2.5 Million Families on £100k/year Don't Feel Rich

fc123

kabayiri wrote: »

The other killer is the weekly commute at weekend from one end of the country to make your way home, if you have been sold onsite by your beloved employer.

Driving back from Bracknell / Reading regions on a Friday afternoon about 3.30 could sometimes mean arriving home well after 10pm. Hitting that wall of traffic gives you the sinking feeling, and half way through your weekend you start to feel down at the thought of the Sunday night return trip.

When people analyse the backdrop to some of these high salaries, they will start to see the downsides.

I was thinking about this today..as you do....

and we work silly hours and have done for years. However, there is a deff difference between long hours in own business and long hours in someone elses.

My dear MIL has never unerstood that when she wants to 'pop' over, we can't just drop everything and sit down, chit chat and drink tea for 4 hours
...it was worse when we had the shop...she just didn't get that we couldn't just close it and take the day off despite the fact that we didn't have to 'ask' a boss for time off. We did try to explain but she still doesn't understand that being the boss doesn't mean you can just waft in and out when you feel like it.
She also, didn't get the idea of turnover and profit...with expenses sandwiched in the middle...so we had an embarrassing moment once when she was around at cashing up time and there was 1000's in cash plied up. She seemed to think this was our wages (I wish). I did try to explain but gave up.

Most evenings I am online and have tabs open....research, e-mail, here for watercooler moments. I answer queries all evening, check stuff out, do nearly all my admin and communication at night as the days are full of other things. But the big difference is I control my own schedule, I can choose whether to respond to something tomo or catch up on Ugly Betty, when to go to the loo, eat, comment on here or whatever.

Self employed hours are different to PAYE long hours even though one doesn't have more freedom as such (money has got to be made and pulled in so we survive rather than salary landing in the account every month) but it is a freedom of mind.

The freedom of mind makes the stressful times less stressful as one is always in control of what to do (whether they be easy or hard decisions) and, even if the wrong move is made, at least you know it was down to you....not some random other person whose actions you have no control over.

Just one example...OH drove down from a 7 day event late last night, crawled into bed @ midnight, up @ 6amam to unload hire van (to be returned by 8am) and was looking forward to Friday am....first morning in weeks (incl weekends as he works every one) no alarm @ 6.30.....then factory 'phoned and delivery due tomo wasn't picked up.

We need stock for weekend so he drove back to London tonight as he will leave @ 5am for Leicester to collect stock and deliver back to London.

However, he wasn't keen but it was his choice...do we want the new styles in or not? It is peak selling period so a no brainer but I think it's different if a boss called and told him he had to do it.

fc123

kabayiri wrote: »

Pah, amateur league

I'll tell you what scores highly in the top trumps of Working Hours League.

From the Indian IT contractors I work with / compete with for work (usually at the same time) :-
- when posted here, 2 weeks a year leave....and you can forget having Diwali off
- the guys I know work about 10 to 10.5 hours a day here
- they save up holidays to go home every other year. No wonder the children's ages are 2, 4, 6 etc...
- back in India its either a 10.5 or 11.5 hour day, plus a daily commute which can be 4 hours on top.

Working alongside these people I am reminded what standards we will have to match to compete in a global marketplace. I think some of our workplaces are cushioned by comparison.

In my sector, some of the wealthiest people I know are Asian/Indian and they never let up.

One has done amazingly (multi million pound company.......top family staff have Bentley convertiibles and no lease stuff either) and people remember him with his van 30 years ago going anywjere and everywhere to sell, all hours all the time....just full on.

misskool

Reading fc123's insight sometimes makes me feel like I should start my own business. Have a few ideas brewing but the fear of jumping is quite hard. One day, I can name you as my inspiration!

vivatifosi

Good luck misskool! If you have the possibility of doing both part time it is less frightening, though at some point you do need to concentrate on the main business. This doesn't work for all businesses, thankfully it does for mine and I have a portfolio of five jobs now. I saw Charles Handy speak on the idea of portfolio careers, it made sense, and I wouldn't go back to just one job now.

misskool

vivatifosi wrote: »

