How many of us own our own business?

[S&N Livestock]

I'm a certified A.I. Technician work with over 25 different local farmers.(2500+cattle a year)and farm, Raise Club Calves,Poultry and sell Poultry and Game Bird Supplies. and I'm a single dad full time. It has been hard the last 4 years but we will make it thru.

 

[seismic wonder2]

HEY!
Maybe we can start a barter thread!

For the machinest...You can build my faceting maching design and I'll sent you a New York style Cheesecake.

WWW.HalesKitchen.com

 

[pinkchick]

I just wanted to say that this is not reply to topic looking for sympathy or am I sobbing out my story. Just simply responding to original post and question asked "How many of us own our own business and how has it been effected in this economy?"


DH and I have owned our business for 30 years. General Contracting, Remodeling and Handypersons. We love what we do....seeing someone's dreams or desire's come to fruition. Standing back looking at a project when we have completed it and marveling at the fact that we did that with our own two hands. Meeting and working with wonderful people and families.
Due to the economy, rising costs for insurances, bonds, state, county and city licensure, advertising.....sadly we are faced with the ever so difficult decision to close the business and sell our home if we can. The last two years have been rough but this year has been brutal. The last two years in this economy we were somehow able to make enough money so the business paid for itself and we existed. This year by comparison we have sold everything we owned short of our home and our truck and half of our tools to pay for the business and we are.....I would suppose one would call it existing but leaning more towards the barely existing.
On a brighter note tomorrow is a new day........and there is always hope! Who knows what it will bring but we will embrace it and ever be grateful for the opportunity to experience it....isn't it what life is about ........living today to the fullest and chasing tomorrow to do it all over again?

 

[ksukristin]

Quote:
Small world- I got my tattoo there when I was in college at K-state back in 2002

kind of ironic- it's a small (2 inches by 4 inches) pair of wings

 

[KinderKorner]

I raise poultry more as a hobby. But I raise Registered Kinder Goats for cash. And I am going to go to school to work on doing a Website and Graphic Design degree in a year or so. We will see how that works out.

I also work a few days a week at an actual job for now.... To pay for all my animals which are suppose to be supplying my cash. So far I'm spending way more than making on them. But soon it will be better. At least the main expenses are gone now.

Mostly I just plan on raising animals and working off the computer, so I can stay home and be a mother and homemaker.

 

[3goodeggs]

Wholesale greenhouse nursery producers. Florida is not the boom state anymore. I wish I was sorry for that. Mixed emotions. I hated to see it developed beyond recognition, but... At least we have eggs to eat.
The nursery industry has been hit hard here. Even suppliers are having difficult times. Our customers in Hawaii and Puerto Rico are dead in the water. They were always the customers that we could count on to pay the health insurance bills with. That will be going soon. I mean, after you have moved past a 10,000 dollar deductible...what's the point?
I have faith that things will get better, but we have lost a lot of nurseries in our area, and all of the 'mom and pops' are all but gone. Their selection, plant health, and prices are as good as or better than the chain stores, but they do not have the advertising dollar to get customers in. I am not really old enough to miss the good old days, but the good old days weren't but a few years back.

 

[fitzy]

Quote:
no kidding! i call mine "cut my arm off insurance" because that's about all it's good for! i guess if i'm ever in a serious accident at least they won't leave me on the gurney in the hallway....

 

[Mahonri]

The economic situation here continues to decline. REAL unemployment is probably closer to 22%. Of course they are only telling you about the 10% that are still eligible for unemployment benefits.

I see businesses here closing down frequently. Long John Silvers... gone. Denny's... gone. Burger King... gone. Those are the visible ones close to home.

My business is down at least 15% and maybe more once I figure out the year end numbers. Over 200 dentists have just walked away from practices in the past 18 months here in the general Phoenix Area.

Once the tax increases hit, you will see more dropping like flies.
If the senate passes the health care bill, doctors and dentists will be walking away in droves.

My insurance agent called today and told me that I would be getting notice of a significant premium increase. I suppose we will just have to go without health care and if they want to put me in jail for not buying it, they'll have to send me to jail. I take care of my employees teeth and have an eye care policy on them but health care is prohibitive, I simply can't afford it. If it's force on me, my wife will have to work for me and both of my employees will loose their jobs.

As Walter Cronkite use to put it... "AND THAT'S THE WAY IT IS!"

 

[Wifezilla]

If the senate passes the health care bill, doctors and dentists will be walking away in droves.

I would. All that time, effort and skill to become a virtual slave to the government? I think NOT!

I suppose we will just have to go without health care and if they want to put me in jail for not buying it, they'll have to send me to jail

Maybe we will end up on the same cell block

Funny thing is we haven't had health insurance for most of our marriage. My friends with fancy smancy health plans are no healthier than I am. Huh.​

 

[boaz]

Monique and I have a financial reporting business, companies send us their data to be processed prior to filing with the SEC. The bad news for investors, Enron and Madoff as a couple of examples, in the past few years have meant that the amount of compliance work has increased. Much of our work happens after office hours in preparation for the next day, lots of coffee. If anyone here knows xbrl, send me a pm.