Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Most people spend their whole lives looking for what we've got. Anyone who thinks otherwise is either jealous, unhappy with themselves or to blind to see how good they really have it. What we want is to live happily and not spend our lives chasing what we already have.
***MOD CUT***
Sorry I'm not that familiar with the Florida's West Coast. I would probably choose Naples, Sarasota or some of those small towns close to Naples or Ft Myers but I don't know how far $1200 go there or the schools quality. I'm sure the money would go further in Cape Coral or other small towns. Whatever you do stay away from Lehigh Acres or whatever is called.
Last edited by faithfulFrank; 06-09-2010 at 02:11 PM..
Reason: foolish, inflamatory statement
Who wouldnt be defensive in my situation with the comments people are directing at me on here? There are very few people who understand where we are coming from and I am grateful for at least that. Think about it.. would it make any difference if I were a nurse and my husband wore a suit? Would you be any less disrespectful then? I have never in my life been surrounded by such a judgemental and uptight community. It's no wonder my first thread started the way it did.
It's very hard to make a living in the internet due to competition. Not everybody can afford the learning process and the social stigma that comes with it. Selling on the internet is equal to being a total loser, probably worse than a welfare recipient. The ones making money are not sharing what it took them years to find out. Actually be glad people think that way.
Sorry I'm not that familiar with the Florida's West Coast. I would probably choose Naples, Sarasota or some of those small towns close to Naples or Ft Myers but I don't know how far $1200 go there or the schools quality. I'm sure the money would go further in Cape Coral or other small towns. Whatever you do stay away from Lehigh Acres or whatever is called.
This may be off the subject but I had to step in her and make a comment.
I am not sure you know what you are talking about. I make almost all my primary income due to the internet. I use to have to travel to trade shows, spent thousands of dollars a month in magazine advertising, even having to travel to European trade shows. The internet has given me the whole world to deal with at almost no cost now. A website gives the term, "A picture is worth a thousand words", a whole new meaning. More then 50% of our sales are out of the country to people who would have never known who we were before. I know people who have closed their brick storefronts for selling on line. Every store that exists sells on line from Sears to the smallest mom and pop store. The internet is the best thing to come along for the small businessman or manufacturer like me in the history of selling.
Want to hear a kicker, my nephew sells high end cars on ebay and has averaged a six figure salary for several years now, yes, even in this economy. He even sold a car to Jay Leno who had a local dealer check out the car for him. They made the deal and it was transported.
Didn't I read somewhere you said you travel 20 some miles a day to work? I get up in the morning and walk across my property to my home office.
Lol... please please can you elaborate on this? Why is selling on the internet seen as equal to being a total loser- worse than being a welfare recipient?
I am sitting here scratching my head. What is this stigma? Where does it come from? How do people think people make money online? I seriously didn't know about this supposed stigma. Please... do tell.
The only stigma is in their mind and it stems from a sort of insecurity. They see someone who is resourceful and self sufficient, while they depend on the labors of others to provide them with a job. In other words, an employer. No matter how good the job they still live with an employer's boot on their necks. That job can go away over night and they are now back out searching for someone to feed them so to speak.
The last actual job I had was in 1972 working construction. I have been self employed ever since. In fact, except for that job I have worked for myself since I was a teenager when I started a lawn service business. I even made a lot of money hauling trash. This was before the city did it and people came around with trucks and would haul you yard trash to the dump for a small fee. I would leave the house in the morning and have a truck full by noon. It was hard work and I only worked a few days a week but I made more in one day them most people at that time made in their 40 hour week.
I remember someone visiting my shop recently and commenting watching the products being made. "Wow, this is better the having a printing press printing money" they said. In effect he was describing what manufacturing is. You take raw materials and make then into something with salable value. Something exists where nothing existed before.
It is easy to see how someone could be jealous of this.
By the way, there is no stigma or shame in honest work no matter what it is.
The only stigma is in their mind and it stems from a sort of insecurity. They see someone who is resourceful and self sufficient, while they depend on the labors of others to provide them with a job. In other words, an employer. No matter how good the job they still live with an employer's boot on their necks. That job can go away over night and they are now back out searching for someone to feed them so to speak.
