Hello Everyone,

I'm about to start my own small business. I would like to think that I know what I'm doing but as a beginner I obviously have a lot to learn. I'd like to get in touch with people who have similar interests or are a few steps ahead of me.
I think that motivation is somewhat a key element of a successful business (OK, I may be wrong, this is just a working hypothesis), so i'm just really really curious about what made you start a business.

Any answers are much appreciated! :)

Cheers,

WW

I started my business 15 years ago so I could be a hands on mum. I was fortunate to hit the market with the right product at the right time and am still going strong.

I just PM'd you :)

Well technically I'm still writing up the plan, but the reason for choosing my own business is because I never liked being told what to do, theres a lot more freedom when you own your own business as you get to choose what gets done and how to do it, giving full control.

i wanted real money, j.o.b. just. over. broke.

I started my business 15 years ago so I could be a hands on mum. I was fortunate to hit the market with the right product at the right time and am still going strong.

I do admire a person like this.

It's about following your passions, and that's what drove me to be where I am now.

But be warned it's never easy..I attended the business exhibition at Doncaster the other month and came across Brad Burton who gave a great talk on being self employed.
I've included the link for the talk, it isn't all on there but the best thing he said was

"No one tells you when you start your own business about low sales, aggressively waiting for the phone to ring, self doubt, depression and a wingding wife" - love it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffLMn2x6QX0

I can also recommend the book - there are many self help books out there, but this one is an easy read and so very true.

Good luck

We started our own businesses in order to both be able to work from home and educate our children at home.

p.s Don't forget to look at funding, BIG provide a really good support system for new start-ups.

i opened up my own salon in december 2008 after working on a rent a chair basis in a salon which means you are self employed and realised how much more money i earned over been employed. this along side wanting to be able to be more in control of things to fit in with family life and kids. however was not prepared for how difficult it would be at first. saw even less of kids. worked 56 hour weeks for alot of the time. staffing was very difficult at first but it is now easing up a little and i am starting to reap the awards.
basically you get out what you put in and you got to be prepared to work really hard

I started my own business because after my degree I found I had lots of skills, but due to the industry I was in (journalism), jobs were scarce... and I didn't want to move from Sheffield. I get bored with doing the same old things every day. Having my own business gives me variety... if maybe a few sleepless nights.

I hated been told what to do by supervisors/ managers not having a clue. I am an Electician and i hated answering my mobile around hometime, i knew it was another job keeping me out all hours.

Job creation. Starting Businesses is vital for the economy. Plus I was tired and sick of working for other people and being told what my limitations are. Working for yourself you are only limited by what your mind can fathom.
Oh and office politics- I dont miss them!

I was made redundant and realised how much I would be better off looking after my boy whilst I had the chance.
I also had other people limit what they thought I could do.....
And have the satisfaction of proving them wrong!

However........ I never realised what an (I can't believe I'm saying this) emotional rollercoaster this is. You can't just leave work and forget about things.

I actually started my business because I was finding that with my illness, employment was very difficult. I had a good support network and can get someone to cover for me if I own my own business - you can't get a family member to go into work for you and say 'oh I've come to cover for my cousin'!

But to be honest - it was about doing something I enjoyed... I haven't started paying myself yet (didn't get off to a great start but it's picking up now! I started in a recession lol) but I love what I'm doing and I'm in a position to be 'kept' by someone else for now.

Without wanting to sound really, really sad - I'd nearly died several times due to severe health problems and had just started at uni when I woke up and thought 'omg why am I spending 4 years doing something I hate just to get a degree? Life's too short!'

Shame I didn't think to get some business training first mind ;)

I am fiercely independant and wanted to be in control of my own destiny.

One thing to remember;cash is king cash is king cash is king; whatever you're planning good luck.

My old boss summed it perfectly when he used to say

"The trouble with other people is that they are all fools apart from me and you and I am not so sure about you.."

I am fiercely independant and wanted to be in control of my own destiny.

One thing to remember;cash is king cash is king cash is king; whatever you're planning good luck.

CASH IS KING!"!! this is so true and is a mantra every Business should practice.

I had always planned to start my own business but was kind of kick-started in February when I got made redundant.

For me it was because I didn't want to spend my life having the soul sucked out of me in a job that I didn't like and didn't care about. I don't care too much about how much money I make, as long as it's enough and I'm comfortable, I'm just glad to be doing something I enjoy and am passionate about.

Like they say "find a job that you enjoy and you'll never work a day in your life."

