Self Employment Ideas

Self Employment Ideas - Mike's Story

2011-07-05T02:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, we all agree that there are thousands of self employment ideas out there, from becoming a freelance graphic artist to an online seller. Some good news - a friend of mine is quitting his day job as a sales manager to concentrate on his Ebay-based online business selling mobile phone accesories. Pretty nice self-employment idea if you ask me!

(My friend says he doesn't want to be named but I'm allowed to tell his story. So I'll call him Mike here for this purpose)

Mike's self employment idea came at least 3 years before he made the leap and quit his job. Back then he was working in a corporate sales team at a major mobile network operator. While he was working there, he got a glimpse of how big the mobile phone industry was and how it was still growing. That gave him an idea to tap into this expanding field, although it wasn't clear what it might be that he could do to take advantage of this trend. One of growth sectors he noticed was in the uptake of mobile phones services among teenagers and young adults.

Mike put this self employment idea into hibernation for a year while he concentrated on his job, which came with challenges of its own, like dealing with difficult people. He often had a complaint or two like most others when we met up and had to be on his toes at work sometimes. In the meantime, Mike had turned into an Ebay fan, scouring the site as a means of unwinding at the end of the day. He'd go on Ebay to look at the demand in electronics, furniture and collectibles, not necessarily to buy anything, but to browse and relax. This familiarity with the site turned out to be useful to his self employment idea later on.

The turning point came for Mike's self employment idea came when he went to Shanghai for a work assignment in 2009. After official business was done, Mike took an additional week to visit a few factories that manufacturered mobile phone accessories which he identified through Alibaba.com. The rest, they say, is history.

After selecting a small range of in-car mobile phone accessories and a few cases for the iphone where the margins were good and the quality satisfactory, he used his own savings to order a shipment. Like most self employment stories go, things don't go smoothly at first. Some stock just refused to get shifted on Ebay, Mike's own online store or other online marketplaces. I remember getting a lot of mobile phone accesorries as Christmas presents one year!

But if there was a lesson that Mike can share, it is to stay focused on the goal (make enough money to do this full-time) and move on (forget about stock that isn't selling and focus his energy on things he now knows will work). Instead of trying to get his money back from the unpopular products he had, Mike wote them off so he could concentrate on getting the right products to sell at the right price. The mobile phone market moves very quickily so he had to keep his eye on the ball and not worry about the money he already lost.

Late last year, Mike began working with and supplying a few online sellers in the US, Canada and Germany. Then he found a few shops who would stock his products. Mike began to learn what works and what doesn't from experience.

Last month, Mike called to say that he's handed in his notice at work! I cannot be more happy to hear this news! Another one of my friends is self-employed.

Self Employment: Preparations

2011-06-16T04:14:00.000-07:00

It is easy to say I'm going to leave my job and become self employed because I have a good idea. We all have commitments and bills to pay every month. So, the question is, what preparation do I need to do to get me in good shape to pursue that self-employment idea? While trying to come up with a suitable self employment idea, you might want to think about the preparation required for this big step.

1) Save, save, save
It is all a matter of discipline. People who say they have no money left a week before their paycheck is due will need to rethink their choices with money (and lifestyle). Going it alone in self employment will require a lot of drive and discipline and if you will not engage in the most basic of personal financial planning, I doubt you would ever be successful in self-employment. Self employment is not a good idea for you. As a rough guide, I think you need to save up at least 3 month's of your usual monthly expenditure before you dive into you self employment idea.

2)Simplify your life
Do you have overdrafts with 2 bank accounts and 4 credit cards with growing unpaid balances? College degrees you still haven't quite completed? Home improvements you left halfway through the project? You will probably have no time to complete these things once you start out in self employment. You will run short on time so finish things while you can and try to organise your life so it is more manageable. Consolidate bank accounts, file all your paperwork, make things easy for you when you are self employed and running the show alone.

3)Prepare your family and friends
Let your close and loved ones know that they might see less of you when you are self employed. At least for the first year. Your family needs to know that you will be working very hard and let them know why you are doing this. Try to make them understand this is something you really want for yourself and it will work out better for the family as well further down the line. It will also come as less of a shock to friends when you start cancelling on birthday parties and other social commitments.

Self Employment Ideas for Women

2011-06-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

Traditionally, many women have been self employed out of necessity rather than choice due to lack of employment opportunities and the added responsibility of childcare. Fast forward to the present day, the idea of self employment appeals to many women, and for good reason. There are a multitude of self employment ideas that suit the skills and natural instincts of women very well. Here are just a few self employment ideas:

1. Beauty and skin care – let’s face it, this is a women’s monopoly in self employment opportunities. Ever since Anita Roddick, the founder of the Body Shop, came up with the idea to sell her own take on beauty products, many women have followed in her footsteps and succeeded. The trick is to find your very own niche in this very big market. Organic products are all too common now. Better ideas? Think ethnic and cultural products, funky marketing, no frills and unique plant products. Also, you can either become a stockist/franchiser of an established brand or start your own. There are lots of ways to test and sell your products affordably at first, like the internet or at a market stall. One thing to note, in the beauty business, presentation is everything.

