self employed people !!! :D

[kaya]

heyy guys
ive just started my training to be a personal fitness trainer, and instructor. before i worked up in scotland jumping horses full time .. but got fed up of the way i was treated .. soo i decide to taker another path of being self employed ..... BUT i still have my child hood dream of being a show jumper !! what i want to know is how many of u work and compete ?? and how are you finding ?? is it easier this wayy??

 

[angelish]

hi
i'm self employed (mobile hair do's ) iv'e not done much this year due to horse injury but i evented a full season (one horse) last year and it was managable but hard work

if your dedecated its possible ,i put apointments in from 8 till 2 = rode horse which included boxing to our local beach twice a week for fast work or better ground as there is nowhere near me to go faster than a trot other than a friends school when it was available

then back to work at 5 till about 8-9 if busy ,it was very tiring and by my last event(sept) i was beat ,went wrong way in dressage did fab sj then made a stupid mistake xc due to me being worn out ,living on cigerettes and coffee
tbh i don't know how i managed to drive the wagon for 3 hours to get there

i don't think i could have coped with more than one horse ,it was the "home" work that i stuggled with and the constant go go go of it all

but i did thoroughly enjoy all of it ,i just tried to fit too many events in
if i were to do it again i'd plan less events and hopefully do a better job of fewer events than turn up tiered and not be all there, and make mistakes

things that would have made it easier is if events were closer to me , i had closer/better fasilitys at home and if horses/competing in general were't so expensive so i didn't have to cram as many clients in to keep the money coming in as i used to load problem horses on weekends i wasn't competing to save pennys up

injuries are also a big worry as you don't get paid if your not working
it also depends how much help you have as i didn't have anyone to even muck out when i was away competing and i'd sometimes not get back until after 10pm with a tiered horse then have to unpack wagon/sort horse etc then be ready to get up check horse then back to work

hope there is some answers in there for you, have fun it is possible but plan where you want to go carefully

 

[SpottedCat]

I think it probably depends on what you do - I am self employed and love it as I totally arrange my life to suit what I want to do. But I knew how to run the financial side of things before I started, I pay my accountant a fair whack to make sure I don't need to think about that side of things, and I can charge my clients sensibly - in that my business model only required me to do 2.5 days of fee paying work a week. That said, I rarely turn work down, so sometimes it is a bit mad, but in general I work fewer hours for more money than I did working for someone else.

I also take lessons and compete mid week fairly often, but I do tend to work in the evenings and weekends to make up for it!

 

[coss]

I, like spottedcat, work evenings and weekends (though usually half a day weekend so i can shift clients to a different day if necessary ) Last year i was doing dressage or showjumping at least once a fortnight (i'd planned to do once a month) but was able to afford once a fortnight. I save up through the winter months though as my work is seasonal. Also like spotted cat, my hourly rate is higher than what i'd be getting if i was employed by someone else, meaning i can work fewer hours so can fit my horse life round my work more easily.

 

[ruth83]

Yes, you do need to realise that your busiest/most in demand times will be when other people are not at work. Evenings and weekends - though I find Bank Holidays are quiet for lessons, if I'm working it tends to be competing something for someone.
It has ups and downs, social life can be difficult (fridays nights out might be ok as not many people want lessons then but you will have to be ready to work again at 7 or 8 the next morning!). On the other hand fitting in appointments at the dentist, going to the bank and doing Christmas shopping might be easier to fit in when the majority of others are at work.

 

[viola]

heyy guys
ive just started my training to be a personal fitness trainer, and instructor. before i worked up in scotland jumping horses full time .. but got fed up of the way i was treated .. soo i decide to taker another path of being self employed ..... BUT i still have my child hood dream of being a show jumper !! what i want to know is how many of u work and compete ?? and how are you finding ?? is it easier this wayy??

Hi First of all, good luck with the new venture!
I've been self-employed (as an instructor) for several years and can't see myself working for someone as an employee ever again.
That said, in 2010 I set up my own coaching program to be able to offer more quality teaching /coaching experience for clients and because I really wanted to make it work it has taken a massive amount of my time. I decided to sacrifice my own riding completely for a year and focused on developing my business. I would teach 8-10 hours a day then spent another 5-6 at home at nights on behind the scenes work...It was exhausting but worth it. I still work mad hours but I am finally seeing the beginning of what I want to achieve. Realistically, if you want to have a good business, then I would say you competing/training might have to be limited.
I have done everything myself, from on-the-job work to marketing, finances, paperwork etc and at times it took a lot of learning (and time).
If however, you have decent savings so you can pay others for what you are not so good at (in my case finances!) then why not, I think it's totally doable.

All the best

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

well going self employed is hard work! you have to build your business and keep your clients. a very good way to drum up business is to give your clients an incentive so when they recommend you a new client they get a session with up to 50% off (or a sum that suits you) also look at what you charge per hour and ask yourself whether you might be better with a part livery agreement for your horse! so if you charge £20 per training session you would be better with 2 hours of clients than 2 hours of mucking out/to/fetching in/tucking up so a 5 or 7 day livery service might work in your favour! Good luck with your new venture..