bennythebear Member Posts: 1225 From: kentucky,usa Registered: 12-13-2003 |
I was wondering if anyone here is self employed in a the programming/web development/web design field? I'm looking for a job, and i was wondering if it is feasible to start my own business on the side and eventually quit my original job and go full-time with my own business. since i'm posting and thinking about it, i could also use a lot of prayer. I have to find a job, but i also need to find a job that will allow me to make it to church at least every other wednesday so i can preach, if not i'll only be preaching about every 6 months or so  . which is not good, i don't want to draw back from God because i take the wrong job, so again prayer would be much appreciated. also answers to my earlier questions would be appreciated. ------------------ proverbs 25:7 www.gfa.org - Gospel for Asia www.persecution.com - Voice of the Martyrs |
Mene-Mene Member Posts: 1398 From: Fort Wayne, IN, USA Registered: 10-23-2006 |
You may want to get your business off the ground first. Regardless, invest a little money into education. What do you want to do? Do you want to be Self-Employed, do you want to be an employee, do you want to own a business, do you want to be a trader, or do you want to be an investor? www.richdad.com is where I learned some of what I know. ------------------ |
samw3 Member Posts: 542 From: Toccoa, GA, USA Registered: 08-15-2006 |
While I am not currently self-employed, I have looked into it as part-time work and have the following thoughts to offer. First, the web is cutthroat. If you are thinking of doing freelance work with someone like www.getacoder.com you will most likely be competing with foreign labor who's cost of living is a lot lower than yours. I think its best to go for the local market, especially if you live in a smaller town where people are looking for someone local whom they can trust. Another niche is to offer support contracts for maintenance of the site. This can be something like at Gold level, say, they get five page edits a month for x dollars and have them commit to a year. This is good for you and good for the company. Good for you because some months they don't use their edits and you still get paid, and also they aren't constantly bugging you with little minute changes, and you can control your hours. Its good for them because you are not just a build-n-run company where once the site is built you split, and they don't know anything about ftp, web hosting, etc., and the site sits out there for years without any changes, or worse they lose their domain to Seeq. So, if the shoe fits, I'd say, run with it. Do quality work and keep your commitments and you should do well. God bless ------------------ [This message has been edited by samw3 (edited January 25, 2007).] |
zookey Member Posts: 1902 From: Great Falls, Montana, USA Registered: 04-28-2002 |
Well, with Team KAIZEN we are just now starting to fully take off and we have been officially a business for a year this June (many many years of planning, and Add-A-Tudez, the parent company, will be in business for 2 years roughly this May) so it does take a while, you have to scratch and claw to get at every possible client/investor to get your company off the ground--don't forget to do an internet search on your city, there is probably business development organizations that will help you greatly along the way--and don't forget 'I can do ALL things through Jesus who strengthens me!!'----don't EVER let your head accept ideas like 'well success wasn't meant for me' or 'I just didn't win the cosmic lottery'--God can help you rock it and make your business work so leave it to him and he will iron it all out I know from experience, so just talk to him and let him have control and keep your eyes open for things that may be him laying the foundation and helping you out  ------------------ |
SSquared Member Posts: 654 From: Pacific Northwest Registered: 03-22-2005 |
I am not self-employed, so I do not have personal experience, but I have talked with several people who are self-employed. One thing, you need to have the personality for it. Do you need a known salary or can you deal with the ups/downs each month? If you get 3 months of great business, are you able to store the money away and recognize the next 4 months may be bleak? You also need to have a salesperson mentality. You are, in fact, selling a product. What makes your service better than someone else's? One IT person I talked with said most companies already have IT contractors, so he needs to go in and explain why he is better? What can he do that the others can not? One thing I have learned is to be market rate even when you are starting out. Especially if you are in a smaller city. If you charge less than anyone, you will become disliked by your peers. And word will spread. I had taken photos at a performance (on my own time) and the owner wanted my photos for free to use as they pleased. As cool as it may be to see my photos on something, if word got around to my other photo friends who make money from this, it would just not look good. Plus, once you do something for free, everyone thinks you are free. In fact, that's a good next point. If you eventually want to make money from this, be wary of doing things for free. Maybe a co-worker needs some website done and you are willing to give your time. But then the co-worker tells others about your free service. It now becomes difficult to make money. Well, those may be some tough/hard points. But I truly believe it's attainable. Work up a base of clients before going on your own. One friend recently quit his job and started his own printing business. He already had a customer base who knew him from his previous job. It has definitely helped. One person in my small group is currently working up a client base so he can leave his job and go full-time on his own (in recording). I also think it can be fun to be on our own. Set your own hours. Continually working on something new. Making a difference to your customers. Challenging! Study up on web design. Check out Craigslist for your city. I constantly see ads popping up looking for web designers and I live in a smaller city. See what types of skills they are looking for. Do you currently work on Wednesday nights? I pray you find a job giving you the time you need. |
Briant Member Posts: 742 From: Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada Registered: 01-20-2001 |
Another great resource site is http://www.jumpup.com ------------------ Check out this webhost! Fantastic prices, features and support! |
HeardTheWord Member Posts: 224 From: Des Moines, IA Registered: 08-16-2004 |
Wow, these are some great resources! I've thought about starting a business as well but have decided to keep working at the company I'm with now until I can financially support it. One thing I've read is that it's good to have multiple streams of income. If you have enough decent "products", whatever that may be, you have a stronger base to work off of. One pitfall to working full time and trying to start a separate business is the limited amount of free time you have left. It can leave you exhausted at night and it can effect those around you (including your preaching). Again I'm speaking from what I've read and not from experience. Finding ways to decrease the amount of money you spend regularly will help greatly. If you can stretch your income like ssquared said then it will probably increase your chance of success. Good Luck! |
Realm Master Member Posts: 1971 From: USA Registered: 05-15-2005 |
*raises hand* LOL. sorry, but I am, sorta. I don't get paied for my works, but onea these days.... onea these days.. ------------------ |
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bennythebear Member Posts: 1225 From: kentucky,usa Registered: 12-13-2003 |
thanks for all the help and links. i'm still job hunting, praying, and waiting to see what happens. again, thanks for the help and advice, especially the part about not giving into the "i just wasn't meant for success", which in my head is "you're just gonna have to live with the fact that you're going to be working in dimmly lit factory working 2nd shift and hating your life"...and that is a depressing thought. ------------------ proverbs 25:7 www.gfa.org - Gospel for Asia www.persecution.com - Voice of the Martyrs |
