A little advice on thinking of going it alone

[joiner_sim]

One day I wish to be going it alone, but for now I've either got stay put :roll: or fly the nest from where the seeds were sown The second option is better suited for me but the way of the world at the moment, I think I'd have a fight on my hands at any interviews!

 

[RJP]

I personally think you should keep things as simple as possible in the beginning. Forget registering companies, VAT etc and concentrate on making contacts and getting work. When I went it alone about 6 years ago I just registered myself as a sole trader.

Do you think you can make a decent living from garden planters and furniture? Remember, just because overheads may be low to start with doesnt mean they’ll stay that way so dont under sell yourself.

As you know, dont expect too much in the first year or two so try to get as much saved as possible before taking the plunge. I’d planned on starting up on my own for a while, a combination of rubbish wages and one too many rows with the boss finally made me go for it and although it’s been hard, it beats working for someone else.

 

[BradNaylor]

I've been looking at making garden planters and general garden furniture as its something I've been doing on/off for a few years now.

Thats a really difficult market, I would do some serious research before starting up, good luck.

The Doc's right, Stig.

This market is dominated by cheap imports from the far east made in huge factories by low-paid workers.

As all industries have found over the last 30 years, it is impossible to compete on bog standard products with cheap imports, even for someone working out of their shed at home!

The other big problem with garden items is seasonabilty. The period when people buy such products is incredibly short; April - July. What are you going to do for the other 8 months of the year?

I would urge you to reconsider, and instead look at what sort of custom service you can offer potential clients. Sorry to be a bore but the truth is that fitted furniture is pretty much the one area of woodworking where it is possible to make a good living for a guy with decent average skills.

The general business advice you have received from other posters seems good.

I would add;

Cash-flow is the priority. Get deposits up front and insist on payment as soon as the job is finished.


Make sure your costings are right. Work out ALL the overheads for your business, including a rental to yourself for the workshop, and reduce it down to an amount per day. My overheads for example, are around £40 per day. This is a worthwhile excerise which concentrates the mind worderfully. I've got to earn £40 every day before I've earned a penny for myself.

Be disciplined in your working hours. I have never worked from home but I imagine that potential distractions are immense. Treat your workshop as your workplace and don't venture back into the house during the day, even for a brew. My accountant works from an office in his house and always puts a suit on if he is working on a client's books, even on a Sunday! That's a bit extreme but I'm sure you understand the point.

As far as trade waste is concerned your local council will provide you with a big bin for a monthly fee. The alternative I believe, is to get a crappy old trailer for your car and take it all down the tip under the guise of household rubbish. Don't try going in a van, though.


I'll think of some more when I've woken up properly!

Cheers
Dan

 

[devonwoody]

Take into account your home insurance and perhaps your motor insurance, the problem arises if you make a claim and your previous declaration regarding occupation was shown as employed.

 

[The_Stig]

Be disciplined in your working hours. I have never worked from home but I imagine that potential distractions are immense. Treat your workshop as your workplace and don't venture back into the house during the day, even for a brew. My accountant works from an office in his house and always puts a suit on if he is working on a client's books, even on a Sunday! That's a bit extreme but I'm sure you understand the point.

I know someone who worked from home and still does, he used to employ his wife as well but sacked her as she'd go to make a brew and then, "Oooo.... Loose Women"...

 

[TheTiddles]

Best make sure you're really fed up with taking the easy route of being employed, lots of us have the skills and acumen to go it alone but there's a lot to be said for letting someone else sort tax, pensions, waste licenses etc...

Aidan

 

[jlawrence]

There's a lot to be said for being employed - someone else does all the tedious paperwork. However, there really is nothing like working for yourself - even if you don't make much money. Once you go down that route you'll wonder why you ever wanted to work for someone else.
Forget 9-5 though. You will work way more hours than that, but you also have the flexibility of taking time off when you want.

 

[FogggyTown]

Hi, Stig.

I'm new to this group but I do have some views on what you're thinking of doing.

As another poster observed, for every planter or chair or whatever you can knock out for £40, there's a guy in Calcutta or Beijing who can do it for £5 - and throw in a free bag of compost. Your most valuable selling point will be your ability to offer bespoke items: a certain size, or shape, or material, etc. This may limit your market size but it also tends to put you in front of a better class of (and generally more affluent) market. How you actually get in front of them to get the opportunity is something I never learned.

Another consideration is dealing with customers. As an employed person, you have only one other person to please and that's your boss - and presumably he will understand something about what you do and the problems attending your job. If you are doing commissions from customers then you have to be able to deal with all types. Be prepared for being half way through a job and hearing the customer behind you say, "I didn't think it was going to look like that!"

Having said all the above, if you can build a reputation and a customer base then being a self-employed "artisan" can be a wonderful feeling. I haven't done it that often, but the praise you get from an admiring customer is so much more satisfying that the usual "not bad" you get from your boss.

Very good luck to you, sir.