The Self Employed Live-A-Boards Club Band

[FORTUNATA]

I keep meeting continual cruisers who always tell me they're self employed. When I ask in what, I get vague responses. Almost always, the self employed cruisers are quite friendly, decent people but it makes me kind of curious. Are they selling products online, advertising, selling hamburgers or what? Actually I was walking along the towpath the other day and I did see a large boat moored up with a sign on the window saying," Open. Tea and Coffee available."

Given my hope is also to be self employed, I can't help but ask myself how well these people are doing. Or it's also crossed my mind that occasionally people may prefer to say self employed to avoid the more uncomfortable term "not employed". Of course, I have heard of boaters who cruise till they find work for a time and then move on in search of other work.

It's a bit naughty to ask but are self employed boaters doing O.K. or just scraping by or a combination of the above.

Edited October 6, 2014 by FORTUNATA

[Delta9]

To be honest I have not been very successful at all...

[FORTUNATA]

To be honest I have not been very successful at all...

These days, it may be true to say the majority haven't been successful. The economy is still pretty dire, I suspect. I do know one or two self employed people who are doing really well but suspect a lot of us struggle to turn over a profit. Lately I sell on E-bay and although I've gotten a bit better at selling I doubt J.R. Ewing would have much to worry about by way of competition.

[Alan de Enfield]

These days, it may be true to say the majority haven't been successful. The economy is still pretty dire, I suspect. I do know one or two self employed people who are doing really well but suspect a lot of us struggle to turn over a profit. Lately I sell on E-bay and although I've gotten a bit better at selling I doubt J.R. Ewing would have much to worry about by way of competition.

 

Do you find that after you have taken the photo's - Oil is such messy stuff to try and wrap up

[BlueStringPudding]

This forum is full of them, for a start.

 

Some are freelance designers. Some are freelance computer bods. Some are freelance writers. Some are roving traders. Some run online retail businesses for crafts and all sorts of other trades. Some do boat jobs such as carpentry and mechanic stuff. Some move other people's boats for a living.

 

That's what they do.

 

Still hoping to find a cleaner who lives on a boat and can come and do my boaty housework.

[boathunter]

I know an accountant living on a boat.

I know an organic chemist living on a boat (but doesn't work on it).

I could have done easily for 20 years when I designed Comms sites for your phones.

Computer based jobs seem to be most obviously suited.

Edited October 6, 2014 by boathunter

[ditchcrawler]

 

 

Still hoping to find a cleaner who lives on a boat and can come and do my boaty housework.

King's Bromely Marina

[Lady Muck]

Never been as busy. Knackered actually. Still working right now. Still, mustn't grumble etc....

[Starcoaster]

I'm self employed, but if people start asking me a lot of random questions about what I do or how much I earn, I tend to get pretty vague about it myself too...

Edited October 6, 2014 by Starcoaster

[Peter X]

Whether all these self-employed people are making money will of course depend on what they do. For example, I work 3 days a week as an IT freelancer, two in an office and one from home; this third day is actually scattered across evenings and weekends, logging in to a remote server occasionally to check the live system is OK and to fix any problem. In theory the whole job could be done from a boat anywhere with a broadband signal, with just a rare visit to the office, say one day a month, because nothing beats a face to face discussion for sorting out some of the trickier problems. It wouldn't surprise me if quite a lot of people are working from a boat in that way in various occupations where the work can just as easily be done there as from a house.

 

It makes me wonder at what point a trading licence becomes necessary, in theory and in practice? Is it when selling anything to people who visit the boat, effectively when there's enough advertising showing to alert CRT to the fact that it's happening? For example if someone's wandering the system doing carpentry repairs for other boats, that might be a bit of a grey area?

[oarfish]

Software development, but only work 2 days a week from the boat with my current client unfortunately.

[DeanS]

I think in this country, due to the "zero hour contracts" and "15hrs a week contracts" and "lack of full time 9 to 5 jobs" on offer, many people top up their income by using their skills to help others during their off hours. Running your own business isn't a huge expense, makes you feel better about yourself, and lets you allocate a few things as a business expense. I'd say the Gov stats on "unemployed" would double, if they included those who are "self employed and just scraping by". If you're self employed and living onboard in a marina, it's the same as in a house, but if you're talking about CC-ers who are self employed, and genuinely cruising from A to B to C etc, then it's obviously much harder.

 

Personally, my day looks as follows. I woke up at 7 to check on my Internet business and respond to clients in South Africa, because it's now 8am there. I'm catching a bus to someones home to paint their garage floor, rip out old cupboards and smash a concrete driveway. Later I'll be working at a local creche/nursery as a maintenance man, and tonight I'll finish off round 9pm after doing cleaning and vacuuming. I'll be leaving to travel down the Rochdale 9 in a day or so, and do some cleaning, while keeping the above regime going using trams back into Manchester.

Edited October 7, 2014 by DeanS

[Ricco1]

I run a day hire boat business. It gives me something to do for a few days a week during the summer months, just a bit of maintenance at other times. It probably makes a few quid most years but you'd have to have an exceptional year to make as much as someone who works full time on minimum wage.

[ptolemy lane]

I paint boats on the towpath and ive never been so busy :-) .

[Alan de Enfield]

I paint boats on the towpath and ive never been so busy :-) .

 

Isn't that known as graffiti ?

[ptolemy lane]

 

Isn't that known as graffiti ?

;-)

[ditchcrawler]

I paint boats on the towpath and ive never been so busy :-) .

Do you get a crane in or just haul them out? Sorry

[mattlad]

I paint boats on the towpath and ive never been so busy :-) .

Do cyclists wait for you to finish or do they just go straight through?

[ptolemy lane]

I just wait for a speeding boater to come by and lift the boat out with there bow wave then put some diversion signs up ;-)

[SamKingfisher]

I'm a self employed musical instrument maker. I don't do it for the money* so much as to have time off whenever I damn well like!

 

*just as well really

[Terryb]

What about land lords ??

 

I plan to live on the rent from a small house. Anyone got any experience with that or paying tax on "unearned income"

[john6767]

What about land lords ??

 

I plan to live on the rent from a small house. Anyone got any experience with that or paying tax on "unearned income"

You just put the income on you tax form.

 

Unless the house is in central London, wouldn't you need a few houses to generate enough income to live in?

[Tim Lewis]

What about land lords ??

 

I plan to live on the rent from a small house. Anyone got any experience with that or paying tax on "unearned income"

Others will be more experienced but when I let out property any profit (income minus allowable expenses) from the rent is simply added to your other income and taxed appropriately as a salary would be.

 

Tim

Edited October 11, 2014 by Tim Lewis

[Terryb]

Thanks John and Tim.

regarding income from rent. I only have one house with a projected income of around £600 per month.I wont have any other bills so just running the boat and living costs. I know it'll be tight, but I do have a simple life.

[ditchcrawler]

Thanks John and Tim.

regarding income from rent. I only have one house with a projected income of around £600 per month.I wont have any other bills so just running the boat and living costs. I know it'll be tight, but I do have a simple life.

But the tax man will want over £100 of that