Good luck misskool! If you have the possibility of doing both part time it is less frightening, though at some point you do need to concentrate on the main business. This doesn't work for all businesses, thankfully it does for mine and I have a portfolio of five jobs now. I saw Charles Handy speak on the idea of portfolio careers, it made sense, and I wouldn't go back to just one job now.

the ideas need to be developed and I *think* they may work but I can't do any of it part time. My current job is full time and a half. I'd love for someone to pick me up, tell me how to research which one of the ideas would work, then show me how to write a business plan, pitch it and then be off and running. But I think that wouldn't be my own business then. :rotfl:

Lots of things in the balance, life is rather exciting and unplannable when you have short fixed term contracts.

chucky

misskool wrote: »

I'd love for someone to pick me up, tell me how to research which one of the ideas would work, then show me how to write a business plan, pitch it and then be off and running.

i'm sure FCS will correct me but i think with things like these the experience is the best teacher. getting things wrongs and then fixing/correcting them is the best way to educate yourself.

fc123

misskool wrote: »

Reading fc123's insight sometimes makes me feel like I should start my own business. Have a few ideas brewing but the fear of jumping is quite hard. One day, I can name you as my inspiration!

Oh cheers ....I only ended up S/E by accident anyway...a long time ago but I still struggle with the not knowing exactly how much will land in the account every week....by that, I mean I know if an invoice is raised, when it will come in and we can roughly estimate T/O but stuff happens.

I couldn't honestly tell you now what we will T/O in July 2010. I can guess based on what we are doing and planning but I don't really know at all.

For many the just not knowing what you will earn would be too stressy. Sometimes, when things have been hard, I have longed for a regular salary and hours...but I don't think I could fit into someone elses working environment and work within someone elses vision.

The product ideas come out of my head and sometimes I do the wrong things..and then they don't sell...and then it's mad panic hunting around in my head for another idea to execute....and then sometimes I gridlock....but I can't afford to....and fret even more.........and so I swim to unravel my mind...and calm...and so it goes on.

I know what we need to earn off the top but will it come in? We are used to it by now but doesn't make it easier, but it's the price for the freedom of mind I guess.

fc123

chucky wrote: »

i'm sure FCS will correct me but i think with things like these the experience is the best teacher. getting things wrongs and then fixing/correcting them is the best way to educate yourself.

But it's the 'getting things wrong' could take you to the wall.

The problem is also, that one can be fab at one part (say the ideas and development) but other really important things just aren't in ones skillset....like accounts, marketing or just having people or sales skills.

Then you have to work really hard at those things to get them right.

It's hard and I live by my sig at the mo. Snag is, we are being a bit too cautious right now as I now analyse every move a bit too much.

My old dad was at the forefront of computer research and development in the 60's and 70's and has research studenst that went off and took the ideas and truned them into amazing businesses....he couldn't have done it himself as he didn't have those other skills.

I cheat as I have OH and he is the people and the 'Now' person. He sorts out today and tomo, I am always 2 months ahead. It works well. On my own, I would flit about ideawise too much too.

SingleSue

I am a development sort of person rather than an ideas one...if someone has an idea, I can generally come up with different ways to make it better and more cost effective/streamlined.

I'm not too bad at marketing (if I can do it online) but I am hopeless at sales because I just can't talk to groups of people without getting completely tongue tied...oh and I don't have the gift of the gab, I'm too honest.

People skills on a one to one basis are pretty good though.

Think I would make a crap self employed person :rotfl:

PasturesNew

SingleSue wrote: »

I am a development sort of person rather than an ideas one...if someone has an idea, I can generally come up with different ways to make it better and more cost effective/streamlined.

I'm not too bad at marketing (if I can do it online) but I am hopeless at sales because I just can't talk to groups of people without getting completely tongue tied...oh and I don't have the gift of the gab, I'm too honest.

People skills on a one to one basis are pretty good though.

Think I would make a crap self employed person :rotfl:

These are the precise reasons I am not a multi-millionaire. I can do everything except the schmoozing ... I also struggle with making my mind up what to pursue and my focus for my own stuff is sketchy.

For others though, I'm a right little back room powerhouse of productivity, planning and brilliance

But no schmoozing ... never let me near influential people... I'll just say or do something odd.