2. Online administrative support – How does the idea of being self employed and working from home sound to you? With many workplaces moving towards more ‘virtual’ arrangements, having a phone line and a good internet connection will be enough to start you off as an independent administrative service provider if you think this is a good self employment idea for you. Roles in this field include being a virtual PA, secretary, bookkeeper or receptionist. How do you get the clients and work? Third parties like recruitment agencies, both the traditional and virtual are platforms to get you work. A tip is to get networking. Go to entrepreneurship seminars and shows and pass your card around. You will be surprised how many people who are setting up their business need good administrative support. To women who already have some form of administrative experience, this is quite an ideal self employment idea that you can also work around family.

3. Health and fitness – I have blogged about becoming a fitness instructor as a self employment idea. Now how does the idea of becoming an alternative/complimentary medicine practitioner sound to you? Becoming a masseuse or beautician is all too common now and competition is keen. However, with a growing obese population in many countries, it is predicted that the cost to treat the illnesses related to the pandemic will grow rapidly over future years. So self-employment ideas like becoming a nutritionist or dietician will be in demand. Becoming a hypnotherapist, or even better, one specialising in gastric band hypnotherapy, would be another great idea. All this requires training of course and some form of practitioner registration with the relevant regulating body. If helping others is something you also find rewarding, this might be the self employment idea for you.

Happy New Year! Self Employment Ideas for 2011

2011-01-17T07:56:00.000-08:00

So it is the the new year - still no self -employment ideas yet? Well, don't beat yourself up about it. You are in good company.

Although new year resolutions do not normally start with excuses, my first task is to let you know that you shouldn't feel beaten. Not everyone can be a serial entrepreneur with hundereds of self-employment and money-making ideas in their heads.

I come from a family that has been working in the public service for 3 generations. Trust me, risk-taking is not something I learnt about growing up. After university, I got a professional job and very few in my circle of friends and professional contacts are self-empolyed. Plus, my industry, architecture (some might say it is really easy to set up on own's own and call oneself self-employed), is not like that in reality.

It depends a lot on the industry you are in, and the connections you are able to make through work. So, here comes my point - instead of killing yourself to come up with self-employment ideas on your own, go out and start talking to people and making some connections.

Use whatever you can - Facebook, LinkedIn, Meetup,... go out there and start talking to people. There are many entrepreneur clubs out there so get mingling. You never know if you are just the right person someone out there is looking for to take an idea and make it it a real self-employment idea.

Being the usual cynic, I will have to caution you to be wary of the time-wasters and less than genuine 'friends' you might meet in such places. Just keep in mind that you don't forget about being careful with your life savings because you are desperate to find a self-employment idea to get you out of your current job or circumstance.

Keep you eyes peeled for oppoortunities. read the newspapers, drive around your local retail parks, office blocks, tourist spots etc and observe what might be missing that you could provide.

As for me personally, (some of you might know that I am currently employed because I was offered a fixed-term contract job) I will be finishing up at my current employment in 2 months and then will be concentrating on looking for a business idea!

2 Fast-Track Self Employment Ideas for 2011

2010-09-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so 2010 is drawing to an end. For those of you who still haven't settled on a self employment idea, and would like to embark on a plan of action to get yourself into self-employment when 2011 arrives, here's my list of ideas.

(Note all the ideas here are realistic and achievable within a few months)

1. Launch a career as a stand up comedian
Stand up comedy is becoming ever more popular in England. It is possible to start earning as a self employed professional. Help is at hand if you don't fancy giving it a go without training. In January this year I took a 10-week stand-up comedy course which concluded with a live show in front of a paying audience. I'm not even good at public speaking nor have I ever held a stage alone in my entire life, but I was and am pretty pleased with my first performance.

From my research, an average self-employed stand up comedian (one who works consistently on the comedy club scene, no TV appearances) can earn £25-40k per year.

My tutor was Chris Head and his courses are highly effective yet affordable. http://www.chris-head.com/

Self-employment idea drawbacks:

a) Totally dependent on individual ability and talent.

b) The first few months, and most likely first year will be tough. Have some money stashed away because you need to be established within the circle first to start getting paid performances. It is not uncommon to do free gigs for at least a year.

2. Become an importer/online retailer

I have toyed with this self-employment idea recently. All you need to start with is a plane ticket to China (or Brazil or India,... you get the idea...) and some information on where your target products can be sourced. B2B marketplace websites like Alibaba.com are probably the starting point for you research. Find something new that isn't available in the location where you are and you think there is a potential market, and bring it back to sell on your online store.

Self-employment idea drawbacks:

a) A considerable risk is involved when you have to purchase and transport a large quantity of items with no quality guarantee. Keep your eyes open and be careful.

b) You probably need to have very good intuition and do extensive of market research to get it right the first time.

c) A minor inconvenience of language barrier, if you don't speak the local language.

