Millionaire Challenge

Karmacat

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Funny enough I sell some bits on etsy, and someone in a team I have joined said why don't I sell one of my images of a product.. I am no photographer lol.. So I think oic was a fluke..

How does it work re funky pigeon etc with selling images?? Or any other platform.. Also how do I put watermarks through the pics to stop people copying them??

I haven't got that far :o:o I don't know the answers to those questions, sorry! But I know it can be done. And I know that if you're already on etsy, you have the potential

Just popped on to look at my diary list ... gotta run, but honestly, go for it!

Kayalana99

I know how to watermark images through lightroom but honestly I wouldn't worry about it - if someone does ask them to take it down or even send them a letter and ask for payment for using the images. Happy to go through the first one with you via PM if you want though - it's real simple (although I suppose unlikey you will have lightroom)

I read 4 hour work week - look at me reading a book within a week rather then it just being sat on the table being half read....wow is all I can say and at the end? All those success stories - one of them was a photographer so I googled him and yup he's a real life success story shooting weddings around the globe and getting paid for it.

Got the cogs turning - I have a few ideas I am working on but I am hitting road blocks at every turn. Mainly to do with getting the website built but you know what? In 24 hours I have turned my eBay business around and lets just say I've improved my work production and also set up out of office replies to deal with customers - it's not the sort of business that can automate itself as I have to physical make the products (and not worth paying someone else to) but honestly I didn't know what to do with myself today as I was done by 9:30am. Normally on a Monday I am working till 3pm, granted I got a lot done Sunday evening but I usually start work then to get a head start as I have so much to do - and I did I can't even blame it on lack of orders.

The house is slowly starting to look like a house to - I've got so much done today honestly I can't believe it.

So you know what? I've got time to learn how to build a website - if that's what it takes that's what I've got to do next cause non of these "build a website" things work for me. I need simplicity.

Karmacat

Kaya, brilliant post, congratulations!

Kayalana99

Gah I hate moral dilemmas. I have a wedding the last weekend of August, the 1st weekend of Sept and I have an ongoing enquiry from the 2nd weekend in Sept. (So if I took the last booking I would have 3 weekends in a row)

When I spoke to her a couple weeks ago she said to me could she meet to pay the dep at the end of Feb (not sure why then) and would I save the date? (This is the 2nd week of Sept) but because I already had two weddings in a row - I really didn't want a 3rd but didn't want to let her down so I said yes that's fine (normally I wouldn't agree to "save the date" without a booking fee but I didn't want a wedding that date so I was happy to say it)

Now I've had an enquiry for the 3rd week in Sept - this works so much better for me as I would work 2 Saturdays, have 1 off then work the next Sat - then have 5 weeks off before my big Oct wedding and give me time to edit inbetween also the couple seem really laid back - nice venue and ready to put the money down!!

So do I tell her that I can't do it anymore...or do I book all 4 in a row? Bear in mind this isn't just 4 Saturday's but it took nearly two weeks to edit my last wedding due to the sheer number of photos (Given I could of done it faster though)

My partner says just do all 4 but I know when it comes to it he'll hate it as he doesn't get to see me on his days off + gets left with kids for full days.

I have 3 weddings in August and that would be 3 for Sept, also 1 very end of July so in the space of 7-8 weeks that would be 7 weddings...

I know I'll *manage* but this isn't about the money for me - I don't want to do the 2nd weekend wedding but I have a feeling I will end up doing all 4 because of my good nature and not wanting to let her down... but deep down I know I owe her nothing as this has been on going since August 2015 she first got in touch and she wants to meet me - but won't set a date to meet and keeps saying XX month and then putting it forward.

On a positive note I've set my prices to £400 a wedding - not got a wedding at this price but since I am basically (over) booked up for 2016 by the time 2017 comes I want to be priced at a liveable wage - I reckon I need about £300-£350 a month coming in from my photography at least to happily shut down my 1st business so I think £400 is a decent rate to achieve that if I book 12-16 weddings for 2017...and honestly I don't want to toot my own horn but I'm so impressed with how far I have come, I wouldn't say I would pay £400 for me as I am - but I know come 2017 if someone books me for that price I'm sure I'll live up to expectations.