The last actual job I had was in 1972 working construction. I have been self employed ever since. In fact, except for that job I have worked for myself since I was a teenager when I started a lawn service business. I even made a lot of money hauling trash. This was before the city did it and people came around with trucks and would haul you yard trash to the dump for a small fee. I would leave the house in the morning and have a truck full by noon. It was hard work and I only worked a few days a week but I made more in one day them most people at that time made in their 40 hour week.
I remember someone visiting my shop recently and commenting watching the products being made. "Wow, this is better the having a printing press printing money" they said. In effect he was describing what manufacturing is. You take raw materials and make then into something with salable value. Something exists where nothing existed before.
It is easy to see how someone could be jealous of this.
By the way, there is no stigma or shame in honest work no matter what it is.
Lol Well.. good answer! I never had any sort of ideas about self-employed people, whether they sold things on the internet or not. Therefore, I've never been aware of any stigmas. I read in a book once, "Would you rather depend on one source- your employer- for your entire livelihood, or would you rather depend on your hundreds or even thousands of happy customers for it?" Obviously, your livelihood is actually more secure in the latter scenario than it is with just one employer. I had never thought about it that way, but thinking of it like that made me feel a lot better about the thought of working for ourselves.
The only downside I see to self-employment is the current health insurance issue. I was sick when I was younger and doubt anyone will give me insurance- at least not for any reasonable price. I am hoping that once they set up those insurance exchanges, I might be able to get some as a small business. For now, I have to rely on my husband's benefits from his job. In other developed countries, this would not even be an issue.
I know a lot of small businesses fail, but I do think a lot of it comes down to whether or not you educate yourself. My sister and I are always talking about the problems we've seen in the small businesses we've worked for, and how they could have been fixed. Many of those problems could have been completely eradicated if the owner had set up a really good plan and taken the time to really educate themselves on running a business.
Some people do have natural business acumen, but even those that don't can really help themselves if they sit down and read a giant stack of business books, understand accounting, taxes, and the law, and understand how to best run their business to achieve the profit they are looking for. If they want to be business owners, instead of employees, they also have to consider how they act, too. Some business owners can't take a single vacation because their business can't operate if they aren't there. If you want freedom, the trick is to be both self-employed and to set it up so that others can be given tasks to do and the business will still run smoothly. (Or, set it up so that you can work or provide a service throughout the year or seasonally, but still make enough money for your lifestyle that you can also take time off if you want.)
***MOD CUT***
Your first line sums it up. You could read some of these boards as IQ tests.
The simplest of comments can be so twisted as to wonder, are they really this stupid, or are they saying this mean stuff on purpose. That is just the nature of these boards. There is a lot of good information, but you have to step over the gum on the walkway as you move along. Ignore it and never respond to the goof balls.
Last edited by faithfulFrank; 06-09-2010 at 02:16 PM..
Reason: orphaned quote from another thread
I quit my job with a big corporation and benefits during this recession to work for myself. I saw that when the economy tanked our once pleasant workplace turned into a house of horrors.
My husband and I will be opening up an auto repair shop in the next month. We are incredibly excited.
We are both in our 40s and I swear I will never, ever work for a corporation, or anyone else again. When the going gets tough the only one you can count on is yourself. It is amazingly freeing.
Now, the sky is the limit on how much I can make. Before, I'd work my butt off for a year and hope that they deemed me worthy for a 1 to 5 percent raise. Big deal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bethanygm
Lol Well.. good answer! I never had any sort of ideas about self-employed people, whether they sold things on the internet or not. Therefore, I've never been aware of any stigmas. I read in a book once, "Would you rather depend on one source- your employer- for your entire livelihood, or would you rather depend on your hundreds or even thousands of happy customers for it?" Obviously, your livelihood is actually more secure in the latter scenario than it is with just one employer. I had never thought about it that way, but thinking of it like that made me feel a lot better about the thought of working for ourselves.
The only downside I see to self-employment is the current health insurance issue. I was sick when I was younger and doubt anyone will give me insurance- at least not for any reasonable price. I am hoping that once they set up those insurance exchanges, I might be able to get some as a small business. For now, I have to rely on my husband's benefits from his job. In other developed countries, this would not even be an issue.
