress.....what is the hardest thing? I guess its feeling completely different to the majority of family and friends I have who have always had 9-5 jobs and no concept of what running a business is actually like. For some reason they have some glamourous idea of me taking lunches and choosing my own hours?? The reality is that I spend hours and hours putting my time and energy into delivering what I promise to my customers in my existing on-line business and planning my next BIG venture. Is it a bad thing that I feel more in common with other business owners on the net and various trade fairs I have attended than i do with most people in real life?
I have a fairly young family and a very supportive husband, and its very difficult to to strike a balance. My established business has fitted in with my family life to an extent and been very little in the way of risk for me. Whilst I am lucky that I don't have to borrow to fund my venture, I do think of all the other things it could buy us as a family and feel a lot of pressure to succeed and not let them down. I also dont ever want to go back to how utterly defeated and demoralised I felt when my business folded 12 years ago. But I'd like to think that I've grown and learnt from that mistake.....namely never to go into business with a husband! I'm kinda glad that my current hubby (sorry, sound like Liz Taylor here
) isn't going to be involved as such in this business, I'm also really fortunate that he says if I succeed or fail he's with me all the way.In a nutshell = fear of failure!
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Only a corpse could start a business without using time.
And that seems a bit unlikely.:|
Rephrase your question.
Earl
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Of course you can start a business without time or money. Ah wait, you said 'successful' didn't you? Nevermind.
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GeorgeStrait
- Original Poster
- #144
Got one, got one, got one........
Business mentor - you set up whilst working at McDonalds, you use your Iphone to post for free on forums and create a wordpress site - no cost there as your doing it in work time and being paid your Mcwage.
When you get your first client you charge £500 for first consultation which you do after your shift has finished - so no cost beyond your bus fare, profit so far £497.50.
Out of this £497.50 you set up a Ltd company - £72 so your still in profit £425.50.
Now some business cards, loads of cash left and your official now being Ltd and all - £2.50 P&P from vistaprint (ordered via iphone whilst on shift).
Profit from this no risk business £400, just go back to step one and repeat as required.
Assumptions have been made that you own a suite and tie and don't turn up to the first consultation in your Mcuniform. If you don't a suite from the designers at George will set up back about £50 - this would be the risk element so I've taken it out the equation.
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As an entrepeneur, I can't think of any difficulties or challenges, I just get on with it and continue to be successful.
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Yes but then you just described yourself as an entrepreneur didn't you? People who describe themselves as entrepreneurs or gurus don't make a great first impression with me.
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thebizmentor
- Original Poster
- #151
Very good. It can be improved upon though. Getting one of your other co-workers to do it for you for £250 paying his own bus fare and providing his own clothing would help reduce the time input further and provide similar value. A few of the greats started learning about best in class business process at McDs so I am sure that he or she would be qualified enough.
Having to post on forums despite being paid by someone else is a little labour intensive so potentially 5 free burger vouchers rescued from the bin could be put to good use with little cousin Johnny with his pay as you go smartphone in exchange for every lead he generates. He sees it all as very good experience for his business studies GCSE so he is very pleased with the opportunity.
Just a small problem getting one of the other burger flipping colleagues to run the admin side business after his shift in exchange for a small slice of equity rather than cheese...
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No but if I felt that that was my primary role in life then I would. And under those circumstances I'd be proud of it.
Heck Massey, what IS the problem on this forum where a certain segment of the regular posters needs to belittle the people on here who are potentially or actually successful?
Does it engender negative feelings, or feelings of resentment, or underachievement?
Whatever it is, lets have some more encouragment and support and maybe the occasional pat on the back for people who DO something constructive as opposed to nay say everything.
It's like the "I didn't want that anyway" attitude that pervades where people haven't got a chance of getting whatever it was that they suddenly "didn't want anyway" lol
Heck Massey, what IS the problem on this forum where a certain segment of the regular posters needs to belittle the people on here who are potentially or actually successful?
Does it engender negative feelings, or feelings of resentment, or underachievement?
Whatever it is, lets have some more encouragment and support and maybe the occasional pat on the back for people who DO something constructive as opposed to nay say everything.
It's like the "I didn't want that anyway" attitude that pervades where people haven't got a chance of getting whatever it was that they suddenly "didn't want anyway" lol
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GeorgeStrait
- Original Poster
- #153
Ah see, failed - Pay as You go on Johnny's phone, he'll be wanting that credit back I would imagine so you've lost your no cost/no risk set up, and if your caught dishing out free McYuck vouchers you stand to loose your job. That's why it needs to be you on your contract phone that's already paid for so that side of the business remains risk/cost free.
Also offering equity to other burger flipping McEmployee's introduces risks if they poach your clients, although I admit this shouldn't be a problem as they can't even poach an egg
.Your thinking to big to soon, the downfall of many a start up
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thebizmentor
- Original Poster
- #154
Ah see, failed - Pay as You go on Johnny's phone, he'll be wanting that credit back I would imagine so you've lost your no cost/no risk set up, and if your caught dishing out free McYuck vouchers you stand to loose your job. That's why it needs to be you on your contract phone that's already paid for so that side of the business remains risk/cost free.
Also offering equity to other burger flipping McEmployee's introduces risks if they poach your clients, although I admit this shouldn't be a problem as they can't even poach an egg
Your thinking to big to soon, the downfall of many a start up
Johnny as with many youngsters still has his phone bill paid for by his parents. As he is so busy generating leads and learning about selling his parents are happy that he has stopped his glue sniffing habit so they encourage him by giving him more credit.
The colleague identified to run the admin side was actually the franchise manager so risk of being fired was reduced as you knew had been having an affair with one of the girls on the till for 10 months. The equity deal has some nice legal non competition clauses (provided by a clever mate from school that he still sees at church every Sunday) and also some performance based equity ratchet mechanism to ensure that as the business became more successful then so did they...
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GeorgeStrait
- Original Poster
- #155
Johnny as with many youngsters still has his phone bill paid for by his parents. As he is so busy generating leads and learning about selling his parents are happy that he has stopped his glue sniffing habit so they encourage him by giving him more credit.
The colleague identified to run the admin side was actually the franchise manager so risk of being fired was reduced as you knew had been having an affair with one of the girls on the till for 10 months. The equity deal has some nice legal non competition clauses (provided by a clever mate from school that he still sees at church every Sunday) and also some performance based equity ratchet mechanism to ensure that as the business became more successful then so did they...
Well, why didn't you just say so in the first place.
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GeorgeStrait
- Original Poster
- #157
No, but he already has it anyway and pays for it out of his McWage so no additional cost is incurred. The contract is unlimited web access which is usually just used for porn, and being a youngster that only uses three minutes max at a time so there is no danger of unfair usage being claimed by the mobile provider.
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Well done matey, you got through that paragraph without a typo. Take the rest of the day off. Go Red Sox!!
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oldmanriver
- Original Poster
- #160
So all the above is based on working on your new venture whilst at your current job? I'm not still not sure how you are not investing your own time in the new venture. The fact you are at another job is irrelevant. Also what happens if you get caught using the iphone during work time and get fired, meaning you have no Mcwage and therefore no iphone, no internet, no bus fare and no company doing anything. :|
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