Couple shoot for Saturday with friends but then I have one mid Feb with a Bride I've got booked so fingers crossed...brought myself an engagement photography course on creative live as it was on sale so have been watching that all day with my new spare time.

lessonlearned

Kay - I think ultimately you just have to do what you are comfortable with........

No she hasnt paid you a deposit, however you have led her to believe that you are ok with that. On the other hand the bride does sound a bit flakey, ie messing you about .......I would say accept the booking but she must pay her deposit pronto.

I think though your dilemma raises some interesting questions for you......which is the principal business, which do you enjoy most, which should you be concentrating on.

If you accept this wedding are you going to feel resentful because you feel overcommitted. It sounds also as if you have to think about your relationship with your partner.

You say "he hates it when he doesn't get to see you on his day off".
Im afraid only you and he can work this one out........

"And gets left with the kids for full days"...........hmmmmm. I think you need to maybe get some structure in place for this one....

My husband had a range of activities planned for when I had to work weekends and he took over child care.

Saturday morning was swimming followed by lunch at the pool then the rest was weather dependent........football, cricket, trips to the park, bike rides etc. If the weather was bad then bowling alley, cinema......

My husband was the sort of person who liked itineries and who worked best with a fairly structured plan in place. At first he found suddenly being in sole control a bit daunting but he soon got to love their "boy time" together and I think it really did lay the foundation for the close relationship he had with them.

My husband and my sons had a very close and loving relationship, they adored him and he was their hero And I think it was due in part to the fact that he was such a "hands on" dad and took such a proactive role in their child care.

There was another plus - they got to do lots of "boys stuff" which - if I'm honest - bores me silly........hanging round watching football, playing endless games of cricket etc is just so not my thing.......:rotf I actually preferred being at work........

As for 7 in 7 weeks, it's actually quite a short window - yes I know there's all the back room stuff and it means being very busy but it's a very condensed time frame. I think you could "clear the decks" so to speak and just focus on what needs to be done.

What does the rest of the year look like. Is wedding photography quite seasonal, ie more in the summer and then quieter through the winter.

If it was 1 every week then yes that would be too much, but if it's just a very busy couple of months and then just the odd gig throughout the rest of the year then I would say go for it and put structures in place to cope with the increased workload.

It sounds to me that the real problem is you feel "guilty", about not letting this girl down, about what you see as "neglecting" your partner and guilty about asking him to look after the children on his own.

There's no answer to this one.......

Working mums always feel guilty about something. It's par for the course. I always felt torn often. I felt that I was doing it all wrong. There were times when I felt I wasnt doing my job properly and that I wasn't a good enough mum .......

Being a working mum means you are often stretched in too many directions and often feel overloaded, stressed and tired. I think you will find that most working mums feel like this at times. What you really need though is a very supportive partner, you need to work as a team.

So before you take this any further you really need to discuss things with him, find out what he wants and what he feels he can cope with and then work out a plan of action with him. Maybe engage some help for really busy times.

I would say give this girl an ultimatum, she needs to pay her deposit within a certain time frame. Tell her you are close to being fully booked so if she wants a guaranteed booking she must pay her deposit to secure her place. No ifs, no buts, no maybes.

My good news........my offer has been accepted on the flat.

All systems go....

Kayalana99

Thanks LL some great advice there, it's hard to discuss things with him with this area as he says he is happy with me building my business and "think about the money" ...but I know him better then he knows himself and I know when it comes to late August/Sept time he will go a bit stir crazy so talking to him will hit a brick wall as he will say it's fine.

He is seeing the bigger picture and wants to be supportive.

