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.
I'm not going to try and advise you on starting a tutoring business, as I have no background in education. As far as starting a cleaning business goes, since you lack the ability to function without a set routine and detailed instructions, I would strongly suggest you work for a cleaning service before you attempt to start your own. No homeowner is going to bother to tell you exactly what cleaning tools and detergents to use unless they have some very specific needs, and you need to be able to develop your own time-efficient cleaning routines in order to make any decent money as a housecleaner. You have to be able to pace yourself and accomplish all the required tasks in a set amount of time with the minimum amount of labor required to do them. It's a simple as that. Your history or disorganization and failure to keep your own apartment clean makes me seriously wonder if this would be a viable choice for you as a secondary income source.
I would strongly advise against buying a franchise of any kind. You already have a boatload of student debt and not much income; why on earth would you want to take on more debt for a "business" with no guaranteed success? You are just trying to avoid establishing the necessary organizational framework for your life and actions that will actually make you productive, much like continuing going to school has done. You keep pursuing things that make you "comfortable" rather than actually tackling focused actions that are hard and make you nervous (like really talking with your therapist). The consequence is that you keep doing a lot, but it never advances you toward what you say is your goal. It's a huge waste of your time, effort, and money.
I'm not going to try and advise you on starting a tutoring business, as I have no background in education. As far as starting a cleaning business goes, since you lack the ability to function without a set routine and detailed instructions, I would strongly suggest you work for a cleaning service before you attempt to start your own. No homeowner is going to bother to tell you exactly what cleaning tools and detergents to use unless they have some very specific needs, and you need to be able to develop your own time-efficient cleaning routines in order to make any decent money as a housecleaner. You have to be able to pace yourself and accomplish all the required tasks in a set amount of time with the minimum amount of labor required to do them. It's a simple as that. Your history or disorganization and failure to keep your own apartment clean makes me seriously wonder if this would be a viable choice for you as a secondary income source.
I would strongly advise against buying a franchise of any kind. You already have a boatload of student debt and not much income; why on earth would you want to take on more debt for a "business" with no guaranteed success? You are just trying to avoid establishing the necessary organizational framework for your life and actions that will actually make you productive, much like continuing going to school has done. You keep pursuing things that make you "comfortable" rather than actually tackling focused actions that are hard and make you nervous (like really talking with your therapist). The consequence is that you keep doing a lot, but it never advances you toward what you say is your goal. It's a huge waste of your time, effort, and money.
What isn't "a huge waste of my time effort and money?" Perhaps I'm beginning to think that my life is "a huge waste of my time effort and money" in the estimation of some of you. I don't know HOW to apply for jobs or HOW to successfully work for other people, and I've mentioned that many times before. I'm blaming it on the extremely high unemployment rate in this country, but maybe my lack of social skills do factor into the equation. The reason I'm considering starting my own business, though, is to avoid the added stress and low wages that usually come with working under someone. If you've suggested that as a means to an end for one of my goals, I'm stuck and don't know what to do. That's kind of like telling me that I need a job to start making money, but I also need money to get training for a job. I can't have one without the other, but I need one to obtain the other? I need social or organization skills to find a good job, but I need a good job to teach me these skills? Do you see why I'm so frustrated now?
I don't really know why that's your opinion, but if that is your opinion, don't waste your time. I only want advice from people who care about helping anyway.
And you've gotten a ton of it month after month after month and under your old username too.
Do you enjoy wasting people's time and goodwill like this?
And you've gotten a ton of it month after month after month and under your old username too.
Do you enjoy wasting people's time and goodwill like this?
Really? Go back and read some of those posts. Do you see anything of value that isn't vague and recycled mentioned in any of them? Where in any of the posts has anyone mentioned step-by-step how to do the thing I mentioned?
If I did indeed overlook pages of good advice, I stand corrected, but apparently I didn't see it, because I don't think I would still be on here asking the same questions if the problem were resolved. People get upset and frustrated over other things every day when troubleshooting doesn't work, like when computers malfunction. I'm frustrated because not only have I not found a solution; the people I'm asking to help me troubleshoot are basically just telling me to "throw it away and go buy another one," or "take it somewhere and get it repaired." I can't just "be normal" and a therapist isn't going to solve every problem I have, as pleasant as that would be. I'm upset. I'm sorry if this is coming off as something else, but I think you would be upset, too, if you had pages of things that you wanted to do but you literally had no idea how to get started and you found that every road you wanted to take lead to another dead end even though for people all around you it wasn't that frustrating, and they were somehow "magically" fulfilling their goals!
Really? Go back and read some of those posts. Do you see anything of value that isn't vague and recycled mentioned in any of them? Where in any of the posts has anyone mentioned step-by-step how to do the thing I mentioned?
