Forum Post: In all seriousness.... why don't you just start a business?
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 29, 2011, 6:52 a.m. EST by gamer86
(32)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
...and don't say "how can you start a business if you have no money?", because that's a cop out. Many businesses can be started with virtual no capital. Information based businesses are an example of that.
Anyway, I wanted to present an idea... some of you might dig it, most of you will not.
Protesting.... it's a nice thought, but what will it really accomplish? I see no logic behind the idea that protesting will somehow magically transfer the wealth from the foreign bankers to the 99% group that you guys represent.
At what point does this happen? When 100,000 people join the protest? 1,000,000? 10,000,000?
I got news for you guys, the deed has already been done. The money has already changed hands, and no amount of protesting will ever get it back. It's gone.
So what can you do?
Well... I think the answer is entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship drove the growth of this country, and in my opinion, over the last 40 years, the majority of you took the easier path in life... working for someone as an employee.
The entrepreneurial spirit is dead in a lot of you (not most, not all, but a lot)... which is a very very sad thing.
So logically...rationally...realistically.... which do you think is more likely to change things:
-Sitting around protesting and chanting hours and hours a day.... -Or starting your own business and hiring people and driving the economy around you by asserting your will on the world.
One has action, cause, and effect. The other does not.
I get it... starting your own business is scary and uncertain. But it can be done. You do your research. You fail a bunch, but eventually with true grit and perseverance it can be done. Except it or not, but there is HUGE opportunity out there. You can blame it on the banks, you can blame it on your credit score, on your student loans, yada, yada yada, but that does not change the fact that real and obtainable opportunity is out there.
I honestly think a lot of you are afraid... afraid of having to make your own to-do list instead of having one given to you.
What do you all think?
And please let's not make this about startup capital. I was in debt $10,000 2 years ago with horrible credit. I started my business working on it no more than 2-3 hours a day and within 2 years it's taken me from being in debt to having $250,000 tax free in my bank accounts. I'm saying this not to brag, but to let you know that there are plenty of other options out there.
Just saying....
EDIT And just so we're all clear here...
I definitely think you guys are doing a good thing here, I just have a weird way of expressing it. I'm merely trying to express my opinion which is that I believe in order for any real change to happen, more than protesting needs to be done. There needs to be an additional driving factor that improves the lives of the average Joe, because I think we can all agree the Government isn't looking out for our best interests.
Yeah, because crooked, unregulated financial system and out-of-control banks are friendly to the small business owner. Small business did so well after the GFC!
You can blame your government for that. But it doesn't mean you can't be successful. It's just an additional obstacle one has to overcome.
Oh go away, you callow libertarian. Don't you get that just because you are a certain way doesn't mean everyone in this entire damn country has to be that way? ANd that not every "small business" can be digital? Before you impugn my tech skills and my entrepreneurial spirit, let me assure they are excellent.... i'm just thinking of people BEYOND myself.
If you have a good plan, they will invest. They want to make money remember.
And you can start an online business for just a few thousand dollars. There are numerous ways to make money online because of all the little different niche markets out there.
You are 100% correct. I am another one who has done it. BUT - that doesn't mean we should ignore what is going on in the world around us.
The political system, the financial system & the financial condition of our potential clients does effect us.
I agree with you absolutely. The point I'm trying to raise is that if any kind of change is going to happen it'll take more than protesting. There needs to be some sort of outside driving force to make the end result happen. Some form of action that improves the income situation for the average person.
I started an online business with literally nothing but my computer and an internet connection.
That is all you need. If people can use this forum they can print money from their computer. It just takes a little research.
I have my own business employing 10 people and I support this movement. I think everyone supports private enterprise and we're all subjected to free market forces. But " too big to fail" private corporations, bailed out by tax payers, is anti capitalism and subjects the massees to slavery including you. I know what is involved in starting a business and the "fear" for want of a better word. But no one will bail the likes of us out if we fail. Our mistakes won't mortgage our children's future. But I think this movement suggests that things needn't be so difficult and let's see collectively how we can make it easier for us all to prospect and enjoy the fruits of our labours in a truly free and open market.
You make a very good point which is why I think that what you guys are trying to accomplish here is definitely for the better... I just think that there needs to be more... more than just one type of action.
On a serious note that's what I did guys, Etsy and Ebay are earning me around 1.2 k a week except in Dec I usually do about 2k a week. I took 2k and invested it in things I collected and had knowledge about, my area was old fishing lures (CCBCo) and pocket watches (Ball), I make a killing now. I teach CCW and tactical classes once a month for sanity.