I have included drawbacks with the ideas because it is my belief that rewards never come without effort - if the self-employment ideas can be achieved within a few months, then on the flip side, there are things to watch out for.

Self employment ideas still on the agenda after 6 months!

2010-07-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

Some of you might have noticed I haven't posted anything on my self employment ideas search for 6 months. That's because I got a job! Before you crucify me for going back to full time employment, please let me explain.

I wasn't coming up with good self-employment ideas that suited my risk-averse nature. I did set up my social enterprise, which has managed to win an award and some start-up funding from the Millennium Trust Fund. For about 3 months the organisation, Big Picture Project, did some good work helping non-profit organisations access architectural services which they would otherwise not been able to afford. Trouble is, I was having a hard time keeping my finances healthy!

Then I was headhunted and started work at a job that paid a good wage. For a month or two it was okay, then I started to miss the times when I was self-employed and had control of what I did and could strategise and plan my work. It was so much more exciting being self employed!

The idea now is to save a bit of money and try another route to self-employment - retraining. I have been visiting business school in London to look into what they can offer me. I have met others attending b-school information sessions who are doing exactly this, trying to turn their self-employment idea into reality by taking a year-long MBA in entrepreneurship first.

I haven't have given up becoming self-employment. It's just that I'm changing my strategy.

Timeframe for Self Employment Ideas

2009-12-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

Coming up with the right self-employment idea is one thing, what about how long it takes? I have been on the hunt for a self-employment idea and researching business and self-employment since April 2009. With 2009 drawing to an end, I look back at the process I went through.

My first self-employment idea was to become a sustainability consultant. Then I had the idea of opening a cupcake cafe. After that I was lost for ideas for 2 months. Then I returned to considering setting up as a self-employed architect. I abandoned this too and started thinking about starting a social enterprise for artists. At present, my self-employment idea is starting a social enterprise targeted at unemployed architects.

I went to a business startup show and caught part of a seminar given by 2007 Apprentice winner Michelle Dewberry. She also went through a phase of thinking about her self-employment (business) idea. She is still in the early stages of her new venture, which meant her ideas search lasted for about a year.

It is a shame I didn't start thinking about self-employment earlier. But then I found it hard to focus on anything outside work when I had an all-consuming full time job. Hopefully I will look back years from now and see the whole process of finding the right self-employment idea was a necessary and enriching experience.

Self-Employment: Big vs.Small Fish

2009-11-19T14:26:00.001-08:00

I have realised today, my mistake in trying to find the right self-employment idea for myself. I have been made to think that all self-employment and business ideas are within reach. The reality is there are the 'big fish' people who move from being employed to self-employed and are better set up for it because of their former posts as head of divisions etc. The risks is still the same but for 'small fish' like myself, without the credibility of working and heading up a division in a well-respected establishment, I feel there are some areas that are not accessible to me.

The idea is not to be pessimistic about what I cannot do but use this understanding to narrow down my self-employment idea. I get it now why so many people see inventing a product or service as the their route into self-employment and business ownership. this is one of the most innovative and profitable ways to get ahead in self-employment when you don't have the connections nor the clout.

So No.1 option for self-employment is CREATE A PRODUCT that feeds a need. Some of my contemporaries, all architects themselves, have become gourmet pie suppliers, fashion designers and specialty whiskey makers! Classic examples of the create-a-product self-employment route. Self employment idea No.2 is not really a self-employment idea, but a route to it - RETRAIN to acquire the skills for your new self-employed career. I have blogged about the professions that suite self-employment very well.

Setting up a business to business consultancy is probably the self-employment option that requires the most connections and credibility. I would love to do it as a self-employment route but I don't have the credibility attached to my name, for instance, I haven't been the head of sustainability/PR/marketing/business development at an organisation like Intel, Amnesty nor the Ministry of Education.

I feel more assured and focused about my self-employment idea now that this has been figured out. Over the last few weeks I have been looking at the idea of self-employment by setting up a social enterprise. That will be the topic of my last blog.

Self-Employment Ideas Through Psychometric Personality Testing

2009-11-17T01:42:00.000-08:00

This week I contemplated the more scientific methods of coming up with self-employment ideas.

I'm talking about using psychometric testing to narrow down the scope and focus on self-employment ideas that work specifically for someone. The 'self-employment ideas block' is often caused by too many choices on self-employment ideas - should I become a wedding planner, set up an online shop, retrain as a nutritionist, take up writing etc... Psychometric personality and ability tests are there to help edit your options down to ideas that suit your personality, so you rule out self-employment ideas that clash with your personality.

It should be clear that as adults we should know what we want and thus a self employment idea that suit us. But in reality we know it's not that simple! Since my scope of possible self-employment ideas are so wide, I decided to take some psychometric tests and see if they brings my closer to my own self-employment idea.

I could have gone to a career counsellor or psychologist to have psychometric tests administered professionally, but I found a useful site with links to free, credible online psychometric tests and took this one, a version of the Myers and Briggs Type Indicator test.

