[torsoboy]

In quite a few of the threads that I have read over the past couple of years it seems that many of the members of MacNN either own a business, run a business, or are the president/CEO of a business. Do you own a business, run a business, or are you the president/CEO of a business? If so, what is the business, why did you get into that particular business, how long have you been doing it, has it been worth your time, and do you have another "day" job that you are employed at also?

I'll start I guess.

I am currently an 85% owner of Instaproofs, I run pretty much all of the day-to-day operations in the business, coded the online service (but did not do the design), handle all of the customer support, and handle all money transaction. A buddy of mine came up with the idea for the business a few years ago and we decided to give it a shot; it turns out it was worth our time.

The business is an online proofing service for photographers; they shoot their events, upload their images to our servers, and we provide them a way to manage, sell and advertise their photography. Our first photographer signed up in March 2005 and we now have roughly 750 with the number growing by a few each day. We do no advertising other than google adwords, but we have become fairly well known on the professional photography forums through word-of-mouth. We currently have about 1,750,000 images on our servers and get a quite a few more added each day. So business is definitely growing for us.

I have a "day job" that I go to and work full time for until about 5pm, and then take care of most of the Instaproofs business during the night. Some days I spend 4 or 5 hours on it, and some days I spend only 20 minutes on it. To my wife and I it has been quite a blessing to have the business take off like it has, and to us it has been very much worth the time invested.


So anyone else care to share? It's the American Dream to be your own boss... tell us all what it has been like for you.


edit: sorry about the bad grammer in the title... I noticed it just after I hit save. Doh!

[Big Mac]

That's pretty damn impressive, torsoboy. And you work a day job as well? I feel lazy.

I just formed my LLC four months ago, so I am technically a business owner - it's a private equities trading company. I haven't seen success on your scale yet, but I am working hard.

[Chuckit]

Lallz, I wish. I actually just got accidentally demoted by the owner of the company I work for. (Yes, accidentally.)

[Eug]

sorry about the bad grammer in the title...

Are you baiting the spelling freaks?

[nonhuman]

I started my own company approximately one month ago. I do freelance Mac IT and consulting as well as web development. So far I've made enough money to pay my rent through October without dipping into my savings. I'd say that's successful enough for now. My goal for September is to make at least twice as much as I did this month.

Of course my life has been turned a bit more upside down than just started my own business. I also quit my job, moved across the country, and moved in with my girlfriend. It's been quite an experience (all good), and very liberating. I even started a blog about it that's been moderately successful.

[torsoboy]

Originally Posted by Big Mac

I just formed my LLC four months ago, so I am technically a business owner - it's a private equities trading company. I haven't seen success on your scale yet, but I am working hard.

So are you working another full-time job as well while you get this business started? Four months is nothing... at four months we had made a total of about $50; it was after then that everything started taking off a little bit. Patience is the key it seems. Do you have a website? I am interested to see what other MacNNers have done and how they present their business.

[torsoboy]

Originally Posted by nonhuman

I started my own company approximately one month ago. I do freelance Mac IT and consulting as well as web development. So far I've made enough money to pay my rent through October without dipping into my savings. I'd say that's successful enough for now. My goal for September is to make at least twice as much as I did this month.

Of course my life has been turned a bit more upside down than just started my own business. I also quit my job, moved across the country, and moved in with my girlfriend. It's been quite an experience (all good), and very liberating. I even started a blog about it that's been moderately successful.

How do you advertise something like that? Do you have a shop somewhere or do you just get word-of-mouth and base your business out of your home? That's quite a bit of change at one time... congrats on being able to pay the bills!

[Landos Mustache]

I do freelance web/graphic design. Sometimes I like to do it for a year fulltime freelance, sometimes if a good day job comes up I take that and do the freelance on the side.

bitFLY Design

I'd stick to freelance but after a while a get a bit sick of the 24 hour responsibility of it all when a day job ends the second I leave the office which is nice.

[besson3c]

I'm doing the same sort of thing Torsoboy... day job managing imap/milter/relay/webmail servers for a very large organization, and working on NetMusician after hours.


(linked to a content refresh and recoding using a lot of Ajax I'm about to make live this weekend)

[torsoboy]

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

I do freelance web/graphic design. Sometimes I like to do it for a year fulltime freelance, sometimes if a good day job comes up I take that and do the freelance on the side.

bitFLY Design

I'd stick to freelance but after a while a get a bit sick of the 24 hour responsibility of it all when a day job ends the second I leave the office which is nice.

Wow, that's an impressive portfolio you have (I looked through your website)! Yeah, the 24 hour thing is a little tiresome with running the personal business on top of the regular day job... for me I would like the personal business to be my day job. We'll see what happens in the next year or so.

How did you get the jobs for the Sears ads and the Fab magazine? Just the regular interview process, or did they see your work somewhere else and invite you to work with them? Either way, that's pretty awsome. Huge exposure.

[dillerX]

<--- this guy.

