Self-Employment?

[AyGee]

As I feel more and more like the customers I deal with think of me as some 30-year-old teenage punk, and after being reprimanded over a complaint from some old lady for 'seeming distracted' on a day when every system was going haywire, I'm really beginning to consider the (rather scary) option of doing some kind of self-employment.  I would have put this under Rants and Raves, but this is a -little- more serious than that.  I know a furry forum probably isn't the best place to ask about fiscally-oriented decisions, but I feel a little more comfortable tossing around the idea here.

So I've been working the same part-time job for the past six years about, and getting by just fine.  I make no exaggeration when I say I'm probably the most competent person there (employer included), yet at the same time I feel as though I'm on the thinnest ice of anyone working there.  I mean, an entire branch of our work typically grinds to a halt when I'm not there, but I'm the one who most needs to act SUPER-MEGA ENTHUSIASTIC to be working a retail job where I deal with bitchy old ladies all day.  Nevermind the one who texts in front of customers (who I'm certain I got confused for in that earlier complaint), or the one who can barely do the basic tasks required by our work; the guy who's exit would render thousands of dollars worth of equipment nearly useless is the problem.

But the thing is, I seem to get the vote of zero-confidence in everything I've ever done or decided, to the point that I'm certain I can no longer gauge the validity of a decision because the 'default' answer is always "you're a ditz and you shouldn't do that," regardless of the outcome.  And if little old ladies are going to complain to higher-ups because I fall just shy of some model youngster from 'Leave it to Beaver,' I'm thinking I may as well quit and do something where I'm answerable only to myself.  I don't have tatoos, I don't have piercings, I cut my hair relatively short, and while I do have a beard, I try to keep it trimmed and reasonable - in case some of you are picturing an overly sensitive goth/punk kid not being allowed to wear their lip rings and eyebrow studs.

It's not like I make tons of money now, but I'm concerned whether or not I'll be able to come up with a skill to make bank.  I can draw, I can build and paint miniatures, and that's about my list of self-employable skills.  And while there is indeed a market for painting miniatures (customers are typically people who like to play tabletop war games, but don't have the time to make everything themselves), it involves a lot of social media outreach and striking the right veins, something I feel I'm not exactly competent in.  This is one of those scenarios where I have a lot of skill and know-how, but just don't know very many people - for those that know the old adage: "It's not WHAT you know, but WHO you know that determines your success."

And of course, I can't organize my thoughts on all this because I can barely sit still for more than half an hour at  a time to type all this out.  I guess I'm just looking for any advice on self-employment, and how practical/fulfilling it is.  I do NOT want to work retail/customer service until the day I die.

[Wax]

This is a super interesting thread, because self-employment was a career path that I had considered for some time, but unfortunately I'm nowhere near qualified to give you any kind of advice or guidance.

2 hours ago, AyGee said:

being reprimanded over a complaint from some old lady for 'seeming distracted'

This is why I hate the public. This is absolutely something that would happen at my work. Someone once complained to my manager because I was chatting with my colleague (neither of us were busy) as they approached us.

 

[#00Buck]

2 hours ago, AyGee said:

It's not like I make tons of money now, but I'm concerned whether or not I'll be able to come up with a skill to make bank.  I can draw, I can build and paint miniatures, and that's about my list of self-employable skills.  And while there is indeed a market for painting miniatures (customers are typically people who like to play tabletop war games, but don't have the time to make everything themselves), it involves a lot of social media outreach and striking the right veins, something I feel I'm not exactly competent in.  

And of course, I can't organize my thoughts on all this because I can barely sit still for more than half an hour at  a time to type all this out.  I guess I'm just looking for any advice on self-employment, and how practical/fulfilling it is.  I do NOT want to work retail/customer service until the day I die.

Make a website and advertise that you can do the stuff you say you can do. 

Try doing it for money. See how it works out. You probably won't make any money and you'll see how hard it is to run a business and appreciate your stupid boss a bit more. 

If it works and you make a little money then keep doing it. If you make enough to make more than your job then quit the job and do it full time. 

Also if you enjoy drawing etc. you will start to dislike it from having to do it for a living do prepare to turn something you enjoy into something you hate in exchange for money. 

