I started my business (Beenbags) as I felt there was a niche in the market for childrens jute bags, it had low start-up costs, meant I could be creative and use my brain as well as being a Mummy, and was something I could fit around these precious early years of being there for my little boy!

I started my business as flexible working wasn’t a goa and when my first child was born my Peruvian husband’s relatives gave him lots of gorgeous presents from brightly coloured chullo hats, ponchos and baby grows that I thought I had to share this discovery with my fellow countrymen! Not mass produced on the highstreet fare is my motto! We have now diversified from mainly doing kidswear to mainly ladieswear with the exception of the best selling pom pom poncho for kids. I love running the business, chatting with journos, designing new products and selling – now with 2 kids juggling a great home life with a growing business is challenging and very rewarding. My mum ran Janet Coles Beads, a mailorder business buying beads from all over the world so I cut my teeth with her business and got the strong work ethic in ‘her breast milk’ HER quote, not mine!!

I set up The Thrifty Stitcher in Oct last year, with the aim of de-mystifying the art of sewing. I have been a theatrical Costumier for 20 years, and having hit 40, I wanted more from my life. I’ve Travelled the world as a Wardrobe Mistress fixing clothes in the dark of a backstage area. Working in theatre you are always subject to other peoples control, you can be flavour of the month and work all the time, then suddenly you are yesterday’s news. I wanted to have something else that was mine, and that I could drive however I wanted. I realised that in this climate of recession we are looking to the values of bygone ages, and re-valuing old skills like sewing. I convinced my best friend and fellow theatrical that running sewing classes was a brilliant idea. We didn’t really follow a business model, as we still don’t know what that is! We offered a couple of classes to start , and have since had to double our schedule of beginners classes due to demand!
My hobby is once again my passion,and I want to let people know that they don’t have to spend lots of money at the dry cleaners getting alterations done, they can take charge and do it themselves, it really is that easy!

Wow, where to start? Best place I think are these handful of 1-liners that got me wondering back when I was spending my days tucked away in a cubicle doing financial analysis for a fortune 500 company: “Hate something, change something.” – “Life’s too short to work 9-5.” – “You only get one stab at life, make it count.” – “Don’t dream it, do it!” Actually, this last phrase became one of my tag-lines I still use in my new business. Back in 2004, I hated something, so I changed something. It took me the better part of a year to figure out my true passion which also coincided with what I’ve always been good at which was sports and visual arts. It now seems so obvious, but when you’ve spent forever and a day to suppressed your passions over the lure of corporate money and a fast track career, then things get blurry. With the help of family and a few good friends, I finally made the plunge in 2005, handed in my resignation to a well paying job and never looked back. ‘Cyclefilm’ was born. My very own niche production company specializing in road cycling and producing ride/guide DVDs, documentaries, ads and commercials for fans of cycling around the world. Don’t dream it, do it!

Well I didn’t hate what I was doing before I started my business – in fact I really loved it! I started to get very disillusioned though because the people around me did not seem to really enjoy what they were doing. It began to really frustrate me that those around me – including my bosses (!) were not enthusiastic or passionate about the work. But the real driver to self-employment came when my son started school. I felt like I had missed so much of him whilst at work and for what!? An opportunity came up and I jumped at it. My reason for starting the business was a very practical one, though the big reason for staying self-employed has to be that if those around me aren’t as excited and passionate as I am then I don’t have to work with them – it’s totally my call. I get to do the things that I think are important, helping others and having a laugh along the way.

I’ve started a part time business as an engraved jewelery designer ,I gained many things from my principal job,because I obey integration withing self-improvement,to save energy and gather all elements of power inside of me

I had to give up my full time job as the BDM of a local graphic design agency to look after my kids 3 years ago (I don’t do childcare). My husband was returning to work after being off ill for a year. I had enjoyed my job and thought I could get the best of both worlds – being there for my children while having the satisfaction of working….from home and maybe make a few quid! I project managed graphic design projects and managed events for a couple of years part time when I came up with the idea for http://www.whatsonni.com in Feb 09 which I have been working hard on since (full time). It’s all going in the right direction and the dream has always been for my husband and I to run a business together – long live the dream!