[Landos Mustache]

Originally Posted by torsoboy

How did you get the jobs for the Sears ads and the Fab magazine? Just the regular interview process, or did they see your work somewhere else and invite you to work with them? Either way, that's pretty awsome. Huge exposure.

A past client sent me to http://metalmonkey.ca/index.php for a one week assignment for the sears stuff and at the time I didn't know that everyone wanted to work there as they are well known. They were happy with me so they called me back for some other work and then even passed me on to work on some Liquor store stuff and the Bay (a Canadian sears) which was great exposure. They still call me back from time to time but I usually have to turn them down as I work full time currently.

Most of my other clients are through word of mouth from previous clients, some headhunters, some temp agencies, some friends.

As for fab, someone just told me they were hiring so I sent the resume and they hired me right away. I worked there for 3 years and it was love/hate.

What I loved is everyone in the company but ONE person because he was a dictating, micromanaging, control freak that made everyones life hell so he could be a diva/bigshot.

I also didn't have much print experience before I started there so it was great because when I was responsible for 90% of the magazine with a set deadline you learn damn quick. So I stuck it out because it was pretty much like going to school but I was the one getting paid and I built up a huge print portfolio.

In the end I decided to leave cuz the person I mentioned was more than anyone should have to deal with and I stuck it out the longest out of anyone. That and I hated most of the magazine content as the editors ideas were too trashy for my tastes.

After that I did freelance for 7 months but I got stick of chasing clients around for money as it took up so much of my day I didn't have any time left to actually do the WORK.

In March I got a new full time job that pays really well, is 100% stress free, the nicest boss in the world and the work I am doing is different from anything I have done in the past and really varied.

Who knows how long it will last but after this job I might take the freelance route again and hire a project manager to deal with everything non-design related.

[Y3a]

I still paint and repair HO scale (Model Railroad) Brass Steam locos. I get about $150.00 per engine for the paint and $100.00 for repairs and I charge for parts. I do anywhere from 1 to 20 a month, along with the day job as a Mac Consultant to NASA HQ.

The down side is taking a hobby and turning it into a business. I get burned out and put it aside for a few months every 5-6 years or so. I buy more lacquer thinner in a month than you 'd ever believe.

[medicineman]

I've been a pharmacist for some time. I bought this business about 15 years ago, after first becoming partner. All through my career, people have brought me prescriptions for eyeglasses. I guess they come from the doctor, and don't know what the paper says. So, I went back to school for opticianry. After becoming licensed, I put an optical shop in my pharmacy. I guess I own two businesses, then. After buying the buildings, we formed an LLC to handle the property.

Being boss means everything starts and ends with you. You are responsible for all your employees. Profits are yours, after the government's share, but payroll is your responsibility, in good times and bad. That also means I haven't had a vacation in three years, and you have to cover sick days and other's vacations. You have to plan about 6 months ahead, keep your employees motivated, give them the tools they need to get the job you want done. When you make good decisions and see the results, the rewards are happily received. When you make bad decisons, you have to eat that. Of course I always blame my wife or cat for the bad decisions.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by torsoboy

How do you advertise something like that? Do you have a shop somewhere or do you just get word-of-mouth and base your business out of your home? That's quite a bit of change at one time... congrats on being able to pay the bills!

Thanks! To be honest I've been pretty amazed at how well I've done so far. I was expecting to have to deplete my savings just living before I got to anywhere near self-sufficiency.

Right now the only marketing I'm doing is word-of-mouth and my blog. That's been surprisingly successful so far, but in order to keep pace with the goals I've set for myself I'm going to have to start doing more.

The next step in my marketing plan is basically to just network the hell out of this city. Start going to any and all events where Mac users and particularly Mac using are likely to be, talking to people, and handing out cards. And I'll probably also take out a couple small ads. Right now I'm thinking just Craigslist, the Globe, and maybe a few more targeted pubs too. I've got a bit of an advantage here as I have tons of friends in PR and marketing so I've basically got a free marketing team.

[RobOnTheCape]

I started a window tinting business a few months ago, Window Film Pros. This is the film applied to the inside of glass, and provides protection from uv rays, visible light and reduces heat. Business has been incredible. This market is wide open, and summer houses are plentiful.

Next step is to get a web page made develop the business through the net.

[Landos Mustache]

Originally Posted by RobOnTheCape

I started a window tinting business a few months ago, Window Film Pros. This is the film applied to the inside of glass, and provides protection from uv rays, visible light and reduces heat. Business has been incredible. This market is wide open, and summer houses are plentiful.

Next step is to get a web page made develop the business through the net.

Is that the same stuff that dude was putting in his car in the movie Fubar?

[torsoboy]

Originally Posted by RobOnTheCape

I started a window tinting business a few months ago, Window Film Pros. This is the film applied to the inside of glass, and provides protection from uv rays, visible light and reduces heat. Business has been incredible. This market is wide open, and summer houses are plentiful.

