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

Wordsmith

It's the dreams that gets us through the day and motivates us, Amatheya. I have a hovel in the Irish countryside, and it is my dream to be able to afford to make it a home. At the moment it is so much a hovel that I can't actually live in it.

Good luck with your list, Louise. I got through mine yesterday, but these shop accounts are hanging over me and I can't wait to get them finished. It will be a couple of days yet though. And on to my list for today:

To do:
Continue with shop accounts - continued, but also to continu
[STRIKE]Check my emails[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Check training client's emails ... which resulted in ...[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Do admin for training client[/STRIKE]
Update client's web site
[STRIKE]NOT eat any more of shop goddesses' cakes (Friday is baking day, and I am not a domestic goddess), other than the two scones with strawberry jam that I have just had for breakfast.[/STRIKE]:o Done! Tick, v. good for this one.

Amatheya81

Wordsmith wrote: »

It's the dreams that gets us through the day and motivates us, Amatheya. I have a hovel in the Irish countryside, and it is my dream to be able to afford to make it a home. At the moment it is so much a hovel that I can't actually live in it.

It may be a hovel now but what a exciting project to turn it back into a home. I'd love to buy a shell and do it up, I was even looking at a run down cottage near Letchlade the other day. I can't afford to buy it at the moment but one day.

Right, I've cancelled all my plans for this weekend as I've got a bit of a cold (as they mostly involved tiling and decorating my mothers bathroom so I'm not exactly sad about it)

Instead I'm going to spend the weekend do the following;

Get 2 paintings started (I want to work on two so that I can work on one while the other dries)
Re-price my cards and decide who I will use to produce them going forward.
Get my cards up on my website and set up a Etsy store.
Get my last painting photographed, matted, framed and up for sale.
Update my accounts.
Learn how to set up a newsletter.
Do some market research/marketing.

This is of course all assuming that I don't go home, curl up in bed and remain unconciouse for the next two days!

poorbutrich

Great to see this thread revived! I used to lurk on here and really enjoyed reading about the exciting jobs that you do, but I thought I would introduce myself! I currently work full time (and some!) in a PR job that I love, but I thought it would be a good idea to take on freelance work in the same field! I am a former journalist and my speciality is helping small businesses with gaining them exposure in their local media, the trade magazines that exist in their particular industry, as well as in newspapers and online.

The funny thing is that although I am good at gaining column inches for other people, I am not great at publicising myself!

Horace

Sorry haven't been around much this week or last - I am losing track of days (insert banned confused smilie here). I spent some time recently (it shows how bad my head is I cannot remember which day it was - it could have been last week) working with a graphic designer on a new logo because my business is changing. I have never worked with a proper graphic designer before because my first logo was from Vistaprint and I got my business card peeps to redraw it so this has been a totally new experience. We sat together for 2 hours and whittled 35 designs that he had come up with down to one and today, my new stationery has been ordered and my new website is being created by the guy who hosts my current one.

I spent part of last week at networking meetings and other days faffing around with the Neighbourhood Office - why do they have to be so flippin' awkward:mad: Our council has introduced a new system - you have to ring a call centre every day to get an appointment because they seem unable to make an appointment in advance - phones no longer ring in Neighbourhood Offices. Anyway I have written them a lovely letter so hopefully they will take note.

I was talking to my web chap on skype today (oh, how I love free calls) and he suggested that I get a landline number but I don't really want to use my current landline so he suggested that I get an 0843 number which is free (apparently I can have two free ones) so I asked what I should do. He advised me to use https://www.switchboardfree.com (he has no affiliation to them other than using them himself). I am not quite ready to set up yet as I am waiting for my new email address and I don't want to confuse matters. What happens is that someone can dial the number and they get a message saying "you are no.1 or whatever in a queue and your call will be answered shortly" then the person gets some nice music to listen to (you can select what type) and then the call either gets answered by you (because it will be diverted to your phone), if you are not available, the system sends an email to say that someone contacted you.

