What were you guy's first businesses?

[Young And Dumb]

And were they a success?

Thanks

 

[PhotonSmith]

Haven't started yet, but I am testing a couple of ideas that I want to potentially start on ebay. If there is enough demand out there, I might start my own website.

 

[kila]

my first business is selling stuff on the street, but it's not very good

 

[KateCB]

First business was double glazing, timber, aluminimum and Upvc frames for primarily the Insurance industry - burglery damage/malicious damage/broken under warranty and original company gone bust claims....yes it was successful and we successfully sold it to move onto other things.......

 

[Allora]

My first business was nail-bar, it was successful

 

[SuperYac]

Im currently involved in my first business. IRUN Business solutions. theyre a well known internet marketing specialists. Who opened up another branch recently in Stratford.

I work as a disc agent spreading the good word of "the disc" Its a valuable asset which I am confident will be useful to any business.

I work as an individual, not been too long so far, so fingers crossed.

 

[it_support_cardiff]

Mine was very illegal.

I was making copies of windows vista about 2 years ago, selling them on my own website through google adwords

selling them for £30 a pop + free uk postage

first night, sold about 30 copies

profit £900

second night sold 20 ish - £600

third night - paypal account limited

180 days later = paypal released my money

= success

wont do it again now tho, waaaay too risky

 

[HarveyBentley]

I founded an in house development company in 2008. Started it by myself, then slowly grew it and opened a business account for it and officially started 'trading'. Slowly but surely became very popular for marketing and optimising sites. In 2009 sold my majority share in it, then in late 2009 I sold the remaining shares. Was it worth it? Yes! In 2010 I was reinstated to advise certain projects within the company for 2 months.

 

[Pap_sak]

First "proper" business - B&B and pub - successful? Not even close. Happy we did it? Yes.....the property price shot through the roof and we got over 4 times what we paid for it.

 

[thecyclingartist]

First thing I did was a small magazine, never expected it to be more than a bit of fun but it did well. But wasn't ready to run it as a business at the time so success yes, but lost the appeal for me. Second was this business - my own art. Still going. In 12 years I've only had one year profit dropped and even in the recesssion my turnover keeps increasing so happily carrying on! I did have a third business at one point, was a partner in a small giclee publisher. Was interesting and I learned a lot about a side of the art industry I wasn't, at the time, taking part in. Exhausting and the big co's just undercut everything so we called it a day. We probably could have found a unique selling point (we thought we had one, but clearly the market didn't agree or want it) but it was too small margins to keep us interested. Amazing experience though which has been useful.

Tina.

 

[Gainers]

Selling high quality, affordable used office furniture. Envirotech Office Systems helped revitalize and refurnish for a fraction of the price. We carried the best furniture from leading manufacturers to give your workspace a whole new lease on life.

 

[LicensedToTrade]

Mine was very illegal.

I was making copies of windows vista about 2 years ago, selling them on my own website through google adwords

selling them for £30 a pop + free uk postage

first night, sold about 30 copies

profit £900

second night sold 20 ish - £600

third night - paypal account limited

180 days later = paypal released my money

= success

wont do it again now tho, waaaay too risky

Nice way to promote your credibility on here...

 

[crphillips]

First and current business is Fahrenheit Stove Installation & Chimney Services..........I started it around 5 years ago (officially) when i was 22 and i'd class the business as successful. It keeps my mother in-law in business, my sister in-law, my wife, my cousin and another two part time guys. Turnover around £350,000.00 and rising with profit around £100,000.00 We have many delighted customers and a cracking reputation! Just in the process of expanding the business in other directions and will hopefully will go large in the next year or so!

 

[Edd_Smith]

Started my first business out of school. Started off importing and selling specialist hair products and later expanded into extreme sports. It consisted of several online stores and a retail outlet. It lasted five years before the recession made running it a real misery. At its peak the company turned over 12-15k a month. Liquidated last august.

Now im a full time web designer and developer

 

[Toadstool Toys]

My brother and I started a clothes shop selling middle range. It was a great business and ran for 11 years before I made some bad mistakes which caused it to go down the pan.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

Lived on a council estate, aged 9 I noticed that whenever I went to the newsagents and it was raining, there was always a load of evening newspapers left unsold. So I knocked lots of doors to see if they collected the paper when it was raining, and those who said no I asked if they wanted the local evening paper delivered each night for the grand sum of £0.01 yep, a penny a night.

I then went back to the newsagent and asked him f he wanted to pay me to sell his papers. he did, and he paid me £0.01 for each paper sold

Not much maybe, but it grew and I really enjoyed it and after a year or two I was making about £30 a week as I subbed it out, knocked more doors, grew the round, split the rounds, and got someone else to deliver the new round.

 

[OxfordWebConsultants]

I was 16 and started a window cleaning round! sart at 10am finish at 2pm then in the pub with £60 cash in my back pocket! that was a fortune "back then"!!

 

[exotic detail]

I had a site selling T shirts when I was 16.

 

[F1ink]

My first business was a freelance programmer on IBM AS400. Market dropped out of contracting.
So started web design for small businesses, then everyone had a nephew that could do it for a pack of maltesers..

Now I'm freelance internet marketing and development, currently working for F1ink.

My son aged 11 has started his own business buying and selling BMX bikes, but now his out of bikes and we need to find more at the right prices

 

[activew]

My first business was Debt recovery and vehicle repo and yes it was reasonably succesful but vey stressful

 

[RBS]

Mine was very illegal.

I was making copies of windows vista about 2 years ago, selling them on my own website through google adwords

What did you reply to your customers when they emailed you "This is fake copy and Non Genuine message keeps coming up on my screen" ?

 

[RBS]

My first business was Debt recovery and vehicle repo and yes it was reasonably succesful but vey stressful

What happened? How can this kind of business go down?

 

[activew]

The business didnt go down I sold it after having had a difference of opinion with HMRC