Has anyone gone self employed.

[ajr]

Thinking about setting up on my own selling print and anything print related that I can. Already do quite a few jobs on the side but wonder if I can make a go of it on my own. Fed up with working for someone and need to move on. I would probably do other work aswell on the side I used to teach swimming aswell so may go back to that so my working life would be quite varied.

Initially I would probably just sell to local customers, and would place the work with trade printers, they do the work so cheap nowadays I could probably do a 50% mark up on alot of work. I can do all the design work myself so that would save costs. Maybe after a few years buy some equipment but that wouldnt be my initial plan.

Would be great to hear from anyone out there who may have done a similar thing, ideally postive!

Thanks

AjR

 

[Keith]

I'm not sure where you are located but I believe that self-employment is THE great American dream. So I say go for it! Since you are not considering any equipment initially, I would find a nearby shop for the small runs. Not to close that they can be a competitor and not so far that picking up the jobs is a pain but you'll want someone for the small runs as not everyone needs 100,000,000 brochures. I'm sure any one of us shop owners on this forum can post novel-length replies full of advice on starting a shop.

 

[Alith7]

Thinking about setting up on my own selling print and anything print related that I can. Already do quite a few jobs on the side but wonder if I can make a go of it on my own. Fed up with working for someone and need to move on. I would probably do other work aswell on the side I used to teach swimming aswell so may go back to that so my working life would be quite varied.

Initially I would probably just sell to local customers, and would place the work with trade printers, they do the work so cheap nowadays I could probably do a 50% mark up on alot of work. I can do all the design work myself so that would save costs. Maybe after a few years buy some equipment but that wouldnt be my initial plan.

Would be great to hear from anyone out there who may have done a similar thing, ideally postive!

Thanks

AjR

I haven't myself, but we DO work with a number of print brokers that did just that. you in the Midwest by any chance?

 

[Robert carter]

I did that exact thing 23 years ago. I am still self employed and loving it. I bought all of my equipment used and broke down, fix them myself and have been earning a good living for 23 years. I had employees at one time and found them to be too slow. Take a chance. I started with NO money, just willing to work hard,

Thinking about setting up on my own selling print and anything print related that I can. Already do quite a few jobs on the side but wonder if I can make a go of it on my own. Fed up with working for someone and need to move on. I would probably do other work aswell on the side I used to teach swimming aswell so may go back to that so my working life would be quite varied.

Initially I would probably just sell to local customers, and would place the work with trade printers, they do the work so cheap nowadays I could probably do a 50% mark up on alot of work. I can do all the design work myself so that would save costs. Maybe after a few years buy some equipment but that wouldnt be my initial plan.

Would be great to hear from anyone out there who may have done a similar thing, ideally postive!

Thanks

AjR

 

[ajr]

Im based in the UK, willing to work hard not for anyone else anymore.

AjR

 

[Alith7]

Im based in the UK, willing to work hard not for anyone else anymore.

AjR

too bad! we're always looking for motivated brokers. good luck!

 

[JoeatData]

I know of a few smaller company's that have started in someone's garage with a simple offset duplicator press and a few hours after work.....and of course a few beers. But this was 20-30 years ago. A couple of these company's have grown and are still operating.

My concern would be how much local work would you be able to get? Are you working with something along the likes of commercial or mom and pops type business? I would think the smaller mom and pop business would already take advantage of computers and their printers for their needs. Which is something they didn't have 30 years ago. It's just an observation I have seen when dealing with business's that are local.

If you think you can make a go of it, then go for it. Sometimes small investments work out.

 

[brent]

LOL...I did it for about 4 years. Was making great money...my problem...I realized I was not the kind of guy who liked to chase down unpaid invoices. Hated it... And then from out of the blue my old employer called, and asked me if I wanted to work for the company again...so here I am!

 

[tmiller_iluvprinting]

I heard going self employed can cause blindness and baldness.......

 

[brent]

I heard going self employed can cause blindness and baldness.......

Uhhh...I think that is an industry trait...doesn't matter if you are self employed or work in the prepress trenches! I feel sorry for our female prepressers! LOL

 

[Steenland]

I've been self-employed for 15 years. My input: no matter what trade you are in, when you go self-employed, you are now in the business of sales, customer service, accounting and government paperwork. The actual service or product you provide to your customers is almost an aside. You may be the best in the region at your core service or trade, but if you have an aversion to, or poor skills in, sales, customer service, accounting or government paperwork, you should reassess your plans, or find a partner to shore up that side of things.

I'm not trying to discourage you, but for at least much of the time, and certainly at first, you should count on spending your days making sales calls and deliveries, answering phone calls and emails, preparing quotes, filling out forms, making purchasing decisions, "chasing down unpaid invoices" (as Brent attested), etc., so that you will be "free" to spend your evenings doing the actual printing!

One more word of experience: if you have family in the area, they will believe that, since you no longer have a "real job" and just sit around all day, you can be the one to take Mum to all her doctors' appointments!

 

[Alith7]

Uhhh...I think that is an industry trait...doesn't matter if you are self employed or work in the prepress trenches! I feel sorry for our female prepressers! LOL

nah..we don't go bald...but that damn nervous tick every time we hear our name over the wall...or see a pressman walking around with the Epson and a press sheet. Yeah...that'll get ya! They tell me there's drugs for that kind of anxiety... But I think if you started medicating prepress for ALL their "ails"...you'd have a department of zombies...

oh. wait. That's what the rest of the shop thinks we are anyways.

 

[brent]

LOL…lucky you! We grow bald AND have the nervous tick! I've been doing this for like 27 years…My hair is receding, I laugh at air-traffic controllers when they talk about stress, and yes…EVERYTHING is always prepress' fault!

As for medicating…Liquid medication is still always the best prepress remedy…crappy day, followed by a nice glass of bourbon at home!

 

[john_phillipo]

You heard it right! I see lots of bald heads around here, they're just not blind, yet.

Unless you can't stand having a boss, a steady job is financially better. But now a day, who knows...

 

[ondemandbindery]

Go for it plain and simple. Your idea of not filling up some leased space full of equipment is a pleasant change. Write a simple business plan for yourself and take a whack at it. Of course by you saying that you no longer want to work hard for an employer doesn't really sound thrilling but hey whatever makes sense to you.....

One word for success. NICHE....

Good luck,
JW

 

[Dan Roll]

Long ago, I was tired of kissing my boss's ass and started my own printing operation in my garage with a 22" single color, a two color 29" and a duplicator. Then I found that while I no longer had to kiss the ass of a boss, I had to kiss the asses of my customers, suppliers, freight company, occasional employees, and both the state and federal government. However, I made good money and probably had more purchasing power from my income then than now.
My point is, surviving in small business requires superior ass kissing skills, so if an inability or unwillingness to kiss ass is why you want to branch out on your own, don't do it. Otherwise, go for it.

 

[Keith]

Back when I was employed, I said to my boss, "It must be great to be the boss!" He said, "I'm not the boss," pointing to the front door. "Every customer that walks through that door is my boss."

I always think of that in the six years of my self employment.