I've seen a lot. I think you just like venting and the attention (narcissism) on top of your struggles with ASD.
I've seen a lot. I think you just like venting and the attention (narcissism) on top of your struggles with ASD.
Like what? Most of what I've seen posted on here amounts to, "give up on trying to become a productive member of society or build worthwhile skills, you need to see a therapist." I'm sorry, but for whom does that make sense or constitute a logical suggestion?
What isn't "a huge waste of my time effort and money?" Perhaps I'm beginning to think that my life is "a huge waste of my time effort and money" in the estimation of some of you. I don't know HOW to apply for jobs or HOW to successfully work for other people, and I've mentioned that many times before. I'm blaming it on the extremely high unemployment rate in this country, but maybe my lack of social skills do factor into the equation. The reason I'm considering starting my own business, though, is to avoid the added stress and low wages that usually come with working under someone. If you've suggested that as a means to an end for one of my goals, I'm stuck and don't know what to do. That's kind of like telling me that I need a job to start making money, but I also need money to get training for a job. I can't have one without the other, but I need one to obtain the other? I need social or organization skills to find a good job, but I need a good job to teach me these skills? Do you see why I'm so frustrated now?
Oh good lord, none of the MANY people who have responded to you has ever suggested or even implied that your life is a huge waste of your time, effort or money. You're being a drama queen there and it's totally unwarranted. Although you want to avoid the stress and low wages of working under someone by starting your own business, you also need to understand that by working for someone else, the burden of all the financial business costs is on them - not you. Without developing a concrete framework of knowledge, skills, and organizational ability, starting your own business is going to lose YOU money and additional time that could be put to better use.
As far as resources, there are tons of free library books regarding business startups, as well as online resources. If you want hands-on advice, you might try consulting SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) if there is a chapter in your area. There's a lot of online and print info from the Small Business Administration (SBA). You have online skills; go and look up these resources and get an idea of what it takes to open a small business in terms of recordkeeping, taxes, etc. before you start buying anything for your business. (Again, not wasting money you don't really have to begin with.) See if you can qualify for an SBA loan by reading their info; you never know. However, you're going to have a detailed business plan in place before they'll lend you money - they want to know that you know what you're doing before they'll invest in you. They're not going to make a leap of faith.
So hey, get off C-D and pursue some of the resources I've indicated here - they're free after all.
Oh good lord, none of the MANY people who have responded to you has ever suggested or even implied that your life is a huge waste of your time, effort or money. You're being a drama queen there and it's totally unwarranted. Although you want to avoid the stress and low wages of working under someone by starting your own business, you also need to understand that by working for someone else, the burden of all the financial business costs is on them - not you. Without developing a concrete framework of knowledge, skills, and organizational ability, starting your own business is going to lose YOU money and additional time that could be put to better use.
As far as resources, there are tons of free library books regarding business startups, as well as online resources. If you want hands-on advice, you might try consulting SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) if there is a chapter in your area. There's a lot of online and print info from the Small Business Administration (SBA). You have online skills; go and look up these resources and get an idea of what it takes to open a small business in terms of recordkeeping, taxes, etc. before you start buying anything for your business. (Again, not wasting money you don't really have to begin with.) See if you can qualify for an SBA loan by reading their info; you never know. However, you're going to have a detailed business plan in place before they'll lend you money - they want to know that you know what you're doing before they'll invest in you. They're not going to make a leap of faith.
So hey, get off C-D and pursue some of the resources I've indicated here - they're free after all.
That's a little better. Sorry for being a "drama queen," but would you have posted that information had I not just kept harping on the subject? That's the kind of stuff I was looking for in the first place. Thanks for trying.
I've been on the SBA website and downloaded a small business planning guide several pages long. Is there a way to simplify this process, maybe an online business plan-making tool I could use? I know that if it seems too complicated I'll make excuses for myself and probably not follow through. It's not that I don't want to follow through; it's just that I'm not great at taking a huge task and breaking it down into smaller parts.
That's a little better. Sorry for being a "drama queen," but would you have posted that information had I not just kept harping on the subject? That's the kind of stuff I was looking for in the first place. Thanks for trying.
I've been on the SBA website and downloaded a small business planning guide several pages long. Is there a way to simplify this process, maybe an online business plan-making tool I could use? I know that if it seems too complicated I'll make excuses for myself; now I'm telling the truth.
Sorry, I've invested way too much of MY time in this thread and others of yours. You have two degrees and yes, while you have ASD, you're intelligent and can research online and other resources on your own. If something is complicated and that's daunting to you, perhaps you can discuss that with your therapist. She gets paid for advice; I don't and I'm done handing it out to no avail.
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.
