Self-employment Support?

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Originally Posted by fidgiegirl

Steve, why the split? Not super knowledgeable about business filings, but couldn't you just do a DBA or something and keep it simple?

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Oh, I definitely could do a dba. Behind the scenes, much of the business information will be the same. Same insurance policy, similar looking business cards, etc.

But I need to separate the kinds of photography as prospective customers see it. I've tried to keep my residential-photography Web site all-business -- stressing the value provided by hiring me, quoting statistics on how houses sell better with high-quality photography, showing pictures of homes and remodeling projects.

None of that matters to people who want fine-art photography. The pitch doesn't speak to their interests. And showing images which are not structures, to appeal to fine-art customers, only confuses RE prospects. So I want to create separate faces for the businesses, which means I need a business name, a different Web site (or at least a different portal to appropriate pages), and all the paperwork/insurance/whatever that comes with that separate entity. I also need to figure out what to do with the phone. Right now I have a separate phone/number for the RE business. I really don't want to have to pay for (and carry) a third phone for the FA business. I know many people use Google Voice for that kind of call redirection, but I try to keep my life a Google-free zone, so I'll have to check out alternatives.

I work in sterling, leather and clay, so I call myself a Maker. Right now is rush for wholesale and then things quiet down by Dec 1st. I'm actually dreaming about being snowed in for a week or so in January, just so I can stop for a while. *laugh.

What would you do with a 'week off' ?

bke, I would love to know more about how you're reaching FI. I need that kind of inspiration!

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Originally Posted by bke

Dh and I have been self employed since 2001. It is stressful and overwhelming at times. Basically seems like a 24/7 job. Not hard but a ton of hours both in the business and outside just to maintain. It is really hard for us to have a day off together. There have definitely been times when I would have rather had a 9 to 5 with set days off and benefits!

Positives:

1. Dh has a 6th grade education. Finding a good career elsewhere would be a challenge when you combine that with the fact that english is his second language (self taught). I do the office stuff-he runs the kitchen and we compliment each others strengths and weaknesses very well.

2. No day care when ds was little. He came with us to work. I set him up with a nice little area where he could finger paint and get creative with clay to his little heart's content and never worried about the damage-lol!

3. Money was really tight in the beginning but we're reaching FI quickly. There are a lot more ways to manipulate money to your greatest advantage when you work for yourself. BUT, business assets do not equal personal assets!! We've seen many places struggle and fail through the years because they ignore this fact.

4. I never, ever have to worry about being unexpectedly laid off.

5. If business ever got bad enough dh and I could handle the entire operation without outside help.

I'll be happy to answer specific questions if anyone has them.

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After a layoff from a fairly lucrative gig, I've been trying to revive a solo art business I started. I'd been working in it sporadically alongside my day gig over the past two years. It's a sobering experience for all kinds of reasons.

It's very frustrating to work with individual clients, because they can't pay much. Also, most individual clients are not "in" the art business, so they sometimes don't exhibit professionalism in their interactions with me. They require tons of changes, or lowball me on price, or don't respond to emails. Just gets to be a hassle for the amount of money I'm making.

A friend of mine who illustrates children's books, on the other hand, has more work than he can handle. The difference: he works with publishers. Publishers are in business, so you're in a completely new world. You rarely have to worry about stuff like nonpayment, poor communication, etc. And it's a well-paying gig.

OTOH, it's not a gravy train for everybody. Another artist friend of mine has a major reputation in the UK, with tons of features in magazines and books, and one hardback in print. He's been doing his thing successfully for the past twenty years or so, but it's gotten harder for him recently. One of his publishers recently informed him that they've cancelled his book contract, because they thought he was a different artist (one whose style his resembles). Wow, wouldn't you try to research that BEFORE you extend a book deal to an artist?

I recently signed up with a freelancer site called oDesk. I confidently stated my fee in my profile, and then started looking at the fees people who were getting hired were asking. It turns out that most of my fellow artists on oDesk, who come from everywhere on the planet, are asking $15 for, say, a logo. This is insane to me - this is a job I'd normally get $150-$300 for. So people think, why shell out 150 shekels to somebody, when you can get an artist in a developing economy to do the same work for $15? Kind of sucks when you live in a big city and pay $2k a month in rent...

Notice the number of views this thread has gotten? I guess a lot of us are in the same boat!

Sorry to hear about your layoff, kitten....

Yes, that is too bad. That was the radio job?

Ha, yep, the writing was on the wall. In a way it was good because it confirmed my suspicion that something was off - I have a tendency to second-guess myself, so I kept thinking: I must be wrong, they can't actually be treating me like I don't exist. I'm just paranoid. But as it turns out, they WERE dismissing every concern, because I didn't matter to them. So I wasn't crazy. It was true.

Anyway, after the station became non-profit, it devolved into an exclusive club. People started getting hired that the board members liked a lot. I was considered a newbie - I've only been in town five years, and I'm not a darling of the moneyed set. Plus, I'm not a musician. They "traded" me for a guy from another station who's been in town doing arts reporting for 30 years, and he's a cellist. (So sue me - I thought I was being hired for a radio gig, not a symphony orchestra). The gist of his peers' assessment of the new guy's work so far (or so I've heard from my former co-workers) is that he's a great guy, but mediocre on the air - adequate but without a distinctive style, and no particular gift for creating a connection with the audience. (Which was one of my strengths apparently). Bizarre that a radio station would care more about hiring cronies than about what comes out of the speakers, but there ya go. Of course I think they screwed up, but then again I'm biased! ;)

Better news - I got an interview yesterday at a different station in town. This is a commercial station, and though it wouldn't be a music gig, it would be a more creative job with a lot of prestige. It sounds like a healthier place in terms of the culture, too, although you never really know until you get in. Anyway, my interviewer said he was blown away by my audition tape, so we'll see. Wish me luck, and thanks for all your advice so far! You guys rock!

Well it's probably hard to feel it right now but I wonder if eventually it will seem like a blessing in disguise. Fingers crossed for the other gig!

Good luck on getting the new gig, kitten! Your former workplace sounds like a hellhole, so good for you for getting out of it, in whatever deliverance method it took to get it done! Please keep us posted on what happens.

I have to say I'm sorry for your stress, kitten, but not sorry that toxic place laid you off. It sounded like it was killing you --- sometimes things happen for a very good reason.

Hoping you land in a better place where you feel valued, have more fun, fewer idiots (there are always a couple) and overall a less stressful life. That stuff'll kill you faster than any germ.