The recession, benefits, the safety net, and the learning curve

Really2

carolt wrote: »

I run my own school - v small scale - but allows me to set my own hours. .

Carol, you got me thinking yesterday with this as I know you are a teacher of adults, also that you are part time.

I may have cracked your teaching conundrum.

Would I be right you are not a teacher in the pure sense of the word EG English maths etc. (even though you are a stickler for good English).
But are you in fact a drama, dance or something like that? (even though you are still indeed teaching)
It was the only thing I could think of that would fit in with running a small school in your own hours.

Don't feel like you have to respond if you do not want to but perhaps a little hit on the thanks button if I am in the right "ball park".

PS I am not fishing for thanks, but I did not want you to feel you would be giving out to much detail on your job:)

Max_Headroom_3

dopester wrote: »

Not suggesting this is an idea for Max to pursue....

Max could come up with his own ideas to meet his strengths.

So in fact from the "many" ideas for pursuing easy quick cost free risk free income that would easily outstrip benefits, you've come up with, err, none.

Well done.

carolt

Really2 wrote: »

Carol, you got me thinking yesterday with this as I know you are a teacher of adults, also that you are part time.

I may have cracked your teaching conundrum.

Would I be right you are not a teacher in the pure sense of the word EG English maths etc. (even though you are a stickler for good English).
But are you in fact a drama, dance or something like that? (even though you are still indeed teaching)
It was the only thing I could think of that would fit in with running a small school in your own hours.

Don't feel like you have to respond if you do not want to but perhaps a little hit on the thanks button if I am in the right "ball park".

PS I am not fishing for thanks, but I did not want you to feel you would be giving out to much detail on your job:)

No comment. I'll thank you anyway, just for being nice in this thread.

LydiaJ

lostinrates wrote: »

Tee hee.

Alright guys, I'm logging off. Wish me luck, its a big medical day for me tomorrow

Sorry to hijack your thread, Max, but hope it went well today, lir.

carolt

dopester wrote: »

Not suggesting this is an idea for Max to pursue. Thinking more for myself to try, if I absolutely could not get back into a line of work I'm trained for, had pursued lots of other options, and any minimum wage type jobs offered were not at all appealing.

Max could come up with his own ideas to meet his strengths, which I noticed was suggested to him by a few people yesterday.

It is not a guaranteed income generator either, but perhaps something I might try, (if desperate.) Just looking at one way I might personally try and beat JSA (£63ish a week) & council-tax relief by some way.

Also doesn't have to be a full-time thing just waiting for customers to make contact. Can pursue other self-employment and income generating opportunities at the same time, whilst also applying for preferred full-time jobs.

Also the downside risks seem minimal. Little bit for some design/publishing, maybe some drop-cards, fee for weekly display in post-office / news-agents windows of an area. Minimal set-up costs so limited capital risk. Immediate payment.



I've overdone it with the security 'fear-factor' images.. that would have to be toned down. The security part is because I know many highly security-concerned people at the moment.. so why not play on it a little, instead of just targeting those who want repairs? Postcard design pretty basic (I'm not a desktop-publisher designer), and someone with a better eye could make a much more effective display. Would have to check legal stuff too.

No idea if the above is fully true - just a quick google search.

Ansaphone for any incoming calls after 5pm asking for details, to contact back first thing next morning. On calls to visit, go to estimate, and quote your £15/£20/£25 start fee + quote costs for any part required (a couple £ markup on each). That isn't ripping the customer off, and comfortably beats many a professionals rate.

Lots of people can make their own simple repairs, or have people to help - but market has people who pay for repairs. If the phone doesn't ring at all, not lost too much money with the whole attempt (bit of marketing and maybe a selection of parts) and easy exit to try something else.

Any repair job which looks too difficult from the outset (windows which won't close properly for example due to a tricky-looking friction hinge stopping the window closing flush, or hard-to-source part, or a system beyond my expertise), or pre-start repair suggestion not meeting the customer's approval .. then make your excuses about not being able to complete the job, whilst perhaps recommending a very experienced 'professional' who can.

Anyone who wants to make money doing domestic repairs should target pensioners, esp in better off neighbourhoods. I never cease to be amazed and horrified at my parents, who ring me up and say, oh we spent x hundred pounds on getting new kitchen flooring fitted/curtain rail repaied/boiler fixed etc etc. With the exception of the boiler,we could do most of this stuff for them, but my mum always says 'oh, we didn't want to bother you'. Even when younger, they would have struggled to do a lot of this themselves, as they're not very 'handy', but the reason I suggest targeting pensioners is that they're not only less capable, they are more likely to be able to afford it. (At least in posher areas.) And when I say target, I don't mean it selfishly - you'd be doing them a huge favour. My parents have no idea who to ask or where to find people prepared to do repairs etc - they usually ask friends of friends and get some right crook, who rips them off. A reliable repair company "Reliable Repairs", for example, as a name - would be fantastically helpful for old people. Advertise in publications, clubs etc aimed at old people, etc.