Next step is to get a web page made develop the business through the net.

So this is for house windows and not car windows? That's awsome... I haven't heard of that before.

One thing is bugging me though... don't most people want their houses lit by the sun during the day? I think it is a nicer light than having light bulbs running all day long when it is dunny outside.

[torsoboy]

Originally Posted by medicineman

I've been a pharmacist for some time. I bought this business about 15 years ago, after first becoming partner. All through my career, people have brought me prescriptions for eyeglasses. I guess they come from the doctor, and don't know what the paper says. So, I went back to school for opticianry. After becoming licensed, I put an optical shop in my pharmacy. I guess I own two businesses, then. After buying the buildings, we formed an LLC to handle the property.

Being boss means everything starts and ends with you. You are responsible for all your employees. Profits are yours, after the government's share, but payroll is your responsibility, in good times and bad. That also means I haven't had a vacation in three years, and you have to cover sick days and other's vacations. You have to plan about 6 months ahead, keep your employees motivated, give them the tools they need to get the job you want done. When you make good decisions and see the results, the rewards are happily received. When you make bad decisons, you have to eat that. Of course I always blame my wife or cat for the bad decisions.

Yeah, being the boss means it's all you. You get sick and there's noone really to cover your spot while you're out. At least that's the way it is for me. I guess if you have a few trained employees you could get away with being gone a day or two, but a lot of small business owners don't have that type of flexibility. I have had some vacation time, but I always need access to the internet so that I can get on and get fix anything that may go wrong, and answer any questions that people may have.

Getting the profits is very nice though... I don't get to keep everything that the company makes, but when net profits are up it sure is nice to get a large chunk of that.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by RobOnTheCape

I started a window tinting business a few months ago, Window Film Pros. This is the film applied to the inside of glass, and provides protection from uv rays, visible light and reduces heat. Business has been incredible. This market is wide open, and summer houses are plentiful.

Next step is to get a web page made develop the business through the net.

Hmmm.... I know a good web designer...

[Mastrap]

I run this business during my spare time, evenings and weekends. It was slow taking off but it now is definitely worth my while. We've got some really exciting developments in the pipeline and then it should really become worth my while.

I also have a dayjob as a Creative Director in an ad agency.

[RobOnTheCape]

It could be the same film, just depends on what the customer is looking for(this to the question on car glass). The one company I buy from has many 50 different types of film with different tints, colors, metals(silver, gold, bronze), patterns etc... Many people don't know about film, but they've seen it before. If you drive by a commercial building and the glass looks bronze, mirrored or something other than clear, then it probably has a tint film applied. It's an energy savings product.

As far as letting in the light is concerned, you're right, in that you want as much light in as possible, but you would also like to reduce the heat, thus saving on a/c bills. The film I applied to some skylights and windows today has a slight tint, and once applied the customer could hardly notice the difference, however, the room on sunny days will heat up much less, no glare, and no uv to bleach out the rugs, furniture, floors etc...

I have museum quality film which is near completely clear, but eliminates all uv rays into galleries and the like.

I do need a web designer, but looking for someone local to the cape or islands so that I can trade film application, blinds, or shutters for a web page, setup, and maintenance.

Cheers

[Spliffdaddy]

Owning a business isn't fun. I used to think it would be...back when I was an employee. I miss those days. I'd get off work and never had to worry about my job until I went back. No stress, no worries. It didn't occur to me that somebody else was doing the worrying. All I knew was a paycheck would magically appear every Friday - and somehow there was always work to do.

I retired after 16 years and didn't figure I'd work anymore. Decided to build a house and kick back for the rest of my life. I had time to kill, so I read a lot of books related to houses - since my experience had been limited to a couple of remodels over the years. There aren't any 'how-to' books that detail all the steps to actually building a house. Therefore I had to read about foundations and framing and roofing and drywall...etc. Once I started building a house I discovered that there was time to learn about the next steps before I got to them. Four months later I had built a house. And it was as good, or better, than any house built by professionals. It was worth almost twice as much money as what I spent on it. So, I sold it and made a year's worth of income. Honestly, though, it was a year's worth of labor squeezed into 4 months. Since then, I just kept building houses. I learn something new everytime I build a house. It gets easier as I get smarter.

Not many people accidentally create a lucrative business without planning to do it. But I did. Still, I wouldn't call it luck. Too much labor involved for luck to have anything to do with it. The money is good, but the work is physically demanding and the stress is immense. You'd have to love doing it - or you'd have to be stupid.

If you're willing to risk a lot of money, your health, and abandon your social life - you can do it just as well as I can. I started with a cash investment of about $50,000 and over the last 2 years I've made about $280,000 - assuming I can sell my current house in the next month or two. I think that works out to about $6 an hour

[hyteckit]

Cool. Does it mean I can promote my business here?

I'm in the escort business. I provide companionship to rich ladies out here in Malibu. I'm enjoy the company, nice expensive dinners, and driving exotic cars.