Great cash income & flexible working time, so that can achieve a balanced life between work and family.

i am relocating to Sheffiled from london as i have been made redundant after 5 years in stressful job, i do not feel like looking for a new 'stressful job' again so i am playing with the idea of starting small business too

I started my own business in 1998, after learning I was about to be made redundant from my first job. Having only been there a year, I didn't have the experience employers were wanting, so I went self-employed (as a graphic designer) and learnt the hard way!

I still continue to be self employed, but on a part-time basis outside of my day job - which is also graphic design!

I am fiercely independant and wanted to be in control of my own destiny.

One thing to remember;cash is king cash is king cash is king; whatever you're planning good luck.

Cash is king, probably the best bit of advice you can get!

The other one, which a previous boss always said to me was "turnover is vanity, profit is sanity", in other words, a million pound contract means nothing if there is only ten quid profit in the job!

Goals & the satisfaction of knowing you can achieve them.

Life's what u make it, it's there for the taking & anything's achievable if u want it enough!
Follow ur dreams whatever ur ambition, whether it be as small as learning to spell or as ambitious as becoming that Moviestar you’ve always wanted to be…you can be it!
The opportunities are there u just have to find them as they will not come looking for u!

But most importantly you have to be passionate about what you do & not get bored after 3 days & move on to other things just because you've seen someone else that's doing well from other business ventures.

Cash is king, probably the best bit of advice you can get!

The other one, which a previous boss always said to me was "turnover is vanity, profit is sanity", in other words, a million pound contract means nothing if there is only ten quid profit in the job!

To return the compliment...a great statement!

added to that phrase....cashflow is reality!

Was tired of politics and even more tired of being told what to do by people with no more sense than weasels.

Plus, started my own company to form something ethical, to see if I could work it into today's money-grabbing and me me me oriented society.

I'm starting to build my empire so that I can support my family now. It will take time but I'm confident my patience and projects will eventually pay off :)

It's a gamble, but one I can take whilst in employment at the minute.

I started my own business because I want to earn loads of money for myself insead of earning loads of money for someone else (I've always been in sales). I wanted a better quality of life, more flexibility and get a greater satisfaction from my work.

www.foxgraphics.co.uk

I decided to leave the ranks of the PAYE when it finally dawned on me that employment was nothing more than an unwanted by-product of business.

Flexibility, and the increased chance of making an 'impact'. It was 16+ years ago and have never regretted it! There are highs (very high) and lows (very, very low!!!), but that's what makes it all so interesting. Luckily for me, the 'highs' have far outweighed the 'lows'.

I now know I'm 'unemployable' too - couldn't work for someone else - not sure anyone would want me either!!

Go for it!

Andy Hanselman

Hey Andy, how goes it? Long time no speak. Hope you are doing well. If you can't motivate yourself then no one can!

Just realised I haven't added to this thread yet. My reason for going it alone was to try something I had been advising others to do for several years and got bitten by the start-up bug myself eventually! I wanted to try something new, as you do, so I thought why not?!!

Doing great thanks Sandra - I do love 'motivating' others, but every now and then I've got to do it to myself too! (Luckily, not too often!)

working at home & do what you what to do, I can find thousands of reason.

They should educate us when we are kids on running a business. But you're brainwashed at school to think about a career and what kind of job you want to do or who you'd like to work for. There might be more success people today if that were the case and less big giants that swallow the market share on many aspects of commerce.
Working for yourself gives you the power to control your own destiny and more importantly your income. Think of ways to generate a regular weekly or monthly income that will pay the outgoings whilst you look for big one off jobs, and reinvest as much as you can in to growing (compounding). And lastly make sure you know how to keep accurate records and control your finances or you end up in a pickle and shut down before you get going. Best of luck to anyone starting up.

There's a lot more stuff going on in Sheffield schools today encouraging youngsters into 'enterprise' than in days gone by. Check out The Big Challenge via google,
and if you're up for it, contact Liz Yoxall at B&ESY in Rotherham to 'volunteer' your services - they are always on the lookout for entrepreneurs to share their experiences with students.

I wanted control of my life... Top tip... start with more money than youve got....and save for your tax..the rest is easy..

unable to find a full time job (after looking for nearly 2 years)

so decided to take control of things and do something i'm passionate about :D

my business is making music i started off as a one man band ..to a duo .then a full band. now i do disco,s and karaoke.. ihave never been out of work......this friday live at the ALBION LONDON ROAD....SAT LIVE UPPERTHORPE HOTEL..downtown hillsborough....