When we began to write this blog in 2009, we all had great hopes that we wouldn't still need to be writing it in 2011. Unfortunately, things haven't worked out that way, and when Government cuts begin to really take effect later this year large numbers of people will find themselves having to deal with unemployment and all that that entails.Informed opinion is that a large percentage of those newly out-of-work people will look to become self-employed, and whilst I'm all for that, I also know that self-employment doesn't suit everybody, and that not everyone can make a success of being self-employed simply by using the same skills that they once used for an employer.
There has, for example, been a big fall-out of credit management staff over the last couple of years - and I've lost count of how many of those newly redundant people decided to go it alone and set up as a debt collection agency. Despite the fact that there was (and still is!) and lot of debt around to be collected, few of them lasted beyond the first few months, and for the first time ever I began to see insolvency reports relating to debt collection agencies.
If you think you might want to go it alone,Start Ups is the perfect place to get advice and help on every aspect of starting a business. There's a "Business Idea Evaluation Tool" and a lot of other free tools and resources on the site - and a section that talks about the sort of personality that has what it takes to go it alone!
Posted by Geoffrey Metliss - http://www.metlissbarfield.com
I received a message from an old friend via Facebook who has been long-term successfully self-employed, and I think it's worth adding it here:
ReplyDelete"May I add what might well be only too obvious to some, but I know not to others. That is, simply, get up every 'work' day, at a reasonable hour and make yourself as ready as you would if you knew there is work today. Simply because, there may be! I have known too many really gifted people failing by answering the phone while obviously still half-asleep at midday. Doesn't apply to all professions I know, but has worked well for me."
Really says it all.