How many of you own your own companies?

[morph999]

I just play poker. That's all I do and I'm not all that good at it either. lol. Just wanted to know how many of you are business owners and how you got into it? Was it a $50,000 loan or did you take over your Dad's business? I've always dreamed of owning my own company but I don't know if I have the skills to do it. I would say that it's probably a lot harder than people think.

If you have a good job with like 3 months of vacation time, let me know too because that's a good job. I've never had a job with any vacation days so I'm just curious as to what all you do and if you have a good thing going. I just wonder what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I got a feeling that panhandling is in my future.

 

[Anonymous]

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[julesa]

I have a tiny business scouting for books. I enjoy it, and it's profitable, but it doesn't pay well and time is precious, so I've been winding it down over the past couple months, selling off inventory in preparation for shutting it down.

 

[johnrobholmes]

Incorporated my company in 2005 with 4 grand to pay startup costs and inventory. Coming up on four years and my balance sheets and income statements are still looking strong, so I survived the first three years where 95% of businesses fail.


I am slowly migrating my inventory into ebikes as the capital gets freed, and have some good ideas for parts in my head. Hopefully I can produce them inexpensively and pass the savings from being a one man show in my basement to you guys.

 

[pwbset]

If you have a good job with like 3 months of vacation time, let me know too because that's a good job.

Uhh... be a teacher. No, seriously. If we don't start teaching the younger generations again the way they used to be taught the world is going down the shitter... oh wait, what? Too late? Okay.. nevermind then.. hold'um it is then. :wink:

 

[morph999]

I gave teaching a go actually and I wasn't very good and also I didn't like it.

The whole teaching thing. I frankly don't get it. I don't know why anyone would want to be a teacher. They gave me like 4 classes to start out on and that was still way too much. So, I would be busy making these elaborate lesson plans while I watched my supervisor basically show up unprepared and just teach out of the textbook. REally, in 2 or 3 yrs when I was on my own, do these supervisors really think that I'd still be making these elaborate lesson plans??? And so one day, I screwed up in front of the whole class and at the end of the day my supervisor told me that I had to every problem that I was going to show the class and do it step by step and submit it to her before I could teach the lesson....like I didn't have enough work already so that weekend I quit.

And the thing is, my supervisor casually mentions how WHEN SHEEEEE was a student teacher, the supervisor just let her do whatever she wanted....I was thinking,...."hmmm, why don't you do the same and find your way out of here". lol. So I screwed up once and that was it, I was through. Like I'm not supposed to make any mistakes? And why give me a female supervisor? I have no problem with female teachers but I definitely could of learned more from a male teacher.

 

[morph999]

I don't know how people work 9 to 5 without losing their minds. I missed like 3 weeks of high school one year because I was sick so much. My last job, they had me washing dishes every day for the first week so the following week when I got the worse flu of my life and had to call in sick, they fired me. They had me working with these airborne germs everyday and then fired me because I got sick. What a joke.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Link]

I maaaay start making ultra-high-end oil-cooled acrylic computer cases after I set up a CNC table, but I sincerely doubt there'd be enough people who'd be willing to pay that much for a case for me to make even a crappy living off of that. So, really, it'd just be kind of a leisurely way to make a quick buck every so often and not exactly what you'd call a business.

But I figure if I sell even one or two, that'll offset the cost of the table enough to justify its construction. Because I'm really doing it for the lulz. :wink:

 

[swade]

Probably not what you mean, but I own my own company that markets me as an independent contractor at an hourly rate to companies that need custom enterprise software development.

I think this guy has some decent ideas on how to get to where you are thinking of. He's definately not normal and some of his ideas are not for everyone or a bit too risky. But there are little gems in the book that do help.
http://www.amazon.com/4-Hour-Workweek-Escape-Live-Anywhere/dp/0307353133

 

[John in CR]

Being an employee is for cattle and sheep, ie follow the herd. Sure there may a few exceptions and have a job doing something they love that could only be done as small part of a large company. I stopped having a boss 20 years ago and could never go back to being an employee. Hell these days you can't even count on the long-term security even if you work hard and do a good job for a big company.

Find your own thing. It may be financially scary at times, but you'll find those times rewarding later, because overcoming adversity in any form always make you stronger.

John