Join in if you are self-employed and work from home

Batfink

Hello,

Please may I join you on this lovely thread? I've been totally self employed for about 8 years now - worked from an office for most of that time, but with the advent of VoIP and such I now work from home. I does get a little lonely at times, but money saved on rent is extra money for me....so I don't complain too much.

x

Horace

Hi Batfink

Welcome to our happy band:D I keep looking at Skype and VOIP but haven't investigated further as yet, thanks to Tyllwyd I eam looking at having an email that looks like it comes from my business, so I am reading up trying to find the best one for me.

Yesterday I eventually managed to get the quotation from my current web host - they quoted me £1050 plus VAT to make a few changes to my site and to give me content management on two pages:eek: They are amazed that printing.com can do the design, hosting and content management for less. My new site is being worked on and it will be sleek - none of this flash nonsense either and the pages will be easier to navigate. Once I get my hands on the content management I will be able to add keywords and update the Additional Information page which is currently empty - I know what I want to put but some of the text needs to be run past the charity that I support (although at times I do wonder if they are a complete waste of time - I get asked to get involved with stuff and when I agree then it seems that all meetings are off and I am getting a little tired of having my chain pulled:rolleyes:

I am also looking at having stands at wedding fairs as I had a good chat with the organiser of the one that I went to on Sunday - she charges £60 plus VAT for a table and does all the advertising so I think this is quite a good deal especially as each fair averages 1200 people through the door on each one day that the fair is held:D

Batfink

Horace wrote: »

Welcome to our happy band:D I keep looking at Skype and VOIP but haven't investigated further as yet, thanks to Tyllwyd I eam looking at having an email that looks like it comes from my business, so I am reading up trying to find the best one for me.

You should be able to do that with your current webhosting (or your new printing.com account).

VoIP is great - you can have a phone number of any area code in the country (or indeed another country if you like), then you just buy yourself a VoIP phone (the software ones are rubbishy) and plug it into your broadband. A few simple settings and you can make and receive phone calls like a landline - the big difference being.....no line rental to pay, just calls at very very low rates.

I'd be happy to help you with it if you like. (just to clarify, since I don't want banning....I don't sell VoIP, just a happy user)

x

Horace

Printing.com dont have POP3 email accounts so my business email will point at a home email account set up especially but it doesnt look too good. I know what I need to do its just finding the right emailhost - one that I am happy with and one that gives me more for less money:D Being a start up I am a tight wad:rotfl:

Thanks for the offer of help on VOIP - again this is something that I will look into when I get round to it, I am trying not to spend money at the moment if I can help it...my poor credit cards have taken one hell of a battering and I am hoping that when my accountant does my self assessment next year that I will be able to claim it all back (this year she did a nil return).

What line of business are you in Batfink?

moneymabel

Have just emailed wedding ideas asking for a further discount before I commit to 6 months of advertising...see Horace-i'm learning!!

Horace

Well done mabel - dont forget to ask for the early payment discount too:D

Today has been a round of phone calls - even that dodgy newspaper phoned me again but I told them that I would never advertise with them as their staff were so rude and I didnt appreciate being abused. I had a call too from The Village magazine asking me if I had received my booking form for their wedding fair in September - I haven't so they are sending it again.

I earnt £2 today by doing a government survey on numeracy and literacy and then I was asked if I thought I needed some adult classes:eek: So I handed the woman my book of Virgil poems (all in Latin) so she took one look and decided that as I could understand it then I didnt need such classes after all (what do they teach these people?) Apparently, she thought that I needed help because I got the answer wrong on one maths question despite getting the principle right:rolleyes: I had to work out what size pond liner was needed so I had to work out the volume (I have no interest in ruddy ponds:rolleyes:).

Hopefully my new website will be ready this week - I have asked them to send me another proof because some text is squashed up down the edge of the page and it looks daft:rolleyes: I am still looking at the email thing - its been too hot to concentrate:rolleyes:

Jobs to do tomorrow: finish filling in the co-op bank forms and send off, look at new email address. tidy up, look for galvanised shelving (cheaper than wooden).

TCM_3

Morning!