Just an idea.

lostinrates

LydiaJ wrote: »

Sorry to hijack your thread, Max, but hope it went well today, lir.

Thank you . I'm posting so I must be alive . Yeah, I'm ok.

fc123

lostinrates wrote: »

Thank you . I'm posting so I must be alive . Yeah, I'm ok.

Glad to hear you are OK too.

harryhound

dopester wrote: »

Not suggesting this is an idea for Max to pursue. Thinking more for myself to try, if I absolutely could not get back into a line of work I'm trained for, had pursued lots of other options, and any minimum wage type jobs offered were not at all appealing.

Max could come up with his own ideas to meet his strengths, which I noticed was suggested to him by a few people yesterday.

It is not a guaranteed income generator either, but perhaps something I might try, (if desperate.) Just looking at one way I might personally try and beat JSA (£63ish a week) & council-tax relief by some way.

Also doesn't have to be a full-time thing just waiting for customers to make contact. Can pursue other self-employment and income generating opportunities at the same time, whilst also applying for preferred full-time jobs.

Also the downside risks seem minimal. Little bit for some design/publishing, maybe some drop-cards, fee for weekly display in post-office / news-agents windows of an area. Minimal set-up costs so limited capital risk. Immediate payment.



I've overdone it with the security 'fear-factor' images.. that would have to be toned down. The security part is because I know many highly security-concerned people at the moment.. so why not play on it a little, instead of just targeting those who want repairs? Postcard design pretty basic (I'm not a desktop-publisher designer), and someone with a better eye could make a much more effective display. Would have to check legal stuff too.

No idea if the above is fully true - just a quick google search.

Ansaphone for any incoming calls after 5pm asking for details, to contact back first thing next morning. On calls to visit, go to estimate, and quote your £15/£20/£25 start fee + quote costs for any part required (a couple £ markup on each). That isn't ripping the customer off, and comfortably beats many a professionals rate.

Lots of people can make their own simple repairs, or have people to help - but market has people who pay for repairs. If the phone doesn't ring at all, not lost too much money with the whole attempt (bit of marketing and maybe a selection of parts) and easy exit to try something else.

Any repair job which looks too difficult from the outset (windows which won't close properly for example due to a tricky-looking friction hinge stopping the window closing flush, or hard-to-source part, or a system beyond my expertise), or pre-start repair suggestion not meeting the customer's approval .. then make your excuses about not being able to complete the job, whilst perhaps recommending a very experienced 'professional' who can.

Hi Dopester,

That sounds like a good minimal investment self employment job.
It can be done on a part time and weekend basis (The customers tend to be working full time, and that is when "parking wardens" are earning their bonus too.).

However it is a crowded field, I've counted 19 entries in in the current Southend/Basildon yellow pages, of people who would come round to do "double glazing repairs" - ie who could beef up the locks/hinges against intruders.

Harry

BTW Even these days a memorable land-line phone number is a valuable asset; have you fixed up with the controllers at
A & B taxis of High Road, Pitsea, Basildon, Essex to take your 24 hour a day enquiries? :rotfl: Perhaps offer them some commission;)

[Those "nice" people at Supreme Coaches, just might have avoided bankruptcy, if they had offered me a commission for chatting up their customers, when they published my 'phone number for enquiries:eek:]

{Do we need PN's attention to detail to give all business plans a going over?}

PasturesNew

harryhound wrote: »

{Do we need PN's attention to detail to give all business plans a going over?}

I deliberately didn't go into details as I didn't feel it was in the spirit of the thread for me to do so. Open field for others though.

My initial thoughts were: yes, and how many people are already doing this? you'd actually need to advertise in local rags most probably - only to then find out that actually most adverts don't produce results until you've been advertising solidly for a year.

What one can do though is register free with the yell.com website, not many people realise this can be free to do.

I can come up with ideas for anybody, based on their skills/experience .... but the bottom line is that coming up with an idea isn't enough, it has to actually be researched and implemented and backed up with skills.... in an increasingly over-crowded marketplace of people who can do things.

Yet I am still amazed at how many middle-class people are still running "non companies", such as wellness days, pamper sessions, hand made chocolate treats... oh, I could actually list 100 real companies that I've never understood how they made money. Were there (ARE there?) really that many people about with money to waste on fripperies...?

fc123

Just noticed no new post today.
Is Maxy OK?

I have an OCD thingy going on and want to find out about BMW job.

Confidence PN. We will help you amass some With Kind Words .....are there such things as agents to sell your services in your sector?

I don;t sell my products anymore, I have agents that talk them up and do that for me.

Eg; Moi ''Here is a the new ..errr..range...It has a bit of Granny Inspiraition....ummm...it is Very Nice ''

Agent ''OMG ....:D this range is to Die For...truly....
just look at the retro influences in the print work used...soooo 1983 ...sooo Littlewoods 1983....sooo Granny with a contemporary edge.''

Guess who sells more units?


I am also OCD about LIR's medi appt. I will trot over 'Elswhere later'...haven't been for a while.