[Londoner]

I work on my own and prefer it. Its OK once you get motivated but that first job in the morning is hard.

[LWC]

yeh although i found i never earned double with 2 of us, to what i used to earn on my own. but i always find a steady flow of good money with someone else with me every day

[Dean Aspects]

I like working with someone for a change but prefer to be on my own i get a better class of conversation

Although when i first went back to working on my own after a while employing it took a while to get back into the swing of things and the motivation had to be built up but when i realised i was doing the same amount of work in the same time on my own with less overheads i soon felt better

Still some mornings are harder for me to get my arse into gear

Dean

[Cleaner Windows]

I work on my own now and also have difficulty getting motivated, even though the money is all mine and the tax mans! I do tend to work harder and longer if I've got someone else with me, they can foot the ladder and stuff which speeds things up for me. It has its benifits working on my own but also it does get a tad boring, I think I'll get an mp3 player, that would probably make things easier and who knows, maybe earn more money in the day ;P

[pingu]

I have only been in the game for just under 2 years and I am starting to get bored doing the same houses...I am now starting to see it as a job more than a 'project' now.

But i use a ipod...and each evening when I get home I put it into it's dock and it downloads lots of podcasts...I have loads of BBC items including the Archers...

But yes I am starting to find it hard being on my own...

Cheers
Dave.

[Paul Coleman]

ive worked on my own alot, and had someone with me now for over a year, had a few days on my own last few weeks and i find it really hard to get going and motivated

I've worked on my own and I've worked with others.  I find it far easier on my own.  When I find the motivation a bit harder, I take a break.  Maybe work really hard for a while then treat myself to a day doing something I really like doing.  Getting through the work to get to the good bit is a help I find.

[dai]

The greatest motivator is a stopwatch. Timing each job and counting the pennies as I go along motivates me.
I don't do this all the time, it's something I do when I want to get stuck in.

[Jon-scwindows]

I started about 6 months ago on my own, and its been hard since i was focusing on wfp and couldnt afford all the stuff i needed to start even with a small loan, we struggle to pay the monthly bills usually with nothing for anything else, barely fuel. I cant afford a van, so have been using a large trailer system. Its pretty tough, and when i first started i had just a escort estate 1.6 that i used to chug 200 litres of water in barrels messing about changing them over and everything really put me off wfp or working atall. I have been doing some easy trad bungalows recently and gutter soffit cleaning jobs. It would be nice to work with someone else, but not nice to half the sallary. I want to build up an enterprise of several wfp trailer systems as i believe this is slightly cheaper on fuel as you can get away with 1 ton trailer load on about a 1.6car so £45 to fill the tank, then working for me, but at the moment cannot afford to. So im slowly building up residential and commercial work using the trailer system.
I have depression and no energy all the time, and some days getting out to work i usually start around 11am sometimes 1pm. \\\\\\\\\with nothing to motivate you, and bills to beckon you, it is hard though once youve finished a days work and have what you came for, then it makes it easier to work on the next day and encouraging that you can earn significantly more than a regular job.

[LWC]

feeling really deflated to be honest 2 people in 3 weeks have left me in the lurch...ill get summit sorted soon, came home feeling quite happy today and motivated

[jaykie]

You need to get motivated, why cant you start at 9 instead of 1  then when you finish go canvassing or dropping  

leaflets, ive picked up 80 custys in 4 weeks and have had 2 calls today from people that i dropped leaflets too 5

and 7 weeks

ago,

Chris

[Jon-scwindows]

i am 18, dont know why it says 19..
i could start at 9am even 7am but id have no battery power by 1pm, perhaps theres something wrong with me. Its not that easy to just 'get motivated' though i have steady work 3 days a week ish. My first job was in an iron mongers, i used to get £21 per day, working harder than all else who were on £45 per day. Never again, i eventually just didnt bother going to work with that job. I know this is a great job working self employed, i love it and i hate it. I am getting started in commercial jobs now thanks to a fellow member on here.
Well done Jaykie, 80 customers in 4 weeks is great. Im on about 55 monthly at the moment, i know how to canvass and have all the leaflets, though i havent done it yet.
The thing with working with someone else is, you either do it with a friend and half the sallary, or you employ someone at a regular wage.  who will probably burn you and break things, or get fedup and start their own wc business.
I can see the advantages though, you can share the toll on each job, the jobs should get done allot quicker, you wont get worn out so quick getting out and packing everything away. I am considering working with my brother, or a friend.

[craig b]

take risks pay little...

[craig b]

i would recommend this book for any body starting out on ther own (from acorns by casper woods endorsed by the bank of scotland)
 its a good we book gives you some good we hints and tips and helps with motivation
www.fromacorns.com

[scud]

  Jon

   I thnk you should take a serious look at yourself and kick yourself up the arse.
 
   You are 18 years old with a golden opportunity in front of you, don't be the usual stereotypical teenager moaning about depression and being miserable, nobody will give you a living for being lazy.

   Get out of bloody bed in the morning and do a full days graft - you won't get anywhere starting at 1pm.

   As a great man once said "Don't wait for your ship to come in, swim out and meet the bloody thing"

   Sorry if that seems harsh, but it is all perfectly true, one day you will realise that I have just given you some of the best advice you will ever receive.

[scud]

  And Jon

   Get a second battery, thats that problem solved, go down the local recycling center and scrounge a few old ones, charge them all and find out which ones are still good enough to use.

  See, simple isn't it?

[Wayne Thomas]

Not hard working on my own. Household bills, a mortgage, a social life and a sensible head keep me motivated.

[Jon-scwindows]

i didnt mean a physical battery, it was figurative for lacking energy. I guess that wasnt very fitting afterall. My wfp battery is not the problem. nevermind

[Joe Lauzon]

I was just the same at your age Jon, I started at 17 and did about 3 or 4 hours a day max.  Just enough to get by.  During my mid 20's I started working really hard, I did about 60 hours a week at one point.  Got myself kitted out with a nice house etc etc.  Now I do abour 30-32, which is plenty as I have good quality work.  Give it time, you'll get there.  I'd just concentrate on having fun now, and not getting in to debt.

[Nathanael Jones]

feeling really deflated to be honest 2 people in 3 weeks have left me in the lurch...ill get summit sorted soon, came home feeling quite happy today and motivated

I love working on my own, and that's one of the biggest reason why. I hate being let down by workers, it hits my personal motivation hard when it happens.

I also find I earn a LOT more working alone, and enjoy the flexibility of choosing the hours I feel like on any particular day.

I'm stuck working with my father in law at the moment most days,... so I really appreciate the days I have to myself!

[NBwcs]

The thing is Jon,that at 18 years old, you havnt experienced enough of being in rubbishy or pressurized jobs to actually fully appreciate the benefits of being self employed. I think we all have off days, i certainly do but just a few minutes reflecting on previous employment soon helps me focus.I worked in an unemployment benefit office for 4 odd years which at times was downright scarey, i dont miss that at all. My last job was with Anglian Water in the office, where we had a "performance monitering" system which is basically a full time, time and motion study. You had to account for every second of the day including how long on the toilet, talk about Big brother. Ive also had jobs where I  worked along side people I detested and had no escape from for 8 to 9 hours a day. Im sure lots of others have similar experiences, but at your age, youve probably been spared alot of this. The actual cleaning part of the job can be uninspiring, but focus on how you want to mould your business, keep looking at the big picture. As others have said, you have a fantastic oppertunity in front of you with age very much on your side.