Chosen Solution
Seriously thinking about quitting the company I work for today. My question is - with 30 yrs experience I know a lot, but at 56 yrs old and a woman, is there a chance I could survive working independently? Update (09/19/2017) Thank you all for all the support, positive and sensible feedback. No matter what the problem, ifixit is always there to help! Thanks y’all! I decided to think this through, do the math and be prepared versus jumping into something and failing due to lack of planning.
@ladytech absolutely. I bet you know more than anybody else around you. Your knowledge, ethics and reputation will be your best business card, it is who you are and and what your business will be. Age and gender will not matter and I bet people will trust and rely on you more because of it. We only go around once and this is not a dress rehearsal. Do what makes you happy and provides fulfillment. You got my vote!!!!
Why not? You have what so few people have…knowledge, skill, experience and you know your business inside out. If you have the internal drive to market yourself and find customers, you will make way more working for yourself than for someone else.
Yes you can! The hard part is getting known. I would start off pulling together a good marketing ‘Stick’ how about leveraging your self as a woman? I know of a few car repair garages that do that so other woman are not intimidated when they are trying to get their car fixed. Next, pull together a good name, logo & collateral to promote your self. Don’t forget about the Web! Get a web page made and setup a mail system so people can post appointment requests. Talk with some local people who are running their own business read a couple of good books on how others did it. Keep in mind 50% of startups fail within the first year! Lastly, get a second phone for your business line and talk with an accountant and a good lawyer to help you setup the needed books, IRS, State & local taxes and permits. There is quite a lot of paperwork before you can even do your first job! Keep in mind it will take you at least a year or two to get the same paycheck you have now (minus your expenses). So make sure you have enough savings to carry yourself as you get started up. Set goals and make sure you have a way to exit back into current job or some other if things don’t pan out.
Loretta, Most of my business now comes from Google web searches. Sure I have a large customer base after all these years but usually I only see my good customers every 4-5 years when they’re looking to upgrade or get into a new machine. So for me those reviews and their quality is critical to bring in new customers and the listing is free.
I’d say thirty years is more than enough knowledge. Learning business management is key. My Father and Uncle started a business about 12 years ago called Benchcrafted. At the time they didn’t know a whole lot about making vices or other woodworking tools, but they did know how to manage a business. Thanks to good management and good products, our business is thriving. My Uncle has been on the cover of a few woodworking magazines and our products are considered the “Go-To” for what they are. We did all this while maintaining a smaller candle making business. As @danj said, read some good books on the subject. Maybe even Small Business for Dummies.
