I'm planning opening a pasty shop - what are the profit expectations?

bo_drinker

carolt wrote: »

Not bad...feel rather chuffed you posh designer lady chooses to hang out with us....

I always thought she was a posh bird slumming it on here with the riff raff

PasturesNew

Another thing that I find hides the reality of a business is seemingly successful women in shiny businesses. If you dig deep you find that they never needed the money to live on, so could just build up the business over a few years due to one of:
- their husband was bringing in enough and this was just a sideline that took off, but they were at all the business lunches etc and wearing good clothes because it wasn't their main/only income but pocket-money
- similar, but they built up the business slowly over a few years, not needing to make a profit because they had a base income of benefits, so could reinvest all the money back in the business so it grew and didn't show a profit.

It's rare to find people who actually started from nothing, no money, no backing, no family business, no helping hand and made a full-time business out of it single-handed. Most of those I've seen on the telly "I started from nothing" didn't really as somewhere there was somebody paying their way.

fc123

Thrugelmir wrote: »

The best companies I've always found arent flashy. Dont waste money. In fact conserve cash to see them through the difficult times. Even without a recession all businessess suffer downtimes.

That was the red rag with the mini chain as it has never had a cashflow problem in 25 years...still doesn't. Great to supply, I have heard, as you will get paid on the nose.


Also..I can't respond to Dopestar about the OGGy story as both links freeze my PC and one had a dodgy window pop up. Anyone got a virus free link? I meant to say the other night but got distracted waffling about myself...you know how it is?:o

PN hopping about from one idea to the next is quite normal for creative types.........when you find the right one, it will stick.

Also......I hope you are charging a min of £15 phr freelance for SEO writing.

OK another very scary anecdotal. Very talented person sets him/herself up in a niche area and does really well (as truly talented) however a staff member of mine knew the person who did the book keeping. Genuine business was doing T/O One Million pa...but 20 million ran through the accounts from abroad fro 'licensing'. It's a tale told to me so I can't expand on it beyond the gossip but he /she had 2 imitators who thought ''Mmmmm that's a good idea'' and set up...and went bust as the concept wasn't quite the goldmine they thought it to be.


and can I just say....I don't 'do' anything dodgy..hence my attraction to MSE and modest (well..ish) living, but we were offered something many years ago that was very tempting but we didn't (despite really needing the £££ at the time) as we have a family etc and just can't 'do' dishonest.


There is a lot of dirty money around that has to be cleaned up somehow as you can't just walk into an EA and buy an 900k house in £50 notes.

fc123

PasturesNew wrote: »

Another thing that I find hides the reality of a business is seemingly successful women in shiny businesses. If you dig deep you find that they never needed the money to live on, so could just build up the business over a few years due to one of:
- their husband was bringing in enough and this was just a sideline that took off, but they were at all the business lunches etc and wearing good clothes because it wasn't their main/only income but pocket-money
- similar, but they built up the business slowly over a few years, not needing to make a profit because they had a base income of benefits, so could reinvest all the money back in the business so it grew and didn't show a profit.

It's rare to find people who actually started from nothing, no money, no backing, no family business, no helping hand and made a full-time business out of it single-handed. Most of those I've seen on the telly "I started from nothing" didn't really as somewhere there was somebody paying their way.

That's really true....I used to go green with envy at some in my business...just swan in on a concept, hubby's a banker or whatever and they didn't have all the stress of raisng finance or having to pay the bills.

We did the hard way but there were 2 of us. If I am truly honest, our business wouldn't have earnt a living if it had only been me as I flit about from idea to idea..and bin stuff (even though it's good) and have artistic angst and crisis' of confidence.....so OH gets the work out the bin and edits, does logistics, calming plus he has great people skills.

Oh and No 1 came in again yesterday apparently and bought another 2 units...seems I have a regular.:o

fc123

bo_drinker wrote: »

I always thought she was a posh bird slumming it on here with the riff raff

More, I am riff raff who slums it with the posh birds sometimes.:o
Haven't got anything going into the jungle as don't have the shop for her to pop into anymore.....but could be a good thing. I have a bad feeling it's going to be telly carcrash.

Thrugelmir

PasturesNew wrote: »

It's rare to find people who actually started from nothing, no money, no backing, no family business, no helping hand and made a full-time business out of it single-handed. Most of those I've seen on the telly "I started from nothing" didn't really as somewhere there was somebody paying their way.

Often its an opportunity , a question of being in the right time at the right place.

A few I know of........

3 guys worked at IBM. When PC's were first invented came up with writing software that ran on main frames onto PC's.

