I love being self employed

[ProDave]

I thought I had a few days solid work booked, The job was booked a couple of weeks back.

So I turn up and find they are not ready so the jobs been put back.

So then I do the other short job I had booked, which I originally thought I would be doing on the way home.

Then I went to my boat. Had an hour pottering about just fettling, then met another club member got chatting and ended up going out for 2 hours sailing, followed by another hour just messing about at the harbour.

22 degrees, brilliant sunshine and just a light stable breeze and flat calm sea.

It's days like today that make me just love the flexibility of being your own boss. If I had a proper job I'm sure they would have found me something else to do and a perfect day on the water would have been missed.

 

[gavindrummond]

That's awesome dave!!!! How did you find the transition from being employed to being self employed? Is it harder? Do you manage to find regular work? And do you have to save the pennies if you don't have nothing coming in? I'm asking because once I'm qualified I'm def interested in being self employed but wondering if working for a company first to see how things go what would you advise? Thanks

 

[M107]

Nice one Dave.

 

[m4tty]

Nice one Dave I know the feeling too dead flat calm all sails out listening to the water lapping on the hull, beaming sunshine so relaxing drifting along with the tide . Self employed is great apart from still thinking about tomorrows job late at night ffs. Brain just don't shut off going over and over job making sure don't forget anything.

 

[sb_89]

Working for yourself before you have real experience in the workplace isn't a good idea. Going on your own is hard work , with nobody to fall back on when you come across something 30 years old that you've never seen ! I'm 4 years out of my time ( which was a 3 year apprenticeship, doing mainly large commercial and the odd domestic premises) and for various reasons, including how hard it is to get the work as a sole trader and the type of work you would have to take on to start with, I'm more than happy working for a company while the market is as it is. Maybe earning a little less but I have work everyday and when I get home, I take my boots off and sit on the couch. Not many self employed lads can do that !

 

[ProDave]

Self employment works for me because I'm getting on a bit, the mortgage is paid off, and we have other income (rental properties and B&B) so I don't actually need to earn very much from the electrical work to make a living, and we have savings as a buffer for when work is a bit slow.

So I chose self employment 9 years ago and don't regret it.

What really really irked me as an employee was the small and fixed number of days holiday allowance each year, and the fixed and inflexible working hours. Once as an employee when the company was doing well, at my annual review I was offered a pay rise. I tried to negotiate to remain on the same salary but instead to have an increase in the number of days holiday I was allocated. The look on the bosses face you would have thought I had just done something unthinkable to his mother.

Today was probably the best example yet of the good points of self employment. In the past I've worked through a week of glorious weather only to find it rains at the weekend far far too many times.

 

[m4tty]

Do you find it rains a lot more in Scotland than where you used to live down here ?

 

[ProDave]

Do you find it rains a lot more in Scotland than where you used to live down here ?

No.

It's colder, and windier, but over here on the east side it's no wetter than darn sarf.

 

[Evans Electric]

I thought I had a few days solid work booked, The job was booked a couple of weeks back.So I turn up and find they are not ready so the jobs been put back.

So then I do the other short job I had booked, which I originally thought I would be doing on the way home.

Then I went to my boat. Had an hour pottering about just fettling, then met another club member got chatting and ended up going out for 2 hours sailing, followed by another hour just messing about at the harbour.

You got it dead right there Dave ,thats what its all about . You forgot the bit about being employed, perhaps pulling cables through some deafening, grotty, dirty old factory ......while your gaffer does the sailing in the sunshine bit .!!

Oh by the way , theres no "Fettling " sarf of the border , I think it comes under Part F .

Thought I'd go to the beach today and fettle for a few hours but the tide was still out ....about 120 miles . :C

 

[NozSpark]

Dave, I wish that it was as easy as that for me to get my boat out (can only tow with the car and the wife uses that in the week ),,,, really envious now

 

[Sidewinder]

Nice day for some!

Went out at 07:00 back at 19:30, busy as heck all day, but got a nark done on one job that the client has been chasing me for, and it was not even my fault, but I still had to swallow it.

I work hard for days like that Dave, good on you, as they can be few and far between.

 

[springcrocus]

Wish I could afford a boat.

 

[ProDave]

Dave, I wish that it was as easy as that for me to get my boat out (can only tow with the car and the wife uses that in the week ),,,, really envious now

My boat lives in a harbour all summer, so is there ready to use, as long as the tides not out (harbour dries at low springs). We launched the boat on May day, had a very quick sail then in less than ideal conditions. The the weather then turned rubbish and this is the first time since launch this year that it's been good sailing weather.

Is there not a sailing club you can join and keep your boat in their compound rather than keep towing it all the time?

 

[NozSpark]

My boat lives in a harbour all summer, so is there ready to use, as long as the tides not out (harbour dries at low springs). We launched the boat on May day, had a very quick sail then in less than ideal conditions. The the weather then turned rubbish and this is the first time since launch this year that it's been good sailing weather.Is there not a sailing club you can join and keep your boat in their compound rather than keep towing it all the time?

I am a member of a local club, however I would still have to tow from their compound as the harbour has quite a few moorings and quite a tidal flow (about 5 knts),,, too much for my GP14 to contend with under sail (unless under powered tow!). We do however have the use of the marine lake and we can also use the RNLI slip whenever we want

 

[Nicky Tesla]

Dave it wasn't your choice to go on your boat it was a consequence of being let down. What would have happened if you had rung them and said you were not coming today because you were going sailing?

Brilliant though I love water, sea and rivers when it is hot, but i dont have a boat so i go for a long ride on my pushbike.

The worst thing about being employed is having to put a pin in the calendar in january for the summer hols. How do i know when it is gonna be hot?

 

[steptoe]

Dave, I wish that it was as easy as that for me to get my boat out (can only tow with the car and the wife uses that in the week ),,,, really envious now

how comes Noz?

dont you have a draw-bar?

 

[NozSpark]

I do have a tow bar,,, but there's this thing called a mast that would either catch on the back of my van (Kangoo) or I'd have to angle so high that it'd tear down overhead telephone lines... (slight exageration there, but you get the picture)

BTW my boat is 14 foot long, the mast overhangs the back by about 2 foot and overhangs the front of the boat by 6 foot - if I push back the cars sunroof shade I can see it,, (the mast is 22 foot long/tall)

 

[steptoe]

I do have a tow bar,,, but there's this thing called a mast that would either catch on the back of my van (Kangoo) or I'd have to angle so high that it'd tear down overhead telephone lines... (slight exageration there, but you get the picture)BTW my boat is 14 foot long, the mast overhangs the back by about 2 foot and overhangs the front of the boat by 6 foot - if I push back the cars sunroof shade I can see it,, (the mast is 22 foot long/tall)

ah, I get it, the van is just a bit too high for clearance.

OK's.

 

[a1]

Dave,

Let's see some pics of this boat then, Mate.

Steptoe, I still waiting for your PM. :|

 

[Smilers]

Since i have been self employed i have had loads of time to spend with my kids that are now 6 months and 20 months - you cant buy or replace that time and I'm still making more than the month before every month. Im not as busy as i would like to be but even month 1 i made more than my take home when I had a job and i worked for about 3-4 days!! Ok the late nights doing estimates etc and not always winning those jobs can be disheartening but I don't think think you will ever get rich working for someone else.

I don't ever want to be employed again and i hope i never have to.

A boat sounds good Dave but maybe a kayak is more my thing lol.