The results show that I'm an ENFP or ENFJ personality type. Through further research, I discover what's written about these 2 personality types are reflective of my personality - prefer to start things than finish them, dislike complications and idealistic. Good self-employment ideas for me include psychologist, entrepreneur, journalist and consultant.

Use the tests as a guideline to generate thinking on your self-employment. The tests have made me rule out self-employment ideas that involve long executions and wrapping up projects. I realise I'm an ideas and advice person, not so much a 'doer'.

Good luck and have fun with the tests, and try implementing the results in your self employment ideas search.

Changing Careers & Retraining for Self Employment?

2009-10-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

Watching a documentary on Warren Buffett yesterday made me think about the length of my working life and how my self-employment idea sits within this context... I'm a Calvinist so I like the idea of being productive till the very end, doing something I enjoy. If I'm lucky enough to work until 80, that means I have almost 50 years left in my career, either employed or self-employed. (Warren Buffett is 79)

1.Do I still want to nbe working for someone else at 50, 60 or 70?
2.If I don't think my employed life is satisfying, is it too late to change careers or retrain, considering I would like to work (enjoyably) for 40 more years?

Asking myself these questions makes the idea of retraining an obvious choice to lead to self-employment if my current employment does not offer a convertible route to self-employment. It is definitely not too late for anyone under 40 to change careers and become self-employed.

The options for retraining for self-employment is quite wide. Being active in sports, I often wonder if doing something related to fitness, like becoming a self-employed fitness instructor or therapist is the right idea.

The idea of inventing something and taking it to market is even more attractive as a long term self-employment option. I'm quite certain that being an one-woman architecture practice is not quite an economically-sustainable self employment idea so changing careers and retraining is probably the best option as a self-employment idea.

Self Employment in Developed Nations vs Emerging Economies

2009-10-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

My inspiring trip to Istanbul has encouraged me to make a few important decisions about my self-employment idea - I'm going to have a serious stab at setting up my architecture practice. Apart from this, I've also come up with a few interesting theories about the idea of self-employment.

Istanbul has made me think about the differences between the proportion of self-employed vs employed in emerging economies in comparison with developed nations. Common sense dictates that a higher proportion of people in developed nations are employed because of the better employment opportunities on offer. Plus, with fairer employment laws and greater employee rights, employment is a much easier option for most people. This is the different in less-developed nations where there are fewer employment opportunities and being self-employed is in many cases the only option.

Many businesses in old Istanbul are established more than 50 years ago. For instance, the oldest Turkish delight shop in Istanbul is 232 years old (est. 1777). What's the formula for their business longevity? Apart from low operating costs and uncompromising product quality, I think it might be because there is a strong culture of self-employment there.

Being employed is a relatively new idea compared to self-employment, only becoming widespread beginning with the industrial revolution and the rise of division of labour.

People thinking of self-employment and starting up are often reminded that 80% of new businesses don't survive for more than 5 years. It conjures an image of businesses going bankrupt but I think people give up self-employment because they find after a few years that it so much easier to be employed, and not because their self-employment idea is a dead end. Therefore, do not be deterred by this statistic.

Encouraging Formation of New Self Employment Ideas

2009-10-11T08:59:00.001-07:00

When I read about how entrepreneurs make their self-employment idea a great success, I often ask, "How come I can't come up with an idea this brilliant?" Perhaps the story is less simple in reality but I do question why I haven't got the 'juices' to come up with the 'perfect' self-employment idea yet. I'm a professional designer an yet I'm still unable to come up with a self-employment idea after 5 months.

I've decide to take action to expedite the process of coming up with a self-employment idea - going on a short break. I'm off to Istanbul for 5 days and I've promised myself that I won't spend time thinking about self-employment ideas (like I do everyday) while I'm there and just free my mind to allow ideas to come into it.

Perhaps I've been painting myself into a corner thinking along the same lines trying to find the right self-employment idea. I'm a believer in subconscious idea-generation so I'll put it to the test. I won't even bring my business and self-employment self-help books with me.

I've also given myself a deadline to come up with a self-employment idea and implement it one week after I return. I'll report back on whether the plan has worked. For next few days it'll be Turkish delight, watermelon-flavoured nargiles and ancient baths for me.

Self Employment Idea - Multi Level Marketing Schemes

2009-10-08T10:41:00.001-07:00

I've met many people who are considering multi-level marketing schemes for their self-employment idea at business startup and self-employment seminars. I can understand the attraction although it's not something for me. And I come from Malaysia, the 7th largest multi-level marketing country in the world (a very high rank, considering it's not a big population). When I was living there, I was often pestered to sign up as a 'downline' or to buy their products.

Multi-level marketing schemes are attractive because it gives people a structured, easy-entry, no skills required, self-employment format, with support from a shiny big, usually American, company. After little training, you start selling. The product itself is immaterial, it could be skincare/cosmetics (Nu Skin, Avon), health supplements, etc. An example of a very successful multi-level marketing scheme company is Amway, which sells everything from chewing gum to the kitchen sink.

We all know how it works. But ask yourself the question, why this route to self-employment?

