Small Business - What could I do?

jess07907

Hi All!
Advice please. I'm 23, my partner works a full time job & I am currently working a full time & part time job, but looking to leave the full time job in order to start my own business.
I'm extremely hard-working & committed, but I don't see the point anymore in putting all these hours in at work for no reward!
I've always had the dream of working for myself, but I'm just not sure what to do!
I was hoping if I list some of my skills/previous jobs etc, someone might suggest a business idea for me?
There's a lot of variation which is why I'm unsure!
Here goes!

-Administration
-Customer Service
-Telesales (I have great sales skill, my friends say I could sell ice to a polar bear!)
- Organisation
-Great typing and reading speed
-Running blogs & Facebook groups/pages

-Ironing
-Dog Walking
-Event Planning
-Buying & Selling antiques & collectables

If anyone has any ideas at all, that would be really great!
Thank you!

bris

In this climate keep the full time job. If you want to do something on the side then build up that way, but for now the grass is certainly not greener elsewhere, don't give up your job as you will struggle to get it back.

jess07907

Thank you bris, any idea what I could start up on the side?

Opinion

You want to quit your job to start your own business, but you don't know what business you want to start?

Basically, you just want to quit your job. Don't try and follow a dream unless you understand what the dream is.

jess07907

Thanks for the very constructive post there. I actually really enjoy my job, however since the person above me left, and I am now doing 12 hour shifts, starting at 4am some days, for no more money whatsoever, it's starting to get me down.
Part of me is considering just looking for another 'day job', but then there's the cost of childcare to consider, as well as the fact that I'm working myself to the bone for someone else!
I wouldn't hand in my notice until I had finalised a decent business plan, I was just hoping someone here would offer some thoughts.

Mistral001

jess07907 wrote: »

Thanks for the very constructive post there. I actually really enjoy my job, however since the person above me left, and I am now doing 12 hour shifts, starting at 4am some days, for no more money whatsoever, it's starting to get me down.
Part of me is considering just looking for another 'day job', but then there's the cost of childcare to consider, as well as the fact that I'm working myself to the bone for someone else!
I wouldn't hand in my notice until I had finalised a decent business plan, I was just hoping someone here would offer some thoughts.

When you run a business every customer will be an employer and you will come across some difficult ones. Ones that will not pay you or sue you and make demands that might make your present employer seem OKish perhaps.

What do you mean by "business plan"? Do you mean having one clearly formed in your head or a written plan that some investors demand showing what you plan to do with the money you borrow from them.

jess07907

It's not about having a difficult employer, my boss is a very nice man, but there's not enough profit in the industry I'm in to be able to offer me a payrise. I'm happy to put in as many hours as needed, providing there is something to show for it!
By business plan, I mean a plan set out by me with what I need to do, how to market the business, what the initial & monthly outlays will be, how much I hope to earn, etc etc

TheChillPill

Unless you know what you want to do, and more importantly how you're going to do it better, stick with the day job for now.

By all means start something on the side, but it won't work unless you come up with the idea yourself.

Working for yourself isn't what many people assume it is. You can't, as many think, just take time off as you please (if you do, your business will suffer). You can't 'leave the job behind' when you finish for the day - you're working 24/7, and often getting paid less than you would for an employer - and that's if you get paid at all!

I'll always encourage anyone to start a business - but it HAS to be your own idea. Starting a business is intensive, stressful and at times tiresome. To keep going, you have to be 100% behind your idea and believe it will be a success. That simply isn't possible if it's not your idea.

Good luck either way though!

Pennywise

I really don't think you're going about this the right way. Most successful businesses start by identifying a produce or service that either hasn't been invented or catered for yet, or is an existing product/service that is either too expensive or inaccessible. Your thought process is the wrong way round. It should be when you see a gap in the market that you should then think about whether you could exploit it as a business. Scratting around trying to find business ideas just won't work.

Sadly, there's nothing unique or rare about the list of your abilities. They're all the kind of thing that lots of people can do, so you'd be competing against loads of other people if you set up business doing that kind of thing for others, and the rates/earnings will therefore be low. You'd be in minimum wage territory, if that, unless you can add value by personal attributes that are less common.

You need to find a niche where you have experience or a skill that isn't common or buy an existing business (such as a shop or cafe or B&B etc), and then you can use your admin skills etc., in your own business.

What about hobbies? One of my clients set up an internet business with turnover of £1.5m based on their hobby - they identified gaps in the market when they were frustrated trying to buy things they needed, and exploited those gaps by finding suppliers and getting new products made that they rightly thought other people would want.

Think about the industry in which you already work. Can you spot any gaps in the market? Does your firm have problems getting the supplies it needs? Are your customers able to buy what they want from your firm?

Think about the people you know - work colleagues, friends, relatives - would they be of use to any business you started, i.e. as suppliers or customers, or just to open doors to build relationships with their firms?

Percy1983

As mentioned, starting a business is about having a good idea, if I have one I am going to do it myself rather than give it you.

It will have to an amazing idea with investors if you want to quit your day job on friday and start your business on monday.

The reality is you need to find a gap in a market, figure why the gap exists and if possible fill the gap.

The bigger problem is in most cases you will start small and grow the business, which generally means keeping the day job going until your business income gets big enough to support you.

Annisele

jess07907 wrote: »

Since the person above me left, and I am now doing 12 hour shifts, starting at 4am some days, for no more money whatsoever, it's starting to get me down.

I think that's the root of your problem.

If you're doing the job of two people (or even one-and-a-half people), and your employer isn't having to pay out any more money, then he's getting a great deal. If you seem prepared to keep doing that, all is well and shiny for him.

If you're relatively junior in the organisation then I think you need to explain to your boss that you were taken on to do X hours, you were happy to help out on a temporary basis, but the situation isn't sustainable long term - and then ask him what he's going to do to fix it. If you're more senior, then you work out a way to fix it.