self-employed folks: holidays=depression?

[Monkeyleg]

I've been on my own for some eighteen years now, and I still cannot adjust to holidays.

Every Friday before a holiday weekend, no matter what holiday, I get the blues. Start thinking about how I didn't make my sales goals for the week or the month, that sort of thing. And start thinking about how it's three or four or more days that I won't be able to shag work or sales.

Before I went on my own, I absolutely loved Christmas. Memorial Day weekend was a time to get into the sports car and tool about (and stop at veterans' ceremonies, of course).

Now holidays are just more days that lose money for me.

Does anyone else experience this?

[Stickjockey]

Try working for an airline. It's the busiest time of the year, the passengers are the crabbiest, flights are late, Yield Management refuses to restrict overbooking, it's a nightmare.

[Moondoggie]

I dunno, Monkeyleg.....

Being self-employed is the greatest thing I've ever done for a living.  I don't miss the "security" of employment at all, nor do I experience any depression when I'm not working.  I presently only work 2 days a week, and I frequently think "I hope this never ends, but I can always work more if needed..just hope I don't have to".  I'm a little older than you and consider myself semi-retired, but I never expected to find myself in this position at this age.  I consider myself lucky!

I'm in a seller's mkt, where potential customers frequently call me asking if I can provide service for their needs.  Presently, I only work for I customer that pays extremely well, but there are plenty of others.

[Sindawe]

Souns sweet Moondoggie, what do you do?

[P95Carry]

Moondoggie - still truckin?

I am self -employed but (said optimistically) semi retired too.  Working on puter all time and web stuff - I hardly see weekends as anything but - ''other days''.  I am lucky therefore - when work to be done - do it - regardless of day of week etc .. or time of day come to that.  Work available - do it .... work done and a quiet spell - play a little.

I can sympathize tho up to a point Monkeyleg - you wanna work but the world shuts down!!

[thorn]

uh, a little, but with my biz (hauling) first, a few more people are home for holidays s o iget a littel extra work, but =

i rarely get holidays off (sure, days like the 4th, easter , christmas, i dont work but 3 day weeekends like memorial day, etc , i am looking for that extra job)

so i guess overall its jsut a little weird- i get my holidays/days off at different times from everyone else, so its a little depressing that i have to work, that if my biz was bigger, more profitable i could be off those days, but on the other hand i get to be the boss, and i get a ton more free time than most people.

i couldnt imagine sales oreinted biz, it must be hard. the hauling is similar but around here its fairly in demand, fairly predictable, but i think i relate to your trouble not so much on holidays like i said, but jsut whenever i look over the books, it can be depressing how little i make if we have a lot of rain

[grampster]

Monkey:

Lord made the day 24 hours long for a purpose.  8 to work, 8 to sleep and 8 to play.
Balance.  A three legged stool is a sound platform as long as all three legs are the same length.

[P95Carry]

Gramps - you are waxing lyrical again LOL!

[Moondoggie]

Yeah, Chris...still trucking.

My wife & I teamed running produce for about 2.5 yrs...then we moved back to NE to look after her Mom last yr.  Found a dedicated trip once a week from Topeka to Chicago & back.  I can run it legally solo.   Leave home about noon on Mon, home at noon on Wed.  Bring back raw material (barrels of mustard) to the same place I load out of on Mon.  Sweet deal.  Been at it for 15 months now.  One of the other guys who runs out of the place in Topeka has been at it for over 4 yrs...biz is expanding so I'm confident I can ride this deal for quite awhile.  If it would fall through for any reason, there's plenty of freight out of this area to places that's it easy to get back from.  No worries.

Our truck/refer trlr are paid for, and the nest is empty.  The profit from trucking 2 days a week plus my retirement check from the military are more than sufficient for our needs.  Life is good!  Expanded my firearms ensemble in the last couple of yrs and got started in IPSC.

In younger days I always dismissed the idea of working for myself cuz I didn't think I'd work as hard as I would for someone else.  By the time I did go "out on my own" busting my butt was so much a part of my personality that I had no problem with initiative or work ethic.  And believe me, trucking ain't for the faint of heart!

[Guest]

I'm a self-employed salesman.  My real problem is that the days run together for me.  Most of the time I only work a few hours a day, including weekends (writing emails and such).  From time to time, I'll have a hell week (customers in town, vendor issues, etc.).  But generally, there is no differentiation between weekdays, weekends and holidays.

Part of the problem is that my partner and I have practically saturated our clients, to the point where they are ditching customers, because they simply have no capacity for the next year or two.  I'm in a position where I only work when I need to, and that averages maybe 15 hours a week.  It sounds great, but it really kind of sucks, because there is no firm schedule to it.

For example, today's work consisted of writing about 5 emails.  Done at 10am.  The next 3 days I'll probably work about 20 hours.  Then I won't have much to do until next Wednesday.  I actually find myself praying for crises, so I have something constructive to do.

It's the lack of structure that's a problem.  The lack of structure means that I don't have that weekend stress release.

I've tried to add structure, by signing up for classes, etc., but the local university is not cooperative if you just want to take a class or two.

[client32]

I've tried to add structure, by signing up for classes, etc., but the local university is not cooperative if you just want to take a class or two.

If you have one availbable to you, I say Comunity College.

My experience is limited, but the few I have been associated with have more "non-traditional" students (people taking or two classes here and there) than "traditional".  YMMV though.

I have thoughts that before long you local university will just about beg for your "class or two."  But that is another topic.

[Guest]

ah, but I want to take engineering classes.

I have a BSME, and I am a little concerned that my fallback position is eroding.  This windfall may not last forever.

The local CC is great, but they don't offer anything beyond sophomore level engineering.

[El Tejon]

Oddly holidays usually generate boocoo bucks for me!  

Depressed about work?  Nah, if I got depressed at work, I'd quit.  Wait, already did that, big insurance defense firm, *shudder* and me.

Found out that I don't fit in well in large groups.  

[client32]

Sorry that won't work out for you Owen.  I understand your situation though.  I guess I didn't think about higher level classes.

[Waitone]

I'm a self-employed peddler starting up from scratch in industrial world.  Every bidness has its own patterns.  In my world I can predict pretty accurately when people will be inclined to answer the phone or when they will be willing to meet.  I can predict vacations and holidays.  So I arrange my daily, weekly, monthly and yearly schedule to accomodate reality.

Thanksgiving week is out for setting meetings unless the customer asks.  December has two weeks in the month.  Little if any customer contact happens the last two weeks.  Every company has a fiscal year which I make a point to learn.  Why?  Money is looser at the first and is likely to be restricted at the 5 month and 10th month.

I spend time researching and minimal prospecting during those times customers don't want to mess with a peddler.  Fine.  I catch up on my planning and prepare for the time customers are willing to talk.  Then when they want to see me I can move fast and professionally.

Yea, at times I get pouty mouthed because I didn't accomplish what I set out for.  Then I get over it and start moving again.

Zig Ziggler has a great quote, so the effect, "Sales is the best gig you can have.  It is the only job where you can decide to give yourself a pay raise.  It becomes effective just as soon as you do."

No truer words spoken.