How many people own their own business? And what is it?

[Niall]

Small business importing industrial radio remote control equipment..........which provides enough space and a little time for TD building.

[t-vicky]

Worked for almost 30 yrs. for a large aircraft co. Hated every minite of it. Would get mad & tell the wife Im going to quit & she would say, but they have good insurence. But I got a good retirement & am now able to work on Hot Rods & custom cars whenever I want. I set my own hours. Sometimes I go out to the shop & set down in my chair & look at things for about 30 minites & say well thats enough for today. I dont make a living at it, but enough to take our little trips. Mainly I have a ball doing it.
Wife just started a quilting busness & I like helping her make quilts.
Before the aircraft junk I had my own framing co. (dont bid custom houses) & before that I had a delivery co.

[bledsoe3]

I started two new LLC's last year. One for flipping houses, we did two last year. The other is actual building of houses. We should break ground on our first house in a couple of months.

Sadly, I still work 40 hours a week at my regular job.

Two months later and I'm still waiting for the city to sign off so we can proceed. Another reason to stay at my regular job.

[SaGR]

I have a full time job at an IT Consulting and Internet Service Provider near home. Work for a childhood friend.

Since everyone's talking health insurance, I have full coverage through work. Nothing more than $50 out of pocket (max out of pocket is $2500/year). Had some heart problems earlier this year (arrhythmia) that hit $30k in 3 weeks of tests, exams and doctors. My out of pocket was $960.

As a side income I've partnered in a meat goat operation. We've stopped production this year just to give us time to look at our operation and see how some cross breeds will hold up. Last year we delivered just under 15,000 lbs to slaughter. Barely broke even, I think I took out around $30.

For fun I run an internet radio station.

[TRAIL-OF-TEARS]

As a side income I've partnered in a meat goat operation. We've stopped production this year just to give us time to look at our operation and see how some cross breeds will hold up. Last year we delivered just under 15,000 lbs to slaughter. Barely broke even, I think I took out around $30.

For fun I run an internet radio station.

We have been in the Goat business for 13 years. Right now we have about 1000 head(on 106 acres of Texas Hill country) mostly Boer Goats, for kids to show. We have made more money selling Pyrs and Donkies than goats.

[SaGR]

Heh, we did Boers and Boer/Kiko mix. Nice for meat but the market just isn't/wasn't paying last year. We made more selling stock to others...

In talking to others, the Donkey and Llama route is very productive money wise. They added 3 Llama's this spring, the dogs kept wondering off...

With 1000 head, is the graze actually that heavy around you or are you doing a lot of supplemental feeding?

[TRAIL-OF-TEARS]

We have so many because every doe becomes a pet. Our mixes are Boer and Spanish. We have a few Lamancha (they look like shrek), Toggenburg, and Nubians, and a dozen or so pigmys. We have 6 Llammas, 7 donkies, and 12 dogs. The best way to keep those dogs from wandering is an electric fence. Since we got the dogs we have not lost a goat to a preditor in 11 years.

[SaGR]

So far the Llamas seem to be doing a good job. No losses and they're friendly tot he goats.

[khutson]

Self employed now for 14 years, I started my business bout' the time my first child was born. Needed a job at the time plus needed the freedom to take care of the kids. It has worked out well. My kids grew up in my store with me and not in daycare. It was fun, they are older now and don't come to the store much but they do talk about it a lot. I'm a artist by trade and making a living as a artist is not so easy at times.

I tend to cater to the cheap side of art but there is a lot of money to be made there and I do get to venture into bigger better things from time to time. I love doing it (most of the time) and not so sure I could go back to work for someone else at this time.

Some self employed folks do work many hours however, for the last ten years I go home at 5 and I don't work weekends. Yeah I could make more money If I didn't but it's not really worth it. I want to be home with my wife and my kids and if I can't get done what needs to be done in 8 or nine hours a day then it just doesn't get done. It took me a while to learn that and may not be the best business practice but it's the best family practice!

Ken