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

Horace

Well done on all the positive things that folks have been doing today.

After weeks (no, make that months) of procrastinating about the assignments I have started them again from scratch this time not looking at my own area (its always the same old story, the scenario is always set in your own area which is so yawningly boring), well I have gone outside the comfort zone a bit and temporarily relocated to stratford upon avon (not physically I hasten to add) as this has given me more ideas for transport to the wedding, I am now more than half way through:j

I won't be around much tomorrow as I am off to the chamber of commerce - my last signing (I need to sign for the last 2 weeks of test trading), I will take along the WTC form too as there are some things that I am not sure about and they will help me fill it in there. I was very mindful to put down that I was disabled (not disabled enough to get DLA though because according to them I can think for myself and cook myself a meal) - thank god for Remoskas is all I can say:rotfl:

Plans for tomorrow/Friday

Attend chamber for meeting
Send off working tax credit form
check post and ask council Again for a self employment benefit claim form, I asked on Monday and I still havent received it:mad:
Print off, complete and send off the paperwork so that I can get my professional indemnity insurance
Tidy up (much needed).
Make calls to hotels and other venues.
Write to council to explain that I am no longer on JSA - seems I have to write to them:rolleyes:
Send code from HMRC re self assessment to accountant when I receive it.

I am starting to enjoy this self employment lark:rotfl:

tmck_2

wondered if anyone here could help me
i paint (mainly portraits) i also draw etc have done quite a few commisions in my area (sw scotland) i would love to open a shop of sorts with a gallery and hand made products using local craftspeople as well as myself but dont know if there any kind of funding available to help with premises rent etc

sammy115

Horace wrote: »

Well done on all the positive things that folks have been doing today.

After weeks (no, make that months) of procrastinating about the assignments I have started them again from scratch this time not looking at my own area (its always the same old story, the scenario is always set in your own area which is so yawningly boring), well I have gone outside the comfort zone a bit and temporarily relocated to stratford upon avon (not physically I hasten to add) as this has given me more ideas for transport to the wedding, I am now more than half way through:j

I won't be around much tomorrow as I am off to the chamber of commerce - my last signing (I need to sign for the last 2 weeks of test trading), I will take along the WTC form too as there are some things that I am not sure about and they will help me fill it in there. I was very mindful to put down that I was disabled (not disabled enough to get DLA though because according to them I can think for myself and cook myself a meal) - thank god for Remoskas is all I can say:rotfl:

Plans for tomorrow/Friday

Attend chamber for meeting
Send off working tax credit form
check post and ask council Again for a self employment benefit claim form, I asked on Monday and I still havent received it:mad:
Print off, complete and send off the paperwork so that I can get my professional indemnity insurance
Tidy up (much needed).
Make calls to hotels and other venues.
Write to council to explain that I am no longer on JSA - seems I have to write to them:rolleyes:
Send code from HMRC re self assessment to accountant when I receive it.

I am starting to enjoy this self employment lark:rotfl:

Busy day for you then huh! Me too, I seem to driving all round the west midlands today but I like that side of my job - visiting clients.....much nicer than being stuck in an office all day. Just to say I got your stuff thank you very much and I LOVE the business cards.....very very nice and give such a good impression of the business...

I am not a member of the chamber of commerce, I haven't had time for that yet but will do in June hopefully. And yes a trip to the spa would be great, Chloe can stay at home:rotfl:no truthfully she is usually at 'nannies' apart from Friday afternoons....

Have a good day.

Oh, and I noticed someone had a problem with a backup stick earlier on..

Anyone wanting free online backup should try https://www.adrive.com 50gb of free storage. I use it for all my documents having twice lost lots of work....

Essex-girl_2

Good Morning All

Didnt get too much done yesterday - had an unexpected visitor and went to do my tacho's to find that my analysis disc has been lost/mislaid!

Today I will be doing a bank reconcilitaion, my tachos if the new disc arrives and maybe my personal filing pile which is ginormous! Need to do it though as there is information in there that I need for the accountant (home utility bills)

I do this every-year, spend hours filing then say to myself - never again would only take me a few minutes if I did this each week. Hopefully this year will be the year that I actually do it!

Hope you have a productive day.

Horace

Today has been a very busy day indeed - no time for lunch either (well I don't suppose grabbing some of Millies Cookies counts:rolleyes:). I had to do a lot of form filling at the chamber which resulted in calls to the jobcentre - I hate that place, plus they have this message on their expensive 0845 number (its not a local charge from a cable line:mad:) to say that their operatives are too busy and to call back - eventually I got through and heard a voice you are now in a queue - I didnt dare put the phone down and go the loo:eek: They then told me that I had called the wrong number and gave me a different one to ring, again I got the call is in a queue (I used to like the classical music - The entrance of the Queen of Sheba - not any more after having to listen to it for an absolute age). Seems the figure I wanted was on the P45 that they gave me in october (I still have it) then I rang the WTC people as I needed some assistance from them as well so I just need to add one more thing and that form is complete. I am now wondering if they will give me disabled WTC? I have told them I am disabled but am not in receipt of DLA because I can cook myself some dinner - stuff the rest, as long as I can cook a meal then that's ok:rolleyes:

I need to send off for Class 2 NI as well:D I can see that I am going to busy over the weekend with forms, forms and yet more forms. And I need to write a letter to the chamber and one to the bloomin' council (I am still waiting for them to send me a form:mad:).

I think I will flake out for a bit - it has been a stressful and tiring day (not helped by the long walk from the bus stop to the chamber and back again so that I could get the bus home).

taketheplunge

Hi all i am new on here. I thought i would join to see if anyone can help/give me any advice. I am currently on maternity leave and have been thinking of ways i can make money and work part time, well i have been thinking on and off about going in to wedding planning. Reading around on websites the last few days i have decided this is definitly what i want to do. I am going to attend a 4 day course in June which should hopefully stand me in good stead.

