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

downshifter

nbedin wrote: »

Kelie
Can't you get mobile Broadband to work at all, from a dongle?
Nigel

The problem that some of us have, including me, is that mobile bb is dependent on the mobile phone network signal. If as some of us have described, you can only get a phone signal standing in the middle of the village green waving your arm around in the air or as in my case, hanging out of an upstairs window, then you're scuppered really - and then it's only a couple of bars of unreliable 2G. I'm on dialup and have been tearing my hair out today trying to download my latest BT bill, it's taken forever, tied up my phone line and eventually everything just ground to a halt as it was taking too long. PDFs and graphics-dependent websites are the bane of my life. I could rant about this forever, in fact I'm going to write to my MP today, already drafted the letter, to see if something can be done. It's nonsense that a couple of us on here have to rent office space just to get broadband when we could just as easily work from home. I have actually got a dongle which I use out and about with a laptop and it's wonderful, - races along. GRRRRR!

Rant over, just don't get me started on the lack of services for rural areas!!! There are times when I seriously question whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and that's from a dyed in the wool country girl!

Seaxwyn

downshifter, can't you get broadband through your BT line? That's what we do, and it's fantastic, we send and receive massive graphics files with no trouble.

downshifter

Seaxwyn wrote: »

downshifter, can't you get broadband through your BT line? That's what we do, and it's fantastic, we send and receive massive graphics files with no trouble.

Nope, too far from the exchange apparently, I've had countless engineers out. I believe wordsmith has a similar problem it's the same for lots of us in the country especially if you're a bit off the beaten track. However where I am, even whole villages, some quite large, haven't got bb and acording to BT, won't get it for years yet..............unless someone knows different - please?

Am still trying to change my friends and family on BT, I might get out by this evening!!

tyllwyd

Is satellite broadband too expensive?

boo80

Hi all, hope you don't mind me joining in here! I've had my own small business organising childrens parties for just over 4 years now, and used to work during the week until my daughter was born 2.5 years ago, now I'm a stay at home mummy in the week and entertain other peoples children at the weekends. I've been in debt for years and have always turned a blind eye to it and let it spiral out of control, now I owe just over 15k and have actually decided to face up to my problems and do something about it:j

I finally managed to get to talk to someone at national debt yesterday and she was really helpful but said I needed to call the business side of things, which I did, and he wasn't so helpful and said they couldn't help me as I'm pregnant. I then called CCCS but have to wait until mid May to talk to someone there. Has anyone had any problems with doing DMP because of their self employed status?

downshifter

tyllwyd wrote: »

Is satellite broadband too expensive?

Fraid so. Grants have been available for installation in some areas but the monthly costs were prohibitive. A local school got an enormous lottery grant a while back and had their own system installed. They've dropped it now as that village is bb enabled.

If you're in a village there are systems and money sometimes available to get bb in various ways using a range of technologies, however if you're an isolated cottage or farm out of the main village those systems don't serve you.

Horace

When I was out and about yesterday I noticed that on the farm where the day spa is (there is also a marquee firm there too and I visited them and gave them 250 business cards) that I couldnt get a mobile signal at all (I am with Virgin) and yet a mile and half down the road at the craft centre I could get one:rolleyes:

Don't feel so hot today - I feel a bit fluey and therefore disinclined to do anything:rolleyes:

duchy

What a great thread.
I've worked from home for just over a year -mainly employed with bits of self employed thrown in but in the next few weeks the balance swings the other way-same amount of employed hours but the same again and a bit more self employed.
Procrastination (in which I have gold medals) is no longer an option !!!

sashanut

Hi all

Went awol yesterday due to builders turning up unnanouced at 8am to fix our ridge tiles - been slipped for over 2 years & all that time had problems with squirrels getting in loft etc. Couldn't get anyone to fix it; too small a job, too high (true), etc etc so couldn't turn them away & we now have a fairly secure roof over our heads ( and a bill of course). It did mean I didn't get to do too much business-wise yesterday BUT have come on here to say the little bit I was nagged into doing the other day - I only listed one new item on the site - I have 2 enquiries about so I am sure it will be sold. That's another £200 + so I should learn my lesson - update the site = make money DOH!!! And the only reason I did it is through the challenge on here - thanks Seaxwyn!!


Also 2 customers I was waiting on paid up, so another £500 in the pot, wahey!

Am planning to do some today, but mainly answer emails etc. Tomorrow, I will definitely be challenging to do some more updating with the bonus that I can go out to play if I do a certain amount, so if anyone cares to join me I will provide encouragement/nagging etc ...

Great thread, long may it last!

Darth_Trader

josephine1 wrote: »

Hi I'm glad I found this thread as I've just gone back to self-employment as a photographer after a years break to have a baby and am scared what the credit crunch will have done to my industry! I was used to being able to work long irregular hours, now I have to fit them around 16.5hours, which was all I could get at my nursery but it's a start. Just as I've come back, my website which was hosted by Mac has expired. It's going to cost £60 to renew for the year, but I wanted to find something that showed off my images in a bigger format. Does anyone know any good free websites or cheapish ones?

I think some ISPs give you some free space for your own webpages, although in fairness probably not very much - mine doesn't offer any.

All the hosting companies I've looked at are pitched around £60 pa, but it depends what you need. HostPapa are £5 pm with a 'free' primary domain name for life (as long as you remain with them as your host). The say they offer unlimited disk space and bandwidth - though I'm sure they will have a 'fair use' policy which you'll probably find out about when they suspend your website.:rolleyes:

Therefore, I avoid the 'unlimited' anything ones, and mentioned in my last post here that I'm looking into eukhost.com. They offer their 'Copper' hosting with 200MB of disk space and 2GB bandwidth for £30 pa. So it does depend how much space you need, and how much site traffic (and therefore bandwidth) you reckon on. I'm probably going to opt for 'Gold' hosting with 5GB (50GB) at £65 pa to start off with.

I should say that I was looking specifically for UK hosts with UK-based servers and tech support, and you will undoubtedly get cheaper US hosting.