I started my own business in 2008. It hasn't made me rich, but it pays my mortgage and all my other bills plus money left over for savings. I started it up with absolutely no other capital besides my computer. There is satisfaction in not being dependent on an employer for a paycheck. I typically work 60 hours per week but its something that I enjoy rather than being a chore.
It can be done. If someone had told me 5 years ago that I could support myself without clocking in at my former job, I would have told them they were crazy. But I did it. It's definitely possible.
Perfect :)
i have my own business and compared to 2007 it is down 80% I am facing a winter with no work and no money. I would trade it all in for a steading job with good income. So where do i go for that kind of job ? Where will my kids go in just a yr when they need a job
That's a tough situation to be in. Maybe it's time to think about switching what business you are in. Maybe some freelance or contracting?
i have system rather than a business..generating as much money through promoting "green materials..eventually the cost of dollar will be useless due to the cost of living..and its free to startup..email me at birdman2490@yahoo.com and join my movement
If everyone had a business, who would work for them? You do understand that at some point, someone has to be the employee, right?
Wow, I'm shocked at the negativity. This wasn't the usual "Get a job, hippie!" post, gamer is giving good advice that has proven true for me and for many other people I know.
You truly can get on the internet and figure out ways to earn at least what you'd earn at a run of the mill job, if not more. And you can do it from home with no commuting costs. You do need a computer, but if you're reading this you already have one.
We don't need to beg anyone for "jobs", be it corporations or government. We can make our own.
More freedom, more possibility, more rewards. It's win-win-win.
What we need to do is help out all small businesses ourselves! Let's help them let's start up a Small Business Service for OWS people. We can help make Business Plans and give out short term loans. Let's educate ourselves and create our own wealth. Look at Kickstarter they are doing that right now! Let's start up our own OWS Starter and we all go on helping each other with our businesses. We also would curve buying from the big box retailers like Target & Wal-Mart and Best Buy F.U.K them! When they see sales fall then you'll see OWS leaders gain momentum!
Yea, I think that's a great idea.
I have mentored people I know & even people I never met who I got acquainted with through online freelancing forums and the like.
People who don't want to be the micro-entrepreneurs in the group can be hired or contracted to work for the others or taught how to freelance.
It is hard for many people to give up the security of a regular paycheck and of course, some of that fear is very sensible.
I transitioned into self-employment by working a trad job part time & renting my skills out as a freelancing contractor at first.
Then I got into pulling in extra cash online, got involved in creating ecommerce sites with a relative who had a brick & mortar store, etc etc.
Had enough saved up that I gave up the steady paycheck and just kept investing in myself and my micro-businesses.
But enough about me.
This can be done. A marketplace for employment, a marketplace for training/mentoring and a marketplace for OWS goods and services is a great vision.
Well let me know how to start this up? I need some help but I believe we can get this funded and can get this going in a matter of weeks. I just hope we can get a few others to agree and work with us?
I've had a few small businesses, some very small, one, while still small I made a living at for a couple years until my competition could sell stuff cheaper then I could buy it, so I went back to my regular job.
Some people can succeed at it, others like me, can't. No loss, I still work for the man and do OK.
I'm been thinking about taking some courses in business at one of the community colleges around here when I get the cash (NO LOANS) to see if I do better at it with some idea of how to go about it. I've already learned a few ways NOT to make money, lol.
"magically transfer the wealth from the foreign bankers to the 99%" no one is trying to transfer wealth just change the system that concentrates it in the hands of a few,. at the cost of democracy. The bankers are both foreign and domestic.
"I honestly think a lot of you are afraid... afraid of having to make your own to-do list instead of having one given to you." ah,. yeah. cause this group aint shown no initiative,. lol.
Oh, I definitely understand. But what I'm saying is that if the deed is already done and the wealth has been transferred, isn't it a bit late to protest?
the wealth will decentralize over time,. wealth above those around you is conspicuous,.
i hope that true. then when i have no money to pay mortgages and student loans for lack of a job.. then. well the money is just gone, its changed hands an does not exist anymore. and i get on with my life. i like that
Hope this makes sense...
http://anoncentral.tumblr.com/post/11964602984/the-text-of-the-well-received-flier-being-passed-around
Sorry folks, one anecdotal story does not make for good policy, fact is more than 1/2 of all small businesses fail in their first two years. Fact is that small business is now classified as employing less than 500 people. Fact is that the most lucrative small businesses the past 20 years have been in the financial services field, producing absolutely nothing of value for society. Having lived through more than 1/2 of the 20th century, I can attest to the reality that life is harder today for most of the folks I run into than at any other time I can remember. Regardless of what solutions might be found, the underlying cause is simple, the redistribution of wealth over the past 30 years has been a failure in improving the lives of most humans on the planet. That isn't sustainable.