Another guy. Brilliant mind, great salesman. Father a coal miner. Joined a computer consultancy firm. At 29 became the youngest CEO to float a Company onto Nasdaq. Took turnober from $25million to $800million per annum.

South African couple. Left home with nothing. Except a suitcase and some cash. Bought rights to discontinued TV and Video remotes. Manufacturer and supplied to all major chains and electrical outlets.

TV presenter (days of lower salaries). Bought a stake in a local radio station for £10,000. Was bought out by what is now Virgin for £950k 15 months later. Gave him money to start his own business empire.

Met lots of people over the years. Even had the founder of Norton Anti Virus as a shareholder of one comapany I worked for. He walked away with £50 million. Started with nothing.

We all dream few get the break though.

fc123

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Often its an opportunity , a question of being in the right time at the right place.

A few I know of........

3 guys worked at IBM. When PC's were first invented came up with writing software that ran on main frames onto PC's.

Another guy. Brilliant mind, great salesman. Father a coal miner. Joined a computer consultancy firm. At 29 became the youngest CEO to float a Company onto Nasdaq. Took turnober from $25million to $800million per annum.

South African couple. Left home with nothing. Except a suitcase and some cash. Bought rights to discontinued TV and Video remotes. Manufacturer and supplied to all major chains and electrical outlets.

TV presenter (days of lower salaries). Bought a stake in a local radio station for £10,000. Was bought out by what is now Virgin for £950k 15 months later. Gave him money to start his own business empire.

Met lots of people over the years. Even had the founder of Norton Anti Virus as a shareholder of one comapany I worked for. He walked away with £50 million. Started with nothing.

We all dream few get the break though.

I have to say, every person I have met who just wanted to 'chase the money' didn't clean up...some did OK and other earnt well but not always.... I still think you need to have a passion for one thing or a idea (which doesn't always have to be original either) and work on it.

Unfortunately, richest friend of OH's is sitting on 20 million in bank (plus the big house etc etc) which all came from property (building ) and he did get given his first project in 1986 by his dad. It was a semi worth about £300k today. Howver, he managed through the 80's crash and 90's slump and this last one and is still building.
300k to now is a big achievment. He is still with the original wife too from 1987.

PasturesNew

fc123 wrote: »

Also......I hope you are charging a min of £15 phr freelance for SEO writing.

That'd be mates rates. It's £25/hour for simple back-linking and up to £50 for my full brain to turn on

Edit: If ever you need a small set of quick and easy high PR backlinks or some exposure in a closed niche crowd of those shiny women, PM me and it's yours for free. For the first, I need some material to focus on sometimes, so I might as well write about you as some random firm I find ... and for the 2nd, I'm in an opt-in group of women in business.

Thrugelmir

fc123 wrote: »

I have to say, every person I have met who just wanted to 'chase the money' didn't clean up...some did OK and other earnt well but not always.... I still think you need to have a passion for one thing or a idea (which doesn't always have to be original either) and work on it.

Unfortunately, richest friend of OH's is sitting on 20 million in bank (plus the big house etc etc) which all came from property (building ) and he did get given his first project in 1986 by his dad. It was a semi worth about £300k today. Howver, he managed through the 80's crash and 90's slump and this last one and is still building.
300k to now is a big achievment. He is still with the original wife too from 1987.

It only takes one successful idea or opportunity. Once you've the capital to invest, not waste or squander, then you have the platform to build wealth. All the people I listed are addicted to work not money. They got their kicks from being in business.

I went to the wedding of one of the computer guys. His reception was on Monkey Island in the Thames. He kept 200 wedding guests waiting 80 minutes while he closed out a sales contract with Sony Corporation. He would have been happy with a reception in a pub!

fc123

PasturesNew wrote: »

That'd be mates rates. It's £25/hour for simple back-linking and up to £50 for my full brain to turn on

Edit: If ever you need a small set of quick and easy high PR backlinks or some exposure in a closed niche crowd of those shiny women, PM me and it's yours for free. For the first, I need some material to focus on sometimes, so I might as well write about you as some random firm I find ... and for the 2nd, I'm in an opt-in group of women in business.

You know what? I will take you up on that as we are sorting out new website at the mo....it's driving me nuts as got to do photo stuff first.

It's looking OK though so far.

I will PM you in a week or 2..I never know what to write really but I am quite good at alt words or meta words or whatever they are called.

I won't be here too much over the next couple of weeks as stuff to do...but thanks so much...it's now on my 'to do' list.

Oh and I am going to post you some antioxidants too...will PM you nearer the time.
Got to go to bed now....night.;)