Setting up business ideas/advice

[Deleted User]

bris said:

Well it all depends on the amount of work you can get to keep you going, When you think about the minimum wage or the living wage which is apparently £10 per hour, then £50 for 2-3 hours work doesn't sound to bad. 

But in reality getting the work to keep you going all day is easier said than done.

But since you only want to work from 9-2 then you would be as well getting a job in a supermarket or something as you cant really start a business with those limitations. Customers won't work to your schedule, you work to theirs.

Agree, and one of the hardest parts of being self employed.
Also agree about the next sentence, successful self employment means putting yourself out and bending over backwards in the early days, you do most anything your customer wants.
It also means working harder than you've ever done, however, the rewards, if you're disciplined, are most definitely worth it.
If you want an easy life - it's not suitable at all and you'll hate and regret every second.

pleasedelete

Penguin666 said:

Thank you - nice overview. Hard work is not the problem for me, as we have no family i the area and with my little ones starting school this September, I will need to do drop-offs etc which will limit my working time from 9-2 making it a risky venture. 

The possible businesses that you suggest are weekend and evening events. 

[Deleted User]

Yes, that's a good idea.

Percy1983

What is your skill set? in general the businesses you have mentioned are all based on buying a bit of kit and doing it which means the entry bar can be quite low. This can lead to much competition and a race to the bottom in pricing to be noticed.

I say this as one of my businesses is a photobooth, the amount of cheap kit I have got over the years from others who have bought all the kit and failed and then sold up at a loss. In my case I run higher quality as a photographer but also get great photos outside the booth offering a better service than those who just bought some kit and plug it in. So most of my bookings are through recommendations and repeat custom which takes time to build/establish.