Horace you are a busy bee this weather - I wish I could take a leaf out of your book!

I was still awake at 3am this morning when the thought hit me like a runaway train .... I have approx 1 week to work then we go away for 11 days ... what on earth am I going to do with myself? I haven't had more than 2 days off together (Christmas Day & Boxing Day) for the past 5 years!

On the business front, I've been unbelievably busy since last Saturday and I don't know where all the people are coming from, which has given me such a good feeling! I haven't been this busy since Christmas 2007 and long may it continue. I have haggled suppliers for deals (again in true Horace style!) I got some lovely new coats in at half price and I have sold 3 of them already - its amazing when you put a "RRP £49.99, Our Price £19.99" on them! I am so pleased with them and at the moment have a new found confidence in myself and my shop! That may change in an hour or so but hey shucks at the minute its great!

Rosie Webster (the tart of a cat) has gone AWOL and Odd George is missing her dreadfully. He attempted to jump up onto my knee last night then at the last minute seemed to realise it was out of character for him and baled out!

Horace

LOL@ your mad cats TCM.

Well yesterday my website went live only I cannot see it and keep seeing the old one but apparently it takes a few days to change over. I got into a right old pickle with my email too as I bought at POP3 box from 123 but have sent the details across to my webby contacts so that they can sort it out, the instructions are probably straight forward for a normal person but I am not normal can sometimes I can make a complete pigs ear out of following instructions especially if its for something that bores me:rolleyes:

Yesterday was kind of good and yet kind of bad as I chopped off one of my friends and erased her completely (no, she isnt dead) and I now feel rejuvenated:D I want to concentrate on positive things and not negative ones. I am also looking for another charity to work with as after this year I won't be supporting the one that I support at the moment (I have to be rid of my leaflets that have their logo on them).

I am also starting to think about my final assignment...yes, I know I can hear you all saying "hasn't she done that yet?:rolleyes:" words and figures are coming together at long last:D

I'd love to buy a new coat for £19.99 TCM - I saw a lovely purple coat in Selfridges the other day - or rather it was a lovely coat until I saw the price:eek: it was just a plain, ordinary coat but must have been made with wool from the rare abyssinian hobbit because it cost £890:eek::eek: needless to say I went off it very quickly.

Well I am now in a quandary - I have just received two complimentary tickets to Taste of Business which takes place on 9 July at Cannon Hill Park Bham from 5.30pm to 9.30pm - one ticket is for me and one is now going spare as I had initially invited my chum who is no longer a chum.

Taste of Business is set to become the region's bigged networking event. All members of the business community across Birmingham and the West Midlands have been invited to Taste of Business which will be the perfect event for networking, meeting new contacts, doing business or just having a catch up with colleagues.

As well as sampling food and drink from the best restaurants and food producers around Birmingham and the West Midlands, there will be a chance to take part in Speed Networking, and to see well known faces from the business community doing battle in the kitchen.

Taste of Business have been searching around the region for "Suits with Soul" and have selected 3 bands made up of local business people to entertain the crowds. So make your way to the BRMB stage to see Mojo Hooker, The Sued and The Fabulous M Shots. There will also be entertainment from artists performing at Birmingham International Jazz Festival this Summer and favourties of Birmingham's premier live music venue, The Jam House.

Doors open at 5.30pm-9.30pm.

Now if you are interested in my spare ticket, please send me a PM.

Darth_Trader

Hello all! I thought I'd drop by and say hi as I've been too busy to get on here recently. (Been working on product designs on a well-known POD site - not sure if I can name it here, so I won't!)

Horace - does your new website have the same URL as the old one (if there is an old one)? You might need to clear your cache on your browser (esp. if using Firefox) in order to see the new site. I had a similar problem when I added a 'favicon' to my blog - couldn't see it until I cleared the cache, exited Firefox and then opened it up again.

Horace

My website url hasnt changed so I guess I will try clearing my cache and see what happens. I still need to amend it as I need to put some additional information onto it, I am trying to get the wording how I want it, I want to mention the charity that I am supporting this year and I am on the hunt for a new one for next year.