Just because half of the people who try fail doesn't mean you can't do it. You're giving up based on "facts" that have many different variables involved. Most folks fail because they don't do their due diligence. They jump in head first, which is always a recipe for failure. Some fail because they don't manage their finances properly. And yes, some definitely fail because the market they are in dried up. It definitely happens.
And yes, sure, it's harder today than it was 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, but that doesn't mean you can't make a successful startup.
So what I want to know is, have you tried starting a business before? If so, how long did you work at it? Or did you give up before you ever started because of these "facts" that the average working person is afraid to conquer?
It's not the redistribution of wealth, it's technology. What you and I are using to communicate (Internet), has made globalization possible. Think about the Internet, advances in robotics, automation, convenience. It all has led to less jobs but more convenience. It's part of the culture now, instant, quicker, cheaper. To accomplish this you have to have machines, not people. That being said, there is nothing stopping OWS from taking their donations and starting a business, hiring their own. They had a half million dollars inthe first month, enough to start. They have shown creativity, stubbornness, passion, they should harness that energy and show America how it's done. They could do with the profits what they wish. They would be heroes.
Hi gamer , your ID doest look serious , go gaming elsewhere.
In my country, corruption together with large corporations and former political police make starting any business to be a very idiotic idea. I am pretty sure that the same happens in the USA, as far as I see.
Have you tried? How long did you work on building your business?
True but you have to keep in mind there are millions of businesses that go bust all the time. It's not easy to start a business and you have to have a lot of cash or be a position to borrow it, which often times leads the inexperienced in worse shape than they were as a serf employee.
Let's please leave seed capital out of the equation. There are hundreds of opportunities out there that can be done with no either no start up capital or it can be done in stages.
Invalid argument.
You should read more carefully other people's comments. I never referred to seed capital.
You can't just wave your hand at capital and say it's "invalid". You happen to develop software, which means at some point you learned to code (I assume), bought a computer or two, and so forth. At some point, you had the capital for the education in coding (either time to self teach with books and what have you or spending money on formal training) and for computers. Please don't say start up money is invalid. When you have children to look after, money for education, computers, etc IS start up capital. (Hell, even when you DON'T have children.) I would think you are (rightfully so) writing those supplies off on your taxes.
And for those of us without any idea how to code anything, but only know how to MAKE things with our own two hands, you need money to buy supplies, work truck, etc.
That's ridiculous. You assume to much.
I don't know ANYTHING about programming. I started small, building simple things that I researched how to do on my own in my own time AND FOR FREE. I dropped out of college after 2 years.
I have no advantage than anyone else out there. The only difference is I took the initiative to learn what I needed to learn in order to be successful.
You know how to work with your hands.... you have one more skill than I have. So what's your excuse?
"it's too hard". It's the mantra for this movement. It's too hard to make good money, too hard to pay for college, too hard to start a business. Most entrepreneurs fail a few times before something works. They never gave in though because it was too hard. I love this country, but it's people need housecleaning.
That's ignorant oversimplification and bigotry. Go back to school and learn something.
Over simplifying is a good paying career FYI. Perhaps you should look into that...
Simplification has it's merit. Oversimplification when it's not called for in brief explanation is stupid.
people succeed all the time with little or no money. But you first have to stop griping & protesting and have the guts to try.
exactly the jobs must be brought back to America to enable us to do that.
how do you bring jobs back? the post was about why don't you start your own business? so you are off point
I agree but for a lot of people starting a business is not a wise move plus today there is so much competition out there for almost anything you can think of so there is limited decent opportunities.
I've made more money in more competitive markets. Competition is a good thing. It means there's money to be made.
Competition can be a good thing or a bad thing and all points in between ad infinitum.
excuses will get you nowhere
I don't need no excuses. I've got a nice union pension and social security from a lifetime of work and a sweetheart deal that allowed me to retire at 61.
yea - all extorted from the company or taxpayer. That's why we are broke lol!
That's funny but a bit over the top
Wisconsin, Greece etc.
Not in my state of Missoury. This state is one of cheapest in the nation. So stingy that they have 'penny wise and pound foolish' built into there service manuals.
You're talking as though it's either/or --- one can gripe, or one can try to make money. It is possible to do both. You, for example, found time away from your business to gripe about us.
Congratulations on your success, by the way. I don't suppose you could be slightly more specific about what it is you did?
You know, you bring up a good point that got me thinking.
Let's say you can do both... protest and make money...