I prefer this option having had to endure listening to other people's answering services which are putting it mildly rubbish (being polite here). I rang someone the other day and was told "eees not 'ere, eees not in the office today, can I take a messidge" erm..no, I will email thanks. It did not inspire confidence.

Today I have waited in for the plumber that my landlord promised would come today so I had to cancel meeting a friend at the Spring Fair - the plumber never arrived:mad:

Jobs for this week:
Meet another friend at the Spring Fair tomorrow
Wednesday - go to the hairdressers and do a mystery shop, maybe checking emails too.
Thursday - update new website as it should be live - this means copying and pasting some pages from the old site and rejigging them.
Friday - think of a decent strapline for my business, do some unpaid work for the DDBC.
Need to target places that run teambuilding courses - I am drawing up a list and then I can start on the calls etc.

After a particularly stinky relationship breakdown over the New Year - I discovered on 2 Jan that my b/f of 7 years had been seeing someone else, I decided that I needed to get out and about. In some respects I am relieved that he has run off because it means that I can concentrate on my business and having a life instead of fretting and only having holidays on naturist beaches (I am not a naturist so would pitch a tent on the beach and stay in there all day). So far I have been to a Tweetup (a group of us from twitter having a social night out) and I joined something called meetup.com over the weekend and found some groups local to me - Go Heart of England (this is a social group so we meet for pub nights, activity weekends and rambles) and Backabush Explorers Birmingham - this has more activity holidays. I am meeting up with a crowd from Go Heart of England on 20 Feb for a 5 mile ramble - it will be good to put the walking boots back on. I did discover something bad though because I know I will enjoy Backabush but I was looking at past events and found that these are organised by the London group of Backabush (I wasnt aware there was one) and who should I spot on one of the photos..only ex b/f who had spent weekends conning me saying he was sailing when he so obviously wasnt. Now I am stuck as to what to do, do I stay with this group and attend their events (I will be going with fellow brummies whom I will know by then) or not go at all? Personally, I don't see why I shouldn't go especially as I want to organise some of the events myself...I am adept at ignoring people I don't like so don't really see a problem from my end. Decisions, decisions.

Wordsmith

Morning all. I didn't get on here yesterday as I was at a client's all day. It was for a restaurant that's closed at the beginning of the week this time of year, so in an unheated office by myself all day doing really boring work for someone who owes me over 2000 euro. Not the highlight of my week.

Hope you're joining us, poorbutrich! Freelance work in PR sounds good. Someone in my village does that and is kept very busy. Have you started yet, or are you thinking of starting?

Nice to see you again, Horace! Your life sounds as fast-paced as ever.

Did you get your lists completed over the weekend Amatheya and Louise?

I am in the post office agency today, handing out benefit money. In between that ...

To do:
Update client's web site (which I didn't get around to last week)
[STRIKE]
Check emails
Check client's emails
Deal with client's admin
Start proofreading a new novel
[/STRIKE]Stop proofreading that one and start another one that is more urgent, when it arrives
[STRIKE]Private teaching this evening
[/STRIKE]

Amatheya81

Mornig.... Errr... Afternoon all.

Gah, I've had a horrid past few days! I've got some horrid cold thing which has really wiped me out I've managed to turn up for my 9 to 5 job but I've just been going home and creeping into bed afterwards so my list has gone out the window. I'm hoping I'll start feeling better soon as things are piling up on all fronts!

Horace - Sounds like you've had a rubbish few days too but I'd definately go to the Backabush thing. There's no point missing the opportunity to do something you want to do just because some idot might be there.
I have a similare problem with one of my idiot ex's being a member of my re-enactment group but you get used to it and ignoring them is deffinately the way to go.

Wordsmith - Seems like you've put us all to shame by having a productive couple of days... I will have to try and follow your example... Right after I've had another nap that is!!

