Self employed stories- Alison's journey from prison to pool-side.
by Startacus Admin
What would you say has been your favorite part of running your own business?
1. I choose my work - if I was teaching in the UK and would have had a bad class - that doesn't behave - I would have had to teach them all year. Now, If someone is rude to me I don't have to teach them - I choose who I work with. Hence I love the classes I teach with a passion and they know it...if I take a week off they hate it!
2. Office politics - I go to to either a client or a class for an hour - I teach and do my job and leave - there is no gossip, no inner politics.
Have you been given any additional support to help get your business off the ground? (Either from government departments, charities etc?)
1. Elizabeth Finn gave me a grant while I was training to keep my maintainence
2. Wenta gave me advice
3. Luton Borough Council gave me £250
4. Start Up gave me £350
Is there any advice that you would give to someone (perhaps someone who has just come out of prison) who is thinking about starting their own business, but is understandably apprehensive?
1. Have a vision - know what you want to do - look into it - I had looked into fitness a long while before I did it so knew how to go about it
2. Have a business plan
3. Keep a part time job if you can - in the first few months I needed it
4. Don’t be put off by your past - look to your future - I was a celeb one day - I doubt people remember know who I am now
5. Don't lie to people but be coy with the truth - if they need to know they will know
6. Get spreadsheets on money - it’s great seeing how much you've made day to day. Set a milestone “by this point I want to build up to…”
7. Start small - with handmade photocopies
8. Get a website
9. Get leaflets - good old leaflet drops work and it’s your money - no longer is it for anyone else
10. Free advice from local forums
11. Check out any products you buy, people will try and con you - especially with domain names
Best case scenario - what do you hope to achieve in 2014?
1. Earn £40K
2. Have two weeks’ holiday
3. Visit my friend in the Cayman Islands - holiday pay fund will be starting from 31st January!!! I hope to be there in April!!!!
We’d like to thank Alison for agreeing to share her story and great advice with us and wish her the best of luck with the business in 2014.
If you liked hearing about Alison's story, then keep an eye out next week as we will have another great self-employed story.
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Published on: 21st January 2014
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