Self Employed and Drowning.

moneybuster

Hi i will give this a bump as well things disappear off here very quickly hope someone can help you

Regards Moneybuster

TCM_3

Hi SilverVan
Am in exactly the same boat as yourself - joined up here on Monday and believe me i feel so much more positive. Someone suggested Ebay to me and i put some stuff of our shop onto it yesterday and have a few people bidding which helps when the footfall is not coming through the door.
Have you any way you can reduce the overheads of the shop? I'm sure this is something you have already looked at. Or can you pay any of your suppliers on a 0% credit card? I know this is only shifting rather than solving but would free up some of your cash.
My other thought for your shop would be direct marketing to your customers - is that an option? If you have any email addresses for them you could email with promotions or offers? Or mail shot them directly. You could make up some flyers yourself keeping costs down. Its hard to say without knowing what line of business you're in. Have you a good accountant? You could maybe look at claiming working tax credits if you don't already?
Its tough with retail at the minute and i know exactly what you're going through.
You've come to the right place. Well done for plucking up the courage.
Tracey xx

silvervan

I will give ebay a try again although last year I had a horrible experience on there which really put me off. I have decided to send the commercial bin back to Biffa waste as they were charging £183 a quarter plus £50 for the duty of care notice. OH went to local tip today and duty of care is only £1.65 if you fill it in yourself! It means taking the rubbish to the tip ourselves where they weigh the van but it is far cheaper.
I sell petfoods which have all nearly doubled in price. We have started bagging everything into £1 bags instead of 500g and are running an offer at 5 x bags for £4.50. Its early days but it gives you an incentive to push the offer. I noticed in Iceland that all the biscuits are priced at £1 so I am giving it a try instead of complicated prices.

Standard cat carriers were coming in at about a fiver trade last week, they have gone up to £8.50 this week. Wild bird food and rabbit food have literally doubled.
We are trying to source cheaper foods as customers are nearly fainting when they see stuff going up week after week after week.
I have never known price increases like it.
Have any other retailers noticed huge price increases from their suppliers or is it just mine trying it on?

I have also asked for a water meter as we hardly use any water and this years bill is £41 a month - I am sure it will be cheaper on a meter.

silvervan

I have also rang the debt charity people whose link is on here somewhere and I have rung the VAT people and made an arrangement with them to pay them before the 31st March. They said as long as I still sent the VAT return on time and rang them before it was due to let them know I couldnt pay I wouldnt be fined.
The debt charity have made an appointment to ring me back on the 17th March.
I am going to be as honest as I can with them.

Poppy9

Your pet stuff might selll well at car boot sales. The £1 bags sound good as these are what people look for when rummaging around in boot sales.

theoretica

Is your son paying any rent or contributing to food and bills? You might want to work out how much it would cost him if he had to move out...

kimdegsidash

Hi Silvervan

Welcome to the boards. Thanks for letting us know what your business is. I think it's the ideal trade to diversify into other means of selling. In the present times everyone is looking to save money, and those of us that have pets are struggling with the cost of pet food, essentials etc. I'd buy £1 bags of cat food from you - and my mum has 5 cats so you have another potential customer there too! Car boots are a great place to start - I wouldn't be surprised if the £1 bags flew off your stall! IKWYM about Ebay, but maybe now is the time to have another go - if it brings in the much needed cash then its worth it. Have you tried contacting catteries/dog kennels to drum up new business, or setting up a stall at regional dog/cat shows? Even your own website store might bring in more money. Obviously you'd have to weigh up set up costs with postage and packaging etc, but maybe you'd be able to make a good enough margin if you worked out the numbers?

Just a few ideas, you may have already explored. Good luck with CCCS - they really are great. And please know that you are not alone. The good people on here will help where they can. I've come to realise it's all about changing your mindset. Cash can run like water through your hands, we just need to invest in watertight gloves! :rotfl:

Sarahwx

Hello, I have a dog. Do you sell mail order dog food? I would order some.

chevalier

Sorry but you DS will have to find another job. Any job, you can't afford him. Sad as this sounds. Also if you are only paying him for 20hours, then that means that he can't be contributing to the household expenses in proportion to these costs. Ie he should be paying a third of the council tax for starters, a third of the heating costs as well...

I know you want to look after him, but that isn't possible at the moment.

You mentioned that the 200 for your partner is what he is paid on his days off. So does this mean he is working at something else. And if this is the case then why is his/her money not going into the family pot?

What about selling to old people, ie they phone and you deliver if they have difficulty getting about? If they are local and they only want a £1 bag perhaps the delivery could be done on a bike (think the hovis boy going up the hill on his bike with a panier...)
chev

Horace

Speak to Business Link (there should be one in your area) and they will be able to give you some advise and help you diversify your business a bit. If you are on a low income speak to the HMRC about working tax credits, it probably won't be much but it will at least help.

Also try your local chamber of commerce as they will be able to give advice on finding new markets for your products.

HTH and good luck.