You spend 3 hours protesting and 3 hours working on your business.
Strictly speaking ROI on time spent, do you think you'll make more money with the time you invest protesting vs. if you had spent that time on your business instead?
In my opinion, I think the energy you invest into protesting will produce a very marginal return, if any.
Almost like how casting your vote on who you'd like as president doesn't really matter. At the very core of it, when you really break it down, your one vote does nothing because the same outcome will happen regardless if you vote or not. Not like voting determines anything anyway.
I'm not really griping at anyone, I am merely presenting a different solution to the same problem. My business develops software and education products. We're moving into video game development this year as well. Excited about that massive opportunity.
You know most small businesses fail, right?
Just saying...
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt
"To be ambitious for wealth, and yet always expecting to be poor; to be always doubting your ability to get what you long for, is like trying to reach east by traveling west. There is no philosphy which will help man to succeed when he is always doubting his ability to do so, and thus attracting failure. No matter how hard you work for success, if your thought is saturated with the fear of failure, it will kill your efforts, neutralize your endeavors and make success impossible." Charles Baudouin
That's because most business owners jump into their business too hastily, or they give up right before they see success. I've experienced failure in business on many different projects. It happens. You move on, and try again. I don't mind failing 10 times as long as I have 1 success... because that one success will make up for the failures 100 fold.
The key is to limit the consequences of failure from the beginning.
Fear of failure is not a valid excuse.
As Thomas Edison said, many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
Failure in a small business today usually means massive debt.
So one should never try, cause you might fail, right?
Just saying...
therefore - don't even try. sleep in the park & throw a temper tantrum like a child. good plan
I work, I just don't plan on taking out any loans without a means to pay them back, that includes those I would need to start a small business.
what kind of small business do you have in mind?
Most any is what I have in mind.
Most small businesses require capital and a specialized workforce (ie. training), to start. I do manage to do some work outside of the realm of other businesses, (some yard work and computer work for friends and neighbors) but until I take a loan out to pay for investment in some equipment, proper licensing, advertising, etc. I can't do it on a large scale.
ok so right there - no focus. what business do you want to start? what are your skills or trade?
The problem is going into debt in a way that I won't certain if I can pay it back! It's not about a particular skill or trade I have, it's about the financial investment I would have to make without the ability to be certain I'd be able to pay it back!
first you need to be able to do something people want or need . what is it you can do?
Yes, we should all try to do something that is ripe for failure. Good idea.
Great post gamer, unfortunately it will fall on deaf ears for this crowd, well accept the organizers who have raised a half mil in "donations". Those guys are true capitalists. All that being said however, I'm with you on this, and I dig your style; so if you have any interesting startup ideas, would love to discuss. I am all for making money off of the protest market!
why dont you all just become mid-level drug dealers?
Gamer,prove it. tell us the name of your company, or t least use your real name when you post. I think you are a troll, and full of shit.
Typical.
gamer, so you are afraid to ID yourself or reveal the name of your company? Coward
Nah, just don't want anyone to think this thread is a sales pitch.
"Coward"...
Coming from the guy who has to believe that if someone is successful he/she's full of shit...
Believe what you want if it makes sleeping at night any easier.
Forrest seriously if your going to be in a OWS forum learn to talk to people with respect! He's making his case for small business enterprise his business is doing well and he's giving us tips on how to do the same. Thank you for support Gamer86 you are why I believe OWS will succeed.
Sales pitch? For what, your neighborhood lawn mowing company with assets of two lawn mowers and one employee? I am successful.I am quite happy with the way my life turned out. I have spent more time giving id and comfort to to others than you would believe. I travel and see the world. I only think you are full of shit because you hide behind "gamer86" and try to make us think you are rich, without giving any proff.Forthose reasons, yes you are a coward. COWARD
Yes, so liberals can immediately smear him in his personal life because that's what they do best when someone has an opposing view
http://richardkentgates.com http://citicommons.com
stop being so arrogant
I beg to differ. I did this post completely anonymously for a reason.
But seriously... that's your only argument? What about the points I presented?
i'm just saying, a lot of us have jobs and some like me even own a business. wallstreet strangles capital at the top levels and prevent it from flowing back into the system. this retards the necessary flow of money for capitalism to work. that is my beef. you have valid points, and do not seem fringe. i wish you would contribute that position to citicommons instead of in here where only the fringe seem to thrive.
You are right about the corruption at the top echelons.
But... a friend who works for one of the largest corporations said their biggest threat isn't a large competition corporation (because the same people own both corporations), but the mom and pop companies that are much smaller, but have the potential of presenting challenge over time.