You'll really just be replacing whiny old ladies with whiny geeks who don't pay. 

[Guest]

(Apologies for sounding super rough. Its all constructive and not meant to be mean)

So.. just, gathering facts here. You're 31 years old, you've been working retail most of your life. Did you go to school? Or has it just been retail this whole time? How long have you been doing art? How long does it take you to render and color one figure. 

I want to caution against taking commissions as a full time gig right now. Between your FA and your weasyl, you don't have a ton of follows, and you said that social media/talking a lot isn't really your thing. Making art your living requires you to be several things: Organized, focus, time friendly, and incredibly outgoing. You gotta sit down and hustle every day in order to get regular comms. Even then, you need to be charging at least 15/hr to make it a livable wage, and you can't do that right now since you haven't established yourself as an artist that takes commissions, let alone enough to make it workable. 

I've been doing commissions since I was 16. I'm 21 now, and they're my full time job since six months ago. I work at ~20/hr and make about ~150 dollars a week, if that. It takes me three hours to draw a figure for someone. I'm like.. *barely* making it by- but because I have few expenses and I'm still in college (going to art school), its okay. I'm at a point in my life where I can get buy and work with ~600 dollars a month. You are not. You're at the point where you need to make at least 2k a month to save for things like health insurance, retirement, that whole shebang. And it took me years to get at even this point- so using my timeline, you'd be ~35 making 600 a month just from commissions alone. 

Even then, I fucking hate what my art has become. I haven't done any personal art and projects for fucking years. I wanted to do so much more, but I'm drawing porn and whatnot for furries because that keeps food in my belly nad barely some clothes on my back. I don't even have health insurance right now. This is not something you can just fall into, and especially not something you do when you're supposed to be worrying about retirement in 30-40 years. 

So what I'm gonna say is make commissions a supplement. Work towards being a manager or getting promoted at your retail job- maybe you can own/manage that store. If that really kills you, find vocational schools to give you a skill in a trade. You're never not going to need HVAC, plumbers, CDL drivers, that whole thing. If you can realistically swing it, you can try and get a 4 year degree in a marketable skill but I dunno how anyone swings college nowadays with thousands of dollars of debt. At the bottom line, to do commissions realistically you gotta know how to run a business and run yourself. Figure out taxes, pay for health care, all that shit. 

[#00Buck]

11 minutes ago, Lemon said:

(Apologies for sounding super rough. Its all constructive and not meant to be mean)

Even then, I fucking hate what my art has become. I haven't done any personal art and projects for fucking years. I wanted to do so much more, but I'm drawing porn and whatnot for furries because that keeps food in my belly nad barely some clothes on my back. I don't even have health insurance right now. This is not something you can just fall into, and especially not something you do when you're supposed to be worrying about retirement in 30-40 years. 

This, If you really enjoy art then you'll end up hating it. That's the way of the world for everything people do for a living. Very few people enjoy what they do. Most people dislike or are indifferent to their work. Only a handful are satisfied or happy from work. 

[Strongbob]

I can relate to how you're feeling here.  I started my business when I was 30 and I did it for all the reasons you listed.  I didn't have much for resources, but I did have the advantage of being able to take a niche market from my ex-employer that they weren't all that interested in pursuing and I turned it into a full-time job.   I don't love my job, but I almost think it's better that way.  If you do something you love for your job, then your loved activity becomes a chore over time and you risk ruining your love for it.  It is nice being able to completely separate your 'work' from your 'play'.  

So you want to start a business?  It's not hard to do, but realize that pretty much all or your income for the first six months will go to overhead and start-up expenses.  Bookkeeping and taxes aren't hard with all of the new tracking software out there, but you need to stay on top of it.  Your accountant will hate you if you let your records slip.  

I'd suggest writing a business plan.  Pretend like you are writing a plan for investors even if you will be the only one to ever see it.  A business plan will help you think through all of the operations, marketing, capital, and infrastructure needs for you business and will help you decide if it's worth it or not.  There are tons of resources online about how to write business plans.  Above all, be brave, you only live once.