I love the idea of giving him a plan of things to do he doesn't like sitting round the house so even if he doesn't follow it, it will be something. I don't mean to portray him in a bad light but the kids do stress him out they are a very young age and they can be hard work with there emotional mood swings lol ...but we will have Sunday and I will even shut down my eBay shop for 3 weeks or so if I have to because as long as all goes well we won't be relying on it for 2017 and I will still be open over Xmas to pull in a bit of extra income.

To be fair not all of them are full days and yes it's very seasonal - as I say once that string of weddings is done I'll have 5 weeks off, do 1 wedding then another 3-4 weeks off before my last Novemeber wedding of the year, I don't plan on taking any more on for 2016 now other then what I have booked.

Once the deposits are in - I'll total 16 weddings which in the scheme of things isn't OTT, and when you consider 6 of them will be in August/Sept alone it puts it in perspective a bit about the rest of the year. (7th is the last week of July)

I think you are right that I have promised this girl the date without the booking fee so I will honour it if I have to, it won't affect how I do my job but I feel like it's more a money problem for her why she is being flaky. I won't push her until the end of Feb when she promised to meet and get it paid but if she is still messing me around then I'll set her the ultimatum.

Congratulations on the Flat I thought they would but you never know.

lessonlearned

Glad I can be of help.

Hope you didn't think I was giving you a bit of a lecture.........and no you weren't portraying your partner in a bad light at all.

It's just i know from past experience how difficult it is trying to be a working mum and pull everything together. And I also appreciate that for a man to suddenly be responsible For full time child care it can be a bit daunting. My OH was quite nervous at first but soon got the hang of Things. His own father, whilst lovely, had never been much of a "hands on dad" so it was all a bit new at first.

As I say I think me stepping back and allowing my husband total freedom and responsibility for the boys is what helped them to really bond and have such a close relationship in later years.

You know what they say, hindsight is a wonderful thing, and I can sit here and give you the benefit of MY hindsight. Anyway I think you'll work something out, it just takes a bit of forward planning.

And yes I do remember how stressful little ones can be. The good news is once the youngest hits around the age of 3 it suddenly starts to get a lot easier.

Re th swimming........we booked a course of swimming lessons for them both - I think they were aged around 3 and 5 at the time.

The funny thing was one of my girlfriends who was. Single mum with a son found out and asked if she could come along too, because she was a bit afraid of the water and was worried she wouldnt be able to cope on her own with her son.

So in the end there were two adults and three children which was nice for my husband because it meant he had adult company too. Then they all went off to the cafe for lunch.

A funny story........an aquaintance spotted my husband with my friend and all the boys. She put two and two together and decided my husband must be having an affair with my friend.!!! :rotfl:

So one day she collared me at the school gates and tried to "break the bad news". Her jaw dropped when I said oh yes I know all about the Saturday swim dates........:rotfl: I left her wondering then if we had an "open marriage"

One thing I will say, unless your husband is superman, don't expect to come home to a clean house and a meal on the table. If he is new to full time childcare then it will be more than enough for him to cope with at first. So turn a blind eye to the mess and have something easy for dinner......

Its all in the planning.......:D

Speaking of which......my plans for the flat.

ms_night_ryder

Congratulations on the flat LL, so we will soon be hearing about your plans? Is this the flat you will live in?

Kaya it seems you have loads to think about, maybe this time with your children is what your husband needs. He might quite enjoy it. Also regarding your policy and this lady, maybe it's time to tighten your policy and stick to it for 2017, this is a learning curve for what positions you don't like being in.

I have decided on a plan of action to get my spending money. I work as a contractor, so send my invoices by email and get paid every week, so I'm planning to withhold some invoices and submit them when I have enough money, so I will just submit what I need to survive for 2 weeks and the rest will be held back. because if I have the cash I will dip in. Loads of work for Feb and April so I will make it.