I see there are one or two wedding planners on here and wondered if they would be able to offer some advice on getting started.

Any advice much appreciated.:o

nzmegs

Hi everyone - deadline day....might be a late one. Don't know why I leave things to the last minute but creativity works best that way for me. Pity I have to get stressed to get my brain going.

I am writing an articles about swine flu right now and have noticed i have a sore throat and headache.....talk about talking myself into something. According to some research i came across the WHO reckons that at the height of a pandemic up to 75% of people could be off work at one time. Just like christmas. That would cause panic in this country. Shops shut, hospitals short staffed etc.

I bet I will still be banging out my one article a day anyway. I don't get sick pay....

Speaking of which i am looking into insurances for sickness and lack of work when self employed. Can anyone offer any good advice. For example what would happen if the work drys up. Can I insure against that?

Horace

taketheplunge wrote: »

Hi all i am new on here. I thought i would join to see if anyone can help/give me any advice. I am currently on maternity leave and have been thinking of ways i can make money and work part time, well i have been thinking on and off about going in to wedding planning. Reading around on websites the last few days i have decided this is definitly what i want to do. I am going to attend a 4 day course in June which should hopefully stand me in good stead.

I see there are one or two wedding planners on here and wondered if they would be able to offer some advice on getting started.

Any advice much appreciated.:o

Avoid that 4 day course like the plague - you cannot learn everything in 4 days. I have nearly finished a course with the Institute of Professional Wedding Planners - it has taken me nearly a year to complete (2 assignments left) and have found this to be the most intensive and the most useful. The Institute award a diploma - you get letters after your name but more importantly you get a logo to go on your website and business stationery, on completion of the course they will send out a press release to a paper or magazine of your choice and you will be added to their list of preferred suppliers. I have heard lots of reports about that 4 day course and none of them have been good. At least with the Institute's course you get the opportunity to build up your supplier base because you have assignments that are true to life and you have to source information for them. I have sent you a PM about the course.

Wedding planning cannot really be done on a part time basis as it tends to be a full time job - an average wedding takes 250 hours to organise, plus you have to search for venues etc and it all takes time. I am not trying to put you off, I am trying to be realistic. Maybe you should consider going on some business courses with either Business Link or your local chamber of commerce - these are free and cover all aspects of starting a business. You also need to think about insurance as well - its not cheap, I have Public Liability insurance as well as Professional Indemnity Insurance - you have to have Professional Indemnity to cover you in case you give duff advice and someone decides to sue you.

HTH

Horace

Jobs to do/have done:

Sort out Class 2 NI form and send it off
Finish WTC form and send it off
Have rung the bank to change all my account over and apply for a debit card, also found out about CardNet services - as I may want to take credit cards in the future. Have set up a business deposit account so that I can start saving for the tax man (my bank manager was well impressed with this:D)
Print off, write up and send off form for Professional Indemnity Insurance
Finish those assignments - will do that tonight:j
Complete and send off marking matrix for my tutor so I get my diploma:j
Read through contract from solicitor and make any necessary changes
See how much it is to change website and make amendments accordingly.
Contact various venues - ongoing
Write up questionnaire for couples - at least I can have an idea of what they want etc.
Speak to a wedding directory about their adverts, I want a reduced price please:D
Order a filing cabinet and comfy office chair
Sort out filing

Megs - I dont think you can insure against work drying up but you can insure yourself against illness, I think it is called Key Person Cover or it could be Critical Illness cover I am not sure which.

As for the swine fever - the government are banging on about it because there is something that they are up to that they dont want us to know about. I think that the chances of any of us getting it are very slim - have you noticed that they have stopped banging on about Bird Flu and what a pandemic that was going to be, everyone was going to die and did we? no, we didnt. A sore throat and itchy nose could mean that a) you have a cold or b) you are allergic to tree pollen and have hayfever.

Irishbird_2

Hi I'm not officially self employed as yet but may be soon. I'm an architect, got made redundant a few weeks ago from the practice I worked with for years and the plan was to set up on my own doing small projects working from home to supplement hubby's income. What a difference a few days can make! Two days ago, he came home from work(been there just over a year) and said he'd been sacked! They had literally escorted him off the premises. He'd had a written warning four months ago and two days ago they said he had done something wrong at work and just told him to go! We have two small children so obviously it's a big worry how we are going to keep a roof over our heads :eek:

To be honest I find myself very unmotivated in doing anything architecture related even when it is working from home, even more so now that hubby is off work too! :coffee: Maybe I'm just a lazy cow! I'm desperate to get out of the profession and my ideal business would involve making bridesmaid dresses/wedding cakes/stationery. I love making things! I've always done the former as a hobby and I'm quite good at it, I'm learning to do the cakes and also have done the stationery quite a bit as a hobby. On the architecture side, what I've done is put together an advert for the local directory/booklet that comes out every few months as part of a group with an engineer, plumber and builder and we'll also do some flyer thingys too. Only trouble is now that if we are on benefits, I'll have to sign off/sign on/sign off etc every time I get any work :rolleyes2 We might survive on benefits for a while but not for too long

We just did renovations to our house which involved turning an original lean to conservatory into a new kitchen, new utility room, understairs loo, other knocking walls through, turning old kitchen into office etc and all this has left us in debt of about £12k. Half of it is on credit cards which I have payment protection for unemployment on which is lucky. Its just the other half I have to worry about!

I look forward to joining you on here