 

 

[Osrik]

6 hours ago, AyGee said:

It's not like I make tons of money now, but I'm concerned whether or not I'll be able to come up with a skill to make bank.  I can draw, I can build and paint miniatures, and that's about my list of self-employable skills.  And while there is indeed a market for painting miniatures (customers are typically people who like to play tabletop war games, but don't have the time to make everything themselves), it involves a lot of social media outreach and striking the right veins, something I feel I'm not exactly competent in.  This is one of those scenarios where I have a lot of skill and know-how, but just don't know very many people - for those that know the old adage: "It's not WHAT you know, but WHO you know that determines your success."

Is there a local game store near you for wargaming? That might be the place to look if you want to start commission painting, especially if you already have connections there/game there. People who know you and game with you will likely be more willing to commission you, so this might be an easier place to start than online.

One of my friends does a lot of commission painting both for the store owner and people who game at the store, and uses the money he makes to fund his hobby budget. Starting at a local store like this might be a good way to get a painting service off the ground, from which you could expand online or to other stores around the area.

However, I would caution you from trying to directly jump into this kind of self-employment as your main means of support, you should certainly test the waters first and see how it goes as a source of income on the side, and only if it goes very well try to make it your main source of income.

[Endless/Nameless]

I would love to go into business for myself.
This post has become a poem by itself.
I can't stand being a disinterested underling.
Unfortunately I'm not good at anything.
Effortposting doesn't generate no dough :'(
Time to fulfill my dream of being a hobo.

If you can see your way clear to do something, give it a shot. Sure, you might fail, but you'll never break the mod without shifting your weight. At least you can't say you didn't try. Of course, you shouldn't make a rash decisions but then again, what do you really have to lose?

I've seen your art; it's quite charming. I think you could get really good at it. 
Whether or not you should seek to make it your job, I wouldn't know. Sounds difficult.

[Clove Darkwave]

This is very relevant to my interests as well. I'm right there with you OP, getting too old for this.

I've toyed around with the idea of opening up a Gothy Coffeeshop (Goffeeshop?) since I've noticed all of the nice coffee cafes here close at 6pm. That means there might be a niche for a late-night coffee cafe?

Looking for a niche to fill is part of the key, as I understand it.

[Strongbob]

12 minutes ago, Clove Darkwave said:

Looking for a niche to fill is part of the key, as I understand it.

Yes!  Exactly!  You don't need to reinvent the wheel, just look for the unfilled need or the niche market that others can't or won't cater to.  

[AyGee]

5 hours ago, Osrik said:

Is there a local game store near you for wargaming? That might be the place to look if you want to start commission painting, especially if you already have connections there/game there. People who know you and game with you will likely be more willing to commission you, so this might be an easier place to start than online.

One of my friends does a lot of commission painting both for the store owner and people who game at the store, and uses the money he makes to fund his hobby budget. Starting at a local store like this might be a good way to get a painting service off the ground, from which you could expand online or to other stores around the area.

However, I would caution you from trying to directly jump into this kind of self-employment as your main means of support, you should certainly test the waters first and see how it goes as a source of income on the side, and only if it goes very well try to make it your main source of income.

There are at least two gaming stores I can check out.  One's actually about the size of a battle bunker that's easily the biggest wargaming hub on this side of the state.  The other is a smaller, closer store that's been around for the better part of a year; tiny, but it's friendly and makes efficient use of the space.  I even have a friend who may as well have a subscription to Forgeworld who works ridiculous hours (for those not in the know, Forgeworld is high-end, resin models direct from the UK.  They make stuff that easily runs in the thousands of dollars range).  I've already chatted with him a little on it, though I should probably follow up on it.

The bigger store would be a good place to start getting the word around, and once I finally commit to painting peoples' armies the guy who runs the smaller store is willing to put in a good word to his customers.  I guess maybe I'm not as completely unprepared in that regard as I thought, but I still have to figure out prices and the logistics of it all.  For instance, should I wait for people to have a kit to hand me to paint and assemble, or should I advertise a price that includes the cost of the kit and buy it myself?  The former works better for a seat-of-the-pants approach and advertises a lower price point, but the latter has the benefit of being able to keep and sell the extra bits and avoids me getting handed a poorly assembled set, or one that's difficult to paint while fully assembled.  And shipping... well, I currently work at a place that does packing and shipping, so I know exactly what that entails and what kind of costs go into that.

