does anyone run their own business? (UK)

[Sarah lo]

How do you get started? I'm so sick of working for hardly any money and not having enough qualifications to get a better job.

I'd like to open a shop one day. But how would I go about it?

 

[HazzaB]

I don't own my own business but my mum does. How she started was rare and she had a lot of luck! But a friend of mine is a jewellery maker and how she started was selling stuff to friends, selling at markets, fetes etc. build a name up and then start to look for places to rent. Thats pretty basic, but if you are talking about you selling little things then i reckon that would be the best way. social networking sites are great for it as well. Good luck!

 

[cybermum]

I run my own business through a company that launched here last April.
I market a lot online and Facebook work and its now producing a part time wage for me monthly which is increasing so I am more than happy I went for it.
I have to add though that one reason I went for this is the fact its new here in that the high street isn't flooded with it

So happy after a few years of debating going back out to a job I hated because we needed too ,now I am home with my children and now we are planning number 4

 

[Sarah lo]

Thanks girls. It's a wedding shop I'd like to open, like selling all the bits and pieces you normally have to shop around on line for, like table decorations, chair sashes, favour filings etc.. at the moment I make handmade wedding invites and stationary for my friends so I'm thinking I'll start with that, maybe take my stuff to the wedding fairs and set myself up with a website then hopefully branch out from there

To do this will I need to register myself as a business?

Also how do I go about finding cost price materials? At the moment I only charge my friends as much as it costs me to make them (and of course, sometimes I do it for free as a wedding present )because I can't find the materials cheap enough to be able to make a profit from it without charging extortionate prices lol

Any advice would be great