It’s my five-year anniversary of self-employment as a digital media artist, a time period during which I’ve worked the hardest I ever have in my professional life, yet don’t feel that I’ve worked a day. I excitedly stay in on weekend nights to tinker with a project. I never look at the clock and wonder when quitting time is. Sundays no longer bring with them the impending doom of Mondays. Boredom, bureaucracy, and time-waster are now terms absent from my vocabulary.

After departing the nine to five world in 2004, I knew two things⎯I wanted to be my own boss and I wanted to experience professional passion. I made a list of things I love to do and things I wish I could get paid to do, not taking into account feasibility or silliness. Some of the entries included:
• Create collages, music mixes, and scrapbooks
• Plan events and retreats
• Watch documentaries
• Talk about Chicago and show it off to the world
• Host others in my home
• Challenge myself
• Karaoke
• Laugh
• Investigate social issues in impoverished communities such as public housing and education
• Network
• Wear flip-flops and jeans
• Work with inner-city youth

I have to admit it feels pretty good to revisit the list five-years later, as I’ve been able to incorporate almost all of the items into my career, even the ones that don’t seemingly have a direct link to digital media. For example, working from home allows me to wear flip-flops and jeans, and being my own boss allows me go to mid-week, late-night karaoke since I don’t have to be “in the office” at the crack of dawn!

There are pros and cons to being a self-employed artist. I miss the security of a paycheck every two-weeks. I miss being able to attend workshops and higher-education courses on the company’s dime. I miss going out to dinner or taking a vacation and enjoying the steak or sun at 100%, with no guilt clouds rolling by. I miss bonuses, someone else researching health insurance plans, the company holiday party, 401K matching funds, and laughing around the water cooler.

Yet I’d trade all of that for being able to go to Trader Joe’s, yoga, and the post-office on a leisurely Tuesday morning. I wake up to the sun, not to an alarm clock. I have time to cook healthy meals. I don’t stress about the number of vacation days I have left, nor do I feel pressure to make my vacations amazing. I commute from my bedroom to my office. If I don’t feel like working, I don’t. Panty-hose, heels and dry-cleaning are things I see in the movies. I’m not asked to do things that don’t make sense and I can make a decision without “going through appropriate channels.” I say no to projects from clients who drive me nuts. I interact with the sun and fresh air. There is no mundane, there is no dread. Sure there are things I’d change, but overall, being self-employed kicks major butt.

I found myself looking for work right when the economy took a nose dive, and started crafting more and more to pass the time and keep me occupied. Then it occured to me that I might be able to make some money doing something that I love. I looked into it and with a little help, Crafty Jemima was born. I love the flexibility of running my own business, of not having strict working hours and not having to wear a uniform (I’ve worn a fair few hideous uniforms before too!). The best part is being alowed to unleash my creative side day in day out and watching an idea materialize into something solid and real. I guess I’m one of the lucky ones who managed to gain something positive from the recession.

My family started Cheung’s Trading Company over 25 years and became the first Chinese herbal health food store in Windsor, Ontario… that’s right across the river from Detroit for those of you who don’t know where it is. Today we are the largest store of its kind in southwestern Ontario with over 1,500 items in stock as well as offering acupuncture and fire cupping.

The reason why we started the business in the first place was because we felt a need to spread the knowledge about traditional Chinese medicine as well as educate non-Asians on its health benefits. There are a lot of misconception about Chinese medicine and we are proud to be able to dispel many of them over the past quarter of a century as well as making people realize that there are natural alternatives to pharmaceutical medicines.

Another thing we have also done is help promote the idea of adding Chinese herbs such as goji berries and ginseng to every day cooking. This has made many of our customers big fan of ‘Asian fusion’ cooking.

Moving forward we are working with local farmers to combine their produce with Chinese herbs to promote not only a sustainable model of food growth but help to expand people’s idea of culinary creativity.