Wordsmith

I agree - definitely go, Horace. All the better if the rat is there - then he can see how well you are doing without him.

Hope you feel better soon, Amatheya.

antwest1986

Hello All,

Just wanted to introduce myself, i'm 24 and have worked online for just over 6 years now, i recently cleared my debt, which was huge over £60k, i was young and earning a fair amoutn of money and was thrown credit left right and centre.

In my last 6 years i have owned many businesses (online) a web design firm which all work was outsourced abroad, which meant bigger profit margins for me, recently alot of work for web designs has dried up, so i sold the business to a london web design firm, which helped me pay off the rest of my debt.

I currently own a web investment business that invests in websites that are earning a monthly income and in time adding to my website protfolio of websites earning a monthly revenue income.
I also affiliate market, which i promote CPA offers (cost per action) which brings in a fair amount using different marketing methods. I also have built a method of earning a good amount via google adsense which to me over 2 years to perfect but have found a way to make google adsense pay legally of course.

I will be posting a bit more on these boards as i like to get into a community and just meet other people, as many of you know earning from the internet sometimes distracts yourself from your social life (working too many hours on the net).

My to do list :

Deal with 5 new adsense coaching clients this week
Improve my website portfolio by one (purchase a monthly revenue generated website)
Sell a website earning £1250 per month as it has now got to the stage, where i cannot take it further (too much work for myself)


Ant

Nanny.Ogg_3

Hi,

I thought I might stick my head round the door of this thread too, as it looks very interesting.

I'm 24 and started my own business in Dec 2009 after being made redundant from a 9-5 job I loved in August and bumming around in temp jobs for a while.

I run a dog walking and pet care service in Bracknell, and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. The good news is that the money I earn is more than I was making in the job I loved and only work 2-3 hrs a day. The bad news is that I spend more because I'm not stuck in an office all day!! :rotfl:

My business goals this year are to:

- take on my first staff member
- once the staff member takes on my current round, I aim to build up a second round of walks
- buy a van
- train my dog to help me with the walk management (he's a shepherd!!)

I'm also a student studying a degree in business and marketing, and I'm lucky that it is pretty vocational, so I'm able to do most of the business management (marketing, IT, accounts etc).

Hmmm... Reading back, that all sounds a bit busier than I actually am lol!!

N. Ogg

Horace

Evening all..says I at almost the witching hour.

Thanks for your advice over this Backabush group - I shall definitely go and twerp can do one:rotfl: I was looking at a website today (for someone whom I hope will be a supplier of team building events) and saw that he offered activity holidays in Morocco staying in Berber tents - I think I might organise it to take some folks away with me and I may organise a ski trip next year (will need to renew passport next year too) - which is fab because I am very good and falling down so no good at skiing:o

I was supposed to go to the Spring Fair today to meet up with someone but I had the sense to phone her first (after I had deiced the car and cleaned the inside windscreen so that I can see out) - she had decided that as she had spent two days there she couldn't walk any further so wasn't going so I stayed home. Landlords chap came to fix the loo only he has gone away and left it unfixed because it needs a new sleeve so I have to cope with the floods still:mad:. It seems that Landlord didnt tell the chap until last night that I had called - he neglected to say that he had promised to send a plumber yesterday..I wasn't best pleased because I wasted a whole day waiting in when I could have gone out:mad:

I have booked to attend a free conference in Leeds - so I have asked people that I know where they would recommend I stay so they have come up with a cheapy hotel and I can get a train ticket for £39 return too which isnt too bad. Event UK has been cancelled so this is an alternative.

I have done other stuff today - and have been giving someone advice about organising a talent show because she was getting into a panic. This may be a case of If I Scratch Your Back, You will Scratch Mine where no money changes hands.

I spent time on emails and research today. S'pose I ought to think about going to bed because it is late and I have been glued to this computer since 10pm (I had a break from 8-10).