Talking of budgets, I decided to see what kind of pin money I would need weekly, all bills groceries and travel are accounted for. Just money to have around. on Friday I started with £20 then I had a McDonald's using a coupon and got a few things in the body shop sale, using a 35% off code and £5 loyalty money, so ended up paying £7.80, so I was £10 down the first day, it lasted until Monday, so I'm thinking £30 a week might be o.k, i really dont have loads to spend it on except most Mondays I have lunch with my grandma, nothing special just a £1 lunch with O2 but she loves it, I always get a few extra to give to the homeless or have for lunches over the next few days, so about £5 is accounted for weekly. with maybe a bigger piece of money hidden in case I need something bigger.

I will pull this off and am now thinking that I should be operating like this to try and maximise savings over the year.

I also have 2 of those can money boxes, you know the ones you have to open with the can opener, one for Christmas and and one for new york.

I also do side work which is mainly funding my start up, so after I have made £350 that money can go elsewhere, just need to have enough in my business account which can cover materials and miscellaneous items, I've decided to launch after April 1st to avoid filing tax this financial year.

All in all my thoughts about my business is great, life is better and my holiday is booked, in 2014 when I joined this thread the last thing I thought I'd be doing was having a holiday. It was more important to get money to eat, I have come a long way even though sometimes it doesn't feel like it.

My post is a bit long today, but I have a lot of little money pots around and talking about it, makes more sense to me.

lessonlearned

Right here's the update to the master plan.....

The flat has great potential for me as a permanent residence - being in a good location and having a lift and a balcony overlooking the river, so ideal when I can't manage stairs or face looking after a large garden. It's around 650 sq feet so the living accommodation is plenty big enough.

So.....when I get old and decrepit it would suit me well and be a much more attractive proposition than sheltered accommodation....;)So that's my old age sorted then......:eek:

In the meantime I think I will let it out. It has two beds and two baths so should suit a variety of renters, couples or single sharers.

DS2 and I have decided to remain living together for the time being, it suits us both financially and we get on well. He would have to have a lodger if I left and I don't think he's too keen. As he says "better the devil you know" :rotfl:

As for me I'm perfectly content to remain here for a while yet. I like the house, it's in a nice quiet street, nice neighbours and a garden for me to potter about in. We share expenses and enjoy each other's company - what's not to like.

Plus I have decided I want to do a bit of travelling over the next couple of years - whilst I'm still young and fit enough to take extended trips. I can live here and use his house as a base and not worry about anything whilst I'm away. My last trip was 5 weeks and I admit it was nice not to have to worry about leaving an empty house.
My next long haul trips will probably be for even longer.

Anyhoo - this flat will be BTL No 1. I have made an appt for DS2 and I to see a broker next week to discuss our - er hem "expansion plans".

I have decided that I want to aim for 3 or 4 BTLs within the next year or so. I won't be undertaking any extended trips for at least a year which gives me plenty of time to get things up and running.

Now that I know have secured a property for myself for the future I'm not too concerned about where I live for the next few years. I will probably be a bit of a vagabond.

Time to say hello to my inner gypsy and have some adventures.

I may take a leaf out of Karmacats book and look at a canal boat ......

Not sure if a boat is for me so I am thinking either a caravan or chalet at the coast as a holiday home for the summers - say three to four hours drive max so that we get plenty of use out of it as a family. Then maybe rent abroad somewhere warm during part of the winter.


This way I get to stay on the property ladder and not get priced out in later years, plus of course the other rentals will increase my passive income in the interim, whilst at the same time giving me capital growth over the long term.

I realise that this won't make me that magic £1 million but now that I have now reached my FID (Financial Independence Day) the actual amount has become less important.

Of course I shall still push forward and continue to aim higher.......

lessonlearned

Crossed posts there Nightryder......

Wow you are doing really well, great progress.

In fact I think we are all doing well. We have all come a long way since Tink set us off in our quest....

Many of us started off in debt and floundering but slowly and surely we have turned things around and launched ourselves into our new lives.

Yes some of us had a few setback along the way but I'm of the firm belief that all we have to do is just keep going.

Let's keep our eyes on the prize and really make 2016 a good one.