Some multi-level marketing schemes are genuine self-employment opportunities, but some are ponzi schemes, so, beware. Irregardless of whether they are ethical, multi-level marketing schemes only provide a short term solution to the problem of wanting to be self-employed. It offers a quick fix. No imagination or research required. Most of all, to be avoided at all cost - it will dent your integrity if you attempt to push sales on your friends and family.

I also don't see working on multi-level marketing schemes as self-employment. You actually work on commission for the big corporation who supplies you with the products and dictates your quotas and commission. The company of course tries to disguise this by reinforcing that you are empowered and successfully self-employed through the many training seminars offered.

Ask yourself these questions before you decide to make multi-level marketing schemes your self-employment idea:

1) Do I want to just escape the usual 9 to 5 or do I really want to be doing something that's uniquely me, I'm passionate about and fulfill a need?

2) Do I want to be associated with a corporation and working under it's umbrella?

3) Do I know when people are just saying what I want to hear? Am I easily persuaded into thinking great rewards can be achieved without any entry barriers or competition?

4) Is financial reward the most important aspect of self-employment?

Recession-Proof Self-Employment Ideas #3

2009-10-04T03:49:00.001-07:00

The last in the series of my recession-proof self-employment ideas:

4. Become a matchmaker- Market research has shown that over the last 2 years, 25-40 year olds are increasingly desiring long-term relationships, especially in the recession. The demand for this group to find partners and settle down is a self-employment opportunity - be a modern matchmaker. The idea is to not come across as trying too hard. Instead become a single events organiser. Use websites like Meetup.com to advertise your singles activities, be it picnics, sailing or wine tasting. This self-employment idea is incredibly satisfying (when you see results), everyday is different and you can use your energy and creativity to maximise your self-employment potential. One tip - if you can get more male participants to sign up, your self-employment idea will be an even greater success.

5. Open your house up as an informal restaurant or tea room - If you have space to entertain in your own home, why not make it a self employment opportunity? The home restaurant trend is sprouting everywhere across the US and UK. Invitations can be posted on social networking sites like Facebook. In 'Jamie in America', restaurateur Jamie Oliver visited a New Jersey home restaurant where USD30 and a bottle of wine got you into a banquet at the organisers house, along with about a dozen other guests. You can combine it with self-employment idea #4 and make it a matchmaking event too. This self-employment opportunity can start on a part time basis on weekends and see where this takes you. But try to stay legal.

6. Become a tattoo artist - Demand for tattoos is growing. Tattoos are now mainstream. People are getting tattoos done younger and more frequently. Remember it is easier to succeed becoming self-employed in a field where there is significant growth. If you are good with your hands, love tattoos and fancy using your creativity for self-employment, get some training from a tattoo artist and you are set. If you fancy self-employment abroad, Eastern Europe and the ex-soviet states are particularly attractive for tattoo artists as the tattooing trend is just starting there.

Recession-Proof Self Employment Ideas #2

2009-10-02T01:34:00.000-07:00

Continued from yesterday's "Recession-Proof Self Employment Ideas #1"

2. Anything to do with child care and learning- Even stay-at-home parents will to pay for a good babysitter and private teacher (not only for their child, but to give themselves a short break). People are having children, maybe not thinking of having as many, during the recession. I often do evening babysitting and after the children go to bed, I do research on self employment ideas, and get paid for my time. A piano teacher for children under 8 can earn £20 (USD32) for a half-an-hour's lesson. Opening up your own nursery or daycare once you have your child-minding qualifications in place is a great self employment idea as the demand for quality childcare is great, plus you get lots of holidays (Easter, term breaks and Christmas). I know a couple who own a nearby nursery that has a 2-year waiting list.

3. Property development- I know, you must think I'm crazy. The thing is, a recession is the only time when it's a buyer's market and bargains are to be found, unlike in the boom times when competition was keen for good properties. If you have some savings, go to auctions and try to find a plot of land or derelict property, in a desirable neighborhood with good transport links. 'Employ' yourself to do up the property and sell it on. Think also of making the property stand out by making it green and energy-efficient. It doesn't have to cost much. If the area is good and you've upgraded the property to a good standard, there will be buyers for it, and even if you have to wait until things pick up, the profit should be around what you would make in full time employment for 1-2 years. You could rent it out while you are waiting for the market to improve. I want badly to take up this self-employment idea, if only I had enough money to buy anything in London at an auction!

3 more recession-proof self-employment ideas ideas tomorrow ...

Recession-Proof Self-Employment Ideas #1

2009-10-01T04:08:00.000-07:00

I have been asked to address the popular topic of recession proof self-employment ideas by some readers. Which self-employment ideas would be untouched by the recession?

My friend just emailed me from Moscow, where she's been for over 3 weeks waiting for her new passport. The processing time has doubled because some staff at the passport office have been made redundant. So we can rule out working for the soviet government as recession proof...