And the price in general... The owner of the smaller store used to paint for commission, and knows a few folks that do it as well.  He even recommended a few sites to check to get an idea.  This is gonna require me to knuckle down and actually research this at some point.

[root]

5 hours ago, Clove Darkwave said:

This is very relevant to my interests as well. I'm right there with you OP, getting too old for this.

I've toyed around with the idea of opening up a Gothy Coffeeshop (Goffeeshop?) since I've noticed all of the nice coffee cafes here close at 6pm. That means there might be a niche for a late-night coffee cafe?

Looking for a niche to fill is part of the key, as I understand it.

If you got a good location for it with nice surrounding scenery, I think that would be really cool.

[willow]

I've thought about self-employment for when I'm done with school, or maybe as a supplement to what I'm doing already, but I'm definitely not a business person. but I digress.

self-employment can be really fulfilling if you know what you're doing, but it can also take years before you can get your business/craft to a point where you can be completely reliant on it. it's certainly not something everyone can do. especially if you're building a business from the ground up

[Osrik]

9 hours ago, AyGee said:

There are at least two gaming stores I can check out.  One's actually about the size of a battle bunker that's easily the biggest wargaming hub on this side of the state.  The other is a smaller, closer store that's been around for the better part of a year; tiny, but it's friendly and makes efficient use of the space.  I even have a friend who may as well have a subscription to Forgeworld who works ridiculous hours (for those not in the know, Forgeworld is high-end, resin models direct from the UK.  They make stuff that easily runs in the thousands of dollars range).  I've already chatted with him a little on it, though I should probably follow up on it.

The bigger store would be a good place to start getting the word around, and once I finally commit to painting peoples' armies the guy who runs the smaller store is willing to put in a good word to his customers.  I guess maybe I'm not as completely unprepared in that regard as I thought, but I still have to figure out prices and the logistics of it all.  For instance, should I wait for people to have a kit to hand me to paint and assemble, or should I advertise a price that includes the cost of the kit and buy it myself?  The former works better for a seat-of-the-pants approach and advertises a lower price point, but the latter has the benefit of being able to keep and sell the extra bits and avoids me getting handed a poorly assembled set, or one that's difficult to paint while fully assembled.  And shipping... well, I currently work at a place that does packing and shipping, so I know exactly what that entails and what kind of costs go into that.

And the price in general... The owner of the smaller store used to paint for commission, and knows a few folks that do it as well.  He even recommended a few sites to check to get an idea.  This is gonna require me to knuckle down and actually research this at some point.

It sounds like you have a pretty good situation there, if you can get your name around, it sounds like you could have a lot of business. It might be good to start out painting what people hand you, as that might give you more business at first through the often large number of people with unpainted but assembled armies. The lower price point might also attract people who don't know you as well, and you could always ajust more to the second model once you are well known enough.

[#00Buck]

On May 30, 2016 at 8:43 PM, Clove Darkwave said:

This is very relevant to my interests as well. I'm right there with you OP, getting too old for this.

I've toyed around with the idea of opening up a Gothy Coffeeshop (Goffeeshop?) since I've noticed all of the nice coffee cafes here close at 6pm. That means there might be a niche for a late-night coffee cafe?

Looking for a niche to fill is part of the key, as I understand it.

Food and beverage businesses are some of the most difficult to run. I worked for almost a decade in the restaurant supply business. One section of our company specialized in repossessing equipment from places that failed to make their payments. This was the majority of customers. Most food and beverage businesses open and then close quickly. Small transaction businesses are very difficult to run. Making your money at the rate of three dollars per transaction is painful. The only upside is you will know within a few months if your business is destined to make it or fail. 

[Clove Darkwave]

52 minutes ago, #00Buck said:

Food and beverage businesses are some of the most difficult to run. I worked for almost a decade in the restaurant supply business. One section of our company specialized in repossessing equipment from places that failed to make their payments. This was the majority of customers. Most food and beverage businesses open and then close quickly. Small transaction businesses are very difficult to run. Making your money at the rate of three dollars per transaction is painful. The only upside is you will know within a few months if your business is destined to make it or fail. 

Pretty much. One of the first things we were told in Culinary.