Anyone on here an entrepreneur/business owner?

[sundizz]

Care to share your story/what you do? I'm interested to hear fellow ISHers stories.

Got my startup launching in about a week....about another week or so of some final tweaks and I'll be up and running. Not ready to share my own idea yet (as I'm just starting), but would love to hear from people that are established and are doing something that isn't the normal 9 to 5.

Over the past 4 months I've developed such a respect for people that go this path. It's both exhilarating and ridiculously scary (what if no one buys anything lol). Learned so so so so much though. Appreciating the process.

[nathanjizzle]

Care to share your story/what you do? I'm interested to hear fellow ISHers stories.

Got my startup launching in about a week....about another week or so of some final tweaks and I'll be up and running. Not ready to share my own idea yet (as I'm just starting), but would love to hear from people that are established and are doing something that isn't the normal 9 to 5.

Over the past 4 months I've developed such a respect for people that go this path. It's both exhilarating and ridiculously scary (what if no one buys anything lol). Learned so so so so much though. Appreciating the process.

It is exciting and at the same time very humbling. You will question yourself alot like "why didnt i just get a desk job". By having your own business you can dream of the infinite possibilities that it can take you, at the same time starting out is very difficult and you will see many hurdles. Be persistent. Always network and value your relationships with your clients and customers. Know what you can afford to do and not do.

I started a business out of my garage in composite fabrication, In hopes that it will take me to a place i can actually do what i want to do. It is taking me their.

[D-FENS]

I have two.

- One is sales consulting
- The other I am just starting, cartoons are my hobby - and I'm creating a website to show them off. I'll post it here once I launch

It is scary, and I wouldn't ever stop my day job (I do sales consulting from home - I have one large customer). But, to be successful you have to give up your day job at some stage. As long as you can pay for bread and rent, you're GOLD

YOLO works here, too. NO one wants to be a crusty old man and to talk about what could have been. It just depends on where your priorities are at in terms of starting a family etc.

[sundizz]

It is exciting and at the same time very humbling. You will question yourself alot like "why didnt i just get a desk job". By having your own business you can dream of the infinite possibilities that it can take you, at the same time starting out is very difficult and you will see many hurdles. Be persistent. Always network and value your relationships with your clients and customers. Know what you can afford to do and not do.

I started a business out of my garage in composite fabrication, In hopes that it will take me to a place i can actually do what i want to do. It is taking me their.

That sounds awesome. I wish I had like actual real skills (like building something). Must be great to actually see a tangible end product. How do you get your clients (website, word of mouth)? Yeah that last sentence (afford to do/not do) has been the biggest learning curve part. I had a huge idea in my head and have it whittled down to an affordable core part of it to start with. That process is definitely humbling.

[Akrazotile]

Care to share your story/what you do? I'm interested to hear fellow ISHers stories.

Got my startup launching in about a week....about another week or so of some final tweaks and I'll be up and running. Not ready to share my own idea yet (as I'm just starting), but would love to hear from people that are established and are doing something that isn't the normal 9 to 5.

Over the past 4 months I've developed such a respect for people that go this path. It's both exhilarating and ridiculously scary (what if no one buys anything lol). Learned so so so so much though. Appreciating the process.

It's a tough road to hoe, because you've got all these "fight the man" liberals who complain about corporatism and concentration of capital, but won't buy your small business product because they'd rather save $.22 getting the same product at walmart or target instead.


its like, how they fight back against wall street, man.

[JohnFreeman]

I invented Microsoft

[Bless Mathews]

Buy in bulk for low, sell at +20-40% of cost depending on quantity of order and loyalty of customer.

Always always always always practice customer service. If a customer is unhappy, make them happy, whatever it takes. Never loose money coming in. Never.

[sundizz]

I have two.

- One is sales consulting
- The other I am just starting, cartoons are my hobby - and I'm creating a website to show them off. I'll post it here once I launch

It is scary, and I wouldn't ever stop my day job (I do sales consulting from home - I have one large customer). But, to be successful you have to give up your day job at some stage. As long as you can pay for bread and rent, you're GOLD

YOLO works here, too. NO one wants to be a crusty old man and to talk about what could have been. It just depends on where your priorities are at in terms of starting a family etc.

That's good. Seems like the people that are most successful do something that they enjoy doing. What are you going to do with your cartoons online? Just a way to show what you've done...or will people be able to buy them?

Yeah. Def the idea/etc is the easy part. The feeling of uncertainty is the hard part. Luckily I have a perfect 6 month window to try my ideas...and if it fails I already have a job lined up. Haha....yeah that fear of never trying anything is pretty high too. As I get older I realize I just care less and less what people think...and about the general value of money. For me the scary parts are not being able to financially support family if they got sick, not having health insurance myself (but haven't been to a doctor in 5+ years...so just banking on that for now haha).

[sundizz]

Buy in bulk for low, sell at +20-40% of cost depending on quantity of order and loyalty of customer.

Always always always always practice customer service. If a customer is unhappy, make them happy, whatever it takes. Never loose money coming in. Never.

I've actually felt the opposite is true; never let one customer dictate what happens with your company. You know your product/identity/emotional connection to customers much better than any one customer. If they are unhappy it is often better just giving them a full refund, rather than spending the time (time that could be spent elsewhere) on understanding why this one customer didn't enjoy the experience.

I see people say that often (buy in bulk for low, sell at 20-40%). However, how do people actually sell that stuff? Ebay/craigslist/online ecommerce store...or physically by setting up a flea market booth or what? I'm not really into that sort of game, my service is more of a high cost, high content valuable niche market.

If anyone is into (like selling at a flea market) I would definitely definitely definitely suggest buying these in bulk before the holiday shopping season and profiting like crazy:
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/12...s_Walking.html

This is the ebay link for someone selling it: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HOT-2013-New...item1e7f74d19f

I would suggest this mostly to people that sell in person because the product is AWESOME! I went to Japan last weekend and randomly came across it (had no idea how popular this bear is in Japan). It talks back to you. Sounds hella cute/fun etc. It's so simple...u say something and it just repeats what you said, even your laugh etc. Works from a good distance away as well. Young kids would absolutely love it.

I bought it for about $25 I think in Japan. If you could get a good China hook (no experience with that) and purchase it in bulk for $5-$7 it could easily be sold for $15-$30 as a toy. From my experience (friends dad used to do a lot of booth/flea market sales) I would sell just this one product and display it prominently to show off how great it is. I gave the toy to my 2 year old nephew as he is just now talking, and he loves saying stuff to it all day and hearing it repeat back.

[Dresta]

It's a tough road to hoe, because you've got all these "fight the man" liberals who complain about corporatism and concentration of capital, but won't buy your small business product because they'd rather save $.22 getting the same product at walmart or target instead.


its like, how they fight back against wall street, man.

Amen.

[Mr. Jabbar]

just a few tips

it sounds cliche and all but going on your own, do something that you LOVE, and you will succeed, dont go on a certain area just cause $. money comes without calling it when you excel at what you do and you will never excel at something you dont like.

marketing is the best investment, do not be cheap here

whenever you employ someone make sure they feel like they are part of the success and reward them accordingly

be creative, differentiate yourself

dont be afraid, always go that extra mile