I was curious to find out if those self-employed in the food and beverage business, particularly cafes in London, have seen their business affected by the recession. Everytime I buy something from a cafe (not coffee-after researching my cupcake cafe idea, I've been put off buying my usual latte) I always ask the owner/staff if today was a busy day, which day is the busiest, what's their best-selling product and if there were less customers now in the recession. The answer to whether there are less customers is"no/not really" everytime.

Based on my observations, I have a theory that all businesses that operate on a cash basis for items costing less than £5 (USD8) are more-or-less unaffected by the recession and their customers continue with their usual pattern of spending. Also, the lower the overheads, the more robust a business is in a recession. Small businesses also have a better chance at survival by adapting quickily to the changes in demand due to the recession.

If you are looking at self-employment ideas in this recession then here are some suggestions:

1. Weekend market stall trader - low overheads for stall rental and public liability insurance, cash-based business. You can sell anything from food to books, to second hand objects. If you make your food yourself in the your own kitchen, then it's even more profitable- no middlemen. Sell something that has a high profit margin, i.e. something that costs you very little to make or get but the regular retail price for it is high. examples are coffee, second hand items which you restore yourself, gourmet olives etc. Best of all you can do it part time in the weekends. I know a lot of established shops that have started as market stalls. Christmas is coming so book that stall at your local market early!

Cont'd with #2 tomorrow...

Self Employment Idea - Health and fitness (Complimentary Therapist)

2009-09-28T00:54:00.000-07:00

I was at my physiotherapist's waiting room this morning and went over the newly-installed notice board . There were a variety of advertisements on health-related activities (seniors walking club, yoga classes), services (physiotherapy, sports massage, plus something new to me - doula services) and training opportunities.

With an ageing population growing steadily and people living longer and wanting to live better, it's a good idea to look into this field for self-employment. Our culture of work and related stress has also given rise to back pain, repetitive strain injury, obesity, insomnia etc. It is accepted nowadays that complimentary and alternative therapies can provide care more holistically and preventively than conventional healthcare.

Two of my friends are getting into health and fitness as a path to self-employment. A friend, who works for as an estate agent (realtor) is starting his training this month to become a yoga teacher and another, a solicitor, is training to be a nutritionist.

The potential - A growing focus on body and mind and the greater acceptance of complimentary and alternative healing has seen reflexology, aromatherapy, Alexander technique etc gain popularity. Complimentary treatments are also gaining in credibility and slowly being recommended by the medical profession as additional treatment to conventional healthcare.

The value - At the same time, there has never been more emphasis on becoming fit. More people (including myself) are finding that with the right training and nutrition, we are able to reach fitness targets unattainable even in our early twenties. The value attached to training and health advice is high and people are willing to pay for it. Can you put a price ceiling on feeling good? In addition, people are increasingly feeling guilty about not eating properly or exercising and feel they need help in this aspect.

The gateway- The good news is you don't have to invest 4-10 years training and qualifying to become a healthcare professional to gain self-employment in health and fitness. Look into qualifying and self-employment in complimentary healthcare. Reputable courses will take around 1-2 years and there are part-time options.

It is predicted that a significant part of 30-50's disposable incomes will be spent on health and fitness, especially the affluent market segment. This is a growing industry and many complimentary therapy providers are self-employed sole practitioners, and this business model works well. If you enjoy working with people, have good interpersonal skills and get satisfaction from seeing your work show in their improved health and fitness, this could be the low start-up, easy-to-moderate entry level self-employment idea for you. The hourly rate for fitness instructors and complimentary therapists is between £20-£50 (USD33-80) per hour in London, which is on par with an architect with 1-3 year's experience.

The best thing is there are many complimentary therapies you can choose for self-employment in$, and subcategories to specialize in, depending on your interest and local demand. Get researching!

Self Employment Freebie: 30-day Trial Online Shop

2009-09-25T02:35:00.000-07:00

I've just received this offer from the site I buy my domains names from (I bought 3 this year) and thought I'd share it with you.

123 Reg is offering their e-commerce package - which they claim has "everything you need to create an online shop and sell on the internet" - free for 30 days. The company is pretty reliable and reputable so I am confident in forwarding the link.

http://www.123-reg.co.uk/trialecommerce.shtml?$ja=tsid:13896

It's been estimated by 2012, £1 out of every £12 spent in the UK will be spent online. This figure is of course going to be even higher in the US. If you are thinking of self-employment through e-commerce or selling online, why not give it a try? My advice is to use the free trial period for 30 days to set up a very simple online store, get a feel of things and then cancel once the trial period is up if you think you'd like to give things a bit more thought.

As I've always advocated on this blog, self-employment ideas should come from experimenting and learning so use every opportunity you can. The costs involved, even if you don't already have a registered domain name or dedicated hosting, are relatively low compared to the learning and exposure you will get from the process.

All the best and good luck!