I know a lot of small businesses fail, but I do think a lot of it comes down to whether or not you educate yourself. My sister and I are always talking about the problems we've seen in the small businesses we've worked for, and how they could have been fixed. Many of those problems could have been completely eradicated if the owner had set up a really good plan and taken the time to really educate themselves on running a business.
Some people do have natural business acumen, but even those that don't can really help themselves if they sit down and read a giant stack of business books, understand accounting, taxes, and the law, and understand how to best run their business to achieve the profit they are looking for. If they want to be business owners, instead of employees, they also have to consider how they act, too. Some business owners can't take a single vacation because their business can't operate if they aren't there. If you want freedom, the trick is to be both self-employed and to set it up so that others can be given tasks to do and the business will still run smoothly. (Or, set it up so that you can work or provide a service throughout the year or seasonally, but still make enough money for your lifestyle that you can also take time off if you want.)
Folks,
Let's get back on topic. Some of the posts above were from another thread that had to be cleaned up and closed.
Most all have agreed to be respectful and compliant to the TOS, which is good, because rude, disrespectful posts will not be allowed.....
It is easy to misinterpret forum posts because one cannot see faces and gestures, or hear voice inflection, etc. That is why it is so important to be respectful and polite in posting.
Lol Well.. good answer! I never had any sort of ideas about self-employed people, whether they sold things on the internet or not. Therefore, I've never been aware of any stigmas. I read in a book once, "Would you rather depend on one source- your employer- for your entire livelihood, or would you rather depend on your hundreds or even thousands of happy customers for it?" Obviously, your livelihood is actually more secure in the latter scenario than it is with just one employer. I had never thought about it that way, but thinking of it like that made me feel a lot better about the thought of working for ourselves.
The only downside I see to self-employment is the current health insurance issue. I was sick when I was younger and doubt anyone will give me insurance- at least not for any reasonable price. I am hoping that once they set up those insurance exchanges, I might be able to get some as a small business. For now, I have to rely on my husband's benefits from his job. In other developed countries, this would not even be an issue.
I know a lot of small businesses fail, but I do think a lot of it comes down to whether or not you educate yourself. My sister and I are always talking about the problems we've seen in the small businesses we've worked for, and how they could have been fixed. Many of those problems could have been completely eradicated if the owner had set up a really good plan and taken the time to really educate themselves on running a business.
Some people do have natural business acumen, but even those that don't can really help themselves if they sit down and read a giant stack of business books, understand accounting, taxes, and the law, and understand how to best run their business to achieve the profit they are looking for. If they want to be business owners, instead of employees, they also have to consider how they act, too. Some business owners can't take a single vacation because their business can't operate if they aren't there. If you want freedom, the trick is to be both self-employed and to set it up so that others can be given tasks to do and the business will still run smoothly. (Or, set it up so that you can work or provide a service throughout the year or seasonally, but still make enough money for your lifestyle that you can also take time off if you want.)
I think being self-employed is pretty exciting.
Excellent post, although off topic.....
I am currently in the process of soon retiring from a gov't position to starting my own business. It is exciting becoming self employed.....I'm looking forward to having such a smart boss to work for.....
Excellent post, although off topic.....
I am currently in the process of soon retiring from a gov't position to starting my own business. It is exciting becoming self employed.....I'm looking forward to having such a smart boss to work for.....
Now...back to the topic......
Frank
Again off the subject but;
I have a friend who worked for the post office before he retired. He started a business at the age of 60 and has made more money then he ever made working for the post office. In fact it has been maybe 10 years now and he is by most definitions rich. Working for yourself isn't for everybody and I would never claim it is, or knock the person who is maybe a little afraid and likes what they believe to be the security of their job. But, to put it in my friend Joe's words. I never had a chance to make any money till I retired because I was to busy working.
By the way, is there a forum on here for self employed and entrepreneurs to share ideas. I am not talking about a place where people pitch their franchises or get rich quick schemes but a real forum for learning from others experience. If not I would like to see one. I humbly must say, know a lot as do many people on here and I would love to be able to help people.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
