Self-Employed?

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Anyone else here self-employed?



I'm an Artist/Writer

I sell jewelry that I make over the internet and at craft shows.

I'm kinda... trying to be a writer one day and I think I'll eventually succeed in that venture. Good luck.

Ehm...kinda...I work in a shop owned by family selling mostly cigarettes, school stuff and some toys. It's been some months but I still have to adjust, I often (almost every day) think about quitting it (guess why ? of course having to interact with random people ) but in the end I have no desire to search something else, sooner or later I will find a way to get through my hours in a good way...hopefully

I just about have to be self employed if I want to make a living.

I used to be self employed when I was modelling which was good. Now, I'm unemployed but I really want to start my own business running a themed internet cafe in my area but have no idea how to start going about strating my own business, getting loans, or anything. I know I would make profits as there are no internet cafe's in my area, and none in the UK with the same idea that I have for it.

Damn being poor.

i wanted to vote "Yes", but there is not that option. i do not say "Yeah".

i am a programmer, and all my work is on contract.

i worked for 10 years in a 9 to 5 setting. i had an office on the 16th floor, and i was the systems analyst and systems designer and programmer for the company i worked for ("infohouse").
they dealt with many companies, and they farmed my services out to other companies. they charged huge rates for the services i performed for other companies, but i only got a standard salary.
it was an adequate salary (at the end it was $142K (ausd)). the company had to close because new laws made the acquisition of free scan-data impossible. (whatever. that is another story which will not be bothered to be told).

after the company that employed me folded, one of it's clients still needed my services, and that client advised me to work for myself, and wanted to pay me to continue my services.
so i got a business identity, and i got a contract with that client who is a large company that deals with hundreds of other companies. when other companies that deal with this company need work done, they are referred to me by this large company i am contracted to.

i write programs and "suites" for some companies, and for other companies, i write data processing programs, and process all their data at my place and spit the reports back to them at the required times.

for the data processing jobs, i do not have to lift a finger after i have written the systems that will perform the necessary jobs. they are totally automatic, and i get paid every month simply for my computers doing all the work. if i add all the hours per month where i actually work at the data processing side, then it is about 16 hours (2 working days) per month.

on the project development side, i can charge only once for the delivery of the finished package. so if a company wants to get rid of it's old system, and start fresh from the ground to design and write a new "system suite" that fits their business, and is easy to use etc, they may get me to do it.

if i take on those jobs, then i may charge a lot, but i will not have much leisure time because i have to work solidly for many weeks to get it done. it may take 3 months or more, and in that time, i make the same amount on the data processing side where i do not have to actually concentrate on it for more than 2 days per month (accumulative total).
i wonder whether it is really worth doing projects.
projects are stressful and i have to talk with people in person, and people change their minds and it is all a buggers muddle sometimes. ....errr so yes i am self employed and sorry to have rambled.

I want to be self-employed just to have something to do. I'm terribly bored, not necessarily poor since I get a pretty good sick pay and live at my dad's house, but I have nothing to do during the days except for cooking, cleaning, working out, playing video games and surfing the net.

I would be a good entrepreneur I think, if I did something I really liked but at the moment I have no inspiration on what to do.

I think I pretty much need to become self employed sooner or later. The social element of most jobs (even dishwashing) is way too crippling for me. It does (emphasis needed) fcuking hell to my self esteem. I'm unemployed right now and feel better than I ever had in this last year.

Unless I find a job that involves absolutely nobody, or become self-employed, I'm gonna end up going for disability someday. Problem is I don't have hobbies that translate to work really. I like computers, but mainly for P2P. I like video games, but coding them is a different world.

I'm thinking of learning locksmithing and looking into becoming a wedding DJing right now.
Yeah, these jobs have people around, but it's different. I'm sure you know what I mean.
...Unfortunately I need money for the first.

My dad is self-employed. He's a consultant for a law firm and often acts as an expert witness about electronic devices.

I just opened a new comic book store this month. love it!