How to make your idea remarkable - Doug Richard's School for Startups

2009-09-20T00:36:00.000-07:00

I attended Doug Richard's School for Start Ups' seminar yesterday as a guest. (Doug is a household name in the UK for his appearances on a popular entrepreneur TV programme, Dragon's Den, on the BBC a few years back)

Doug's message - your idea, business model and execution should all be 'remarkable' for success. By this, your business has to have something people would talk about. Perhaps you offer the first session free, or you offer a better delivery service than others, or you give a long warranty etc. In short, "make it remarkable and you'll be in demand."

Now, with reference to self-employment, here's 3 practical ideas I've absorbed about the startup process:

1. Don't worry about long-term plans and where you'll be in 10-15 years. When starting out in self-employment, you won't be in a position to make long-term decisions because your circumstance will change and you'll probably evolve and end up on a different route. Don't worry that you cannot see where your self-employment idea will leave you in 10 year's time!

2. Concentrate on working within or supplying a well-defined niche market. Start self-employment catering to a small market you understand well because you have limited resources so will only be able to handle a smaller segment of your intended market in the short term. When you've established yourself in that niche, you can expand further.

3. Your fee or price is determined by how much people are willing to pay for it, not what your costs are. This is most relevant to self-employment ideas selling hand-made crafts and bespoke services because consumers have gotten used to competitively-priced, mass-produced goods from developing nations over the past years. Find out what you are offering is worth by talking to as many potential customers as possible.

The seminar delivers great value, whether you already have a self-employment idea or are still thinking of one. If you do have one, please do pose questions relating to your idea and if you don't, you'll probably accelerate your thinking process. Doug has practiced what he preaches by making the 8-hour seminar 'remarkable' itself. For readers in Britain who would like to attend, I've been told that typing PROMOCODE or PROMO CODE (please try a few variations because I haven't used it before) when paying will give you a discount. (In case you're wondering, I'm not taking, and have never received any commission to blog)

Passive self-employment generation tip - advertise your availability

2009-09-17T01:45:00.000-07:00

An acquaintance called me today about being made redundant and asked for some advice. I informed him he was already doing the right thing - telling everyone that he's out of a job and is looking for opportunities.

In full time employment, I've missed lots of possible self-employment opportunities or turned down some by choice because I wanted to focus on my job responsibilities. I was also unprepared for self-employment then. For instance, a friend called at the beginning of the property boom asking if I would like to invest in a piece of development land. The idea was to buy it and get planning permission for houses on the land and sell it off for a profit. I said 'no' because I was very happy with my employed status then and didn't want to take any risks.

A way of getting self-employment opportunities to come to you is to advertise your availability. Once people know that you are available, especially between the hours of 9 to 5, they'll approach you with employment opportunities and projects.

There are many opportunities out there that specifically require availability during the workday- childcare, applications for permits, licenses and approvals, deliveries, etc. Others include seasonal work and holiday cover employment.

For instance, a friend asked if I could manage a 3-month construction job he'd just been offered. He thought of asking me after I mentioned I was unemployed and because he has a full time job so cannot visit the site nor manage the builders during the day. Another friend also asked if I could manage her e-store (sending out orders and responding to questions and requests) while she was away at an expo.

This applies even if you have a full time job. Advertise that you would like to do some extra work on the weekends or take on one-off projects.

Advertising your availability may lead to short term employment and opportunities but they have great potential to lead to something bigger. It gets you out there meeting different people and learning new things, and can provide insight into different fields. As an added plus, will help you refine your self-employment ideas. Don't be embarrassed about telling people your are unemployed and looking for opportunities - get real, it's a deep recession. Open doors to opportunities and let them find you while you come up with that big self-employment idea and get paid at the same time!

Self employment inspiration - Stevenson Cases

2009-09-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

I've just remembered this story again today and thought I'd share this self-employment inspiration story with you. I think us lot need as much inspiring as we can get!

Alan Stevenson is my friend Elle's dad, a Danish architect by training and a talented musician. He met his wife, a professional cello player after uni and they both toured for a few years then decided to settle down to have a family. That meant giving up being musicians so they had to find a self-employment idea in a town with little employment opportunities. Although they knew nothing about making cello cases at the time, they started just such a business in suburban Norfolk.

25 years later, they still run the small and stylish case-making company, http://www.stevensoncases.co.uk/. Of course, in the beginning it was tough but they've gone from consumers (of cello cases) to expert makers through hard work and determination. It shows anything is possible, despite the obvious barriers.

Books on self-employment ideas will say there are 2 self-employment idea options -
1. go into something you already have the skills in, within a field you know well, or
2. start in a field you have no experience in at all (provided you do adequate research),

and both options have produced successful and fulfilling self-employment for many. There is no rule nor proof that one can only succeed going into a business they have experience with.

One thing I would add -it would be advantageous to get into a form of self-employment with some links to your professional life, if not your daily life. That way you can take advantage of your connections to generate income. For instance, Stevenson Cases' early clients were made up of their musician friends.

What I'm saying is, to better one's chances of adequate financial return at self-employment, it's best to find some useful connections to your current experience and circumstance. However, don't let that stop you from following your heart about any self-employment idea. You still stand as good a chance as any making it as a successful self-employment person. Otherwise, there are lots of self-employed people out there who don't necessarily earn much money, but enjoy every minute of their self-employed lifestyle.

*
Right now I'm carrying out 2 self employment ideas simultaneously; I'm setting up my own architectural practice (a sector I'm experience in, with some connections) and at the same time I'm selling home-baked cakes to delis and cafes (the food and beverage industry - I know very little about it, and have no connections). My objective is to diversify my income at this stage while I'm developing my self-employment ideas and business skills.

Self employment a reality, (no longer an idea)!

2009-09-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

Lots have happened since my last post. I am happy to announce that I've opted for voluntary redundancy at the office and now am on my way to become self-employed! Some might say I'm crazy to leave employment, but I think all the self-employment research and planning I've been doing has given me confidence.

I avoided making a leap of faith that would most likely end in a financial disaster - opening a cupcake cafe in my area. Luckily spoke to some shop owners who gave me insight to the spending patterns in the area - never underestimate the knowledge of local business owners. I'm still pursuing the idea, but this time I'm testing the market first by wholeselling to cafes and delis.

This experience has thought me that I've much to learn about running a business and making self-employment economically viable and sustainable. I first started thinking about self-employment 3 months ago and I don't have anything tangible to show for it but I've learnt lots through research. Someone said that with learning and experience, you learn to preempt mistakes without actually making them.

Fortunately, in a timely fashion, a friend of mine has asked me if I would like to take on managing a private home extension job. I'm starting to think that I might need to find some sort of part time employment to support myself while I grow my cake business idea and my own architectural practice. This should keep my savings for a future business investment.

Self Employment Market Research

2009-08-30T04:40:00.000-07:00

I nearly made a grave mistake 2 weeks back, on my route to self employment - not doing market research. Some of you might be aware that I'm thinking of a premium cake business venture/idea. I was doing a lot of research on premises but neglected to find out what the market demand for premium cakes was in my area.

Luckily, one day, just by intuition, I walked into a deli and a cafe in my area and asked if the owners would like to sample my cakes and discuss the possibility of selling them in their shops. Boy, did I learn a lot about local demand and pricing from doing just this! This lead to me writing to some wholesalers and asking them for their wholesale price for comparison.

Anyway, what I've learnt here is my long experience of being employed has ill-prepared me with skills to go into self-employment without making lots of mistakes. The idea now is to anticipate my mistakes instead of actually doing it and then learning from it after.

Now I've started to talk to business owners whenever but something from a shop, asking them if business was still good in the recession, which one of their products was the most popular etc.

I think I'm concentrating less on the self-employment ideas aspect and putting more effort into the business building ideas at the moment, but will have to come back to self employment matters when I set up my own company in the next few weeks.

Fancy the idea of becoming an App (Application) designer?

2009-07-27T23:28:00.001-07:00

I was taking a break from thinking about self employment and watched BBC Click (it's supposed to be educational and informative). The subject was on applications (mobile etc) and that got me thinking there's definitely a self employment idea there.

The new boom in popularity and demand in applications for mobile phones has thrown up self employment opportunities for those who are IT literate. I read that the person who designed the "Werewolf vs. Vampires" application/widget for Facebook, as a bit of fun sold the application for US$1million about a year later after millions of Facebookers downloaded it.

Applications have reached mainstream. Remember a few months back iPhone withdrew a "Shake the baby to stop him/her crying" application from their phones after numerous complaints?

Interestingly enough, there is evidence to suggest becoming an application designer is not beyond the reach of everyday people (I mean, it's not only for computer geniuses to become rich). According to Click, Standford University has a free online course on how to design your very own iPhone application. Check it out if you think there might be a self employment idea in there for you:

It's called iPhone Application Programming and lasts for 10 weeks.

Good luck!

Your self employment idea might just be right in front of you!

2009-07-21T03:06:00.000-07:00

I've talked to lots of people about self employment since I embarked on this 'journey'. Many are in the stage of actively looking for ideas to become self employed and searching for business ideas. The process of coming up with a suitable self employment idea may take months, and sometimes a few years. This depends on how focused you are at finding that idea to make a plan with.

For instance, at a morning seminar for entrepreneurs at a city law firm, I bumped into a recent graduate from INSEAD (the prestigious postgraduate business school in Paris) who was there to look for someone to partner up with. I was surprised that he didn't have any ideas as to what he wanted to do apart from 'IT'.

On another occasion, also a networking event, this time at City Hall, I met a young entrepreneur who used to work for one of the major mobile phone service providers. He's written a software programme that checks business mobile phones for personal calls and calls made after official working hours. When I spoke to him, he'd already negotiated 2 contracts worth about £2000 per month to 2 business owners who had over 1000 staff mobile phones at the event. He's got a very lucrative self employment plan through his experience from working for others.

My point is, it's a good idea to keep you eyes and ears open whether you are at work or at play. Maintain focus on your self employment plan. You never know when a brilliant self employment idea will come around.

I've started a notebook/journal to jot down any ideas I might have, contacts that might be useful or website that have good self employment information.