So I lost my job....

[Bigdduble2]

Hey guys, so last week I lost my job which is 90% of my income & leaves my fiance & 2 kids in a terrible situation! But for some reason I'm glad :/ I feel free! I have about 4 months of savings & a hell of a lot of time.

I think I needed this to push me to becoming my own boss & working on making myself happy, as opposed to being in a dead end job , miserable & feeling trapped!

Tomorrow I will be buying a van & setting up a mobile car valeting business. It won't be bringing in as much as the job I've just lost, but it's a start to my journey of being free! This along with a couple of other ideas I have could mean me losing my job was a blessing in disguise

I have an app idea what I will be soon enough starting up ( hoping for some advice on here) but the free time I have is making my vision more clear of where/ what I need to do.

Thanks for reading guys & wish me luck

 

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[Skroob]

Good luck! I remember getting laid off in 2009. It gave me the push to launch my first successful company and go full time into iOS development, which is what I've been doing ever since. I still have some of the t-shirts from that first company; in fact I happen to be wearing one today!

Push hard and don't give up!

 

[RicardoGrande]

To be clear, you say mobile car valeting, so parking others cars for them, or did you mean mobile detailing?

For the app: plenty of no code solutions up that you could try, if you can find one you like and make it work you can make some good progress. Best of luck to you and your family!

 

[Bigdduble2]

To be clear, you say mobile car valeting, so parking others cars for them, or did you mean mobile detailing?



For the app: plenty of no code solutions up that you could try, if you can find one you like and make it work you can make some good progress. Best of luck to you and your family!

Yea sorry, I meant detailing. Where can I find no code solutions my friend ? Thanks for the msg too

 

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[Bigdduble2]

Good luck! I remember getting laid off in 2009. It gave me the push to launch my first successful company and go full time into iOS development, which is what I've been doing ever since. I still have some of the t-shirts from that first company; in fact I happen to be wearing one today!














































That's awesome dude! Thanks for the msg. I do believe everything happens for a reason, & I am going to give it my 100% to never have to work for anyone else again.

So with you being a ios developer maybe you could help me with my idea?

Push hard and don't give up!

 

[Skroob]

For the app: plenty of no code solutions up that you could try, if you can find one you like and make it work you can make some good progress.

I'm going to rail on no-code solutions a bit here. If you're building a prototype, or something veeeery limited in scope, they are usually fine. If you plan to go any further than trivial, you are going to wish you started with native languages and frameworks. Swift on iOS, kotlin on Android.

 

[Skroob]

So with you being a ios developer maybe you could help me with my idea?

So I’m happy to offer guidance or advice, but I can’t really do any coding for you. I’ve got enough of my own to write!

 

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[RicardoGrande]

Ah, once you get a client base you should do well. I'm in a fairly large city and there's an incredible amount of mobile detailers but they all have a strong client base and workload based on what I'm hearing when I talk to them. You got this!

 

[lon1776]

I'm new. Are we all supposed to be supportive? I hope this doesn't sound gloomy, but can I encourage you to wait on a big investment (van) until you are making _some_ money through something? Maybe you meant a $1000 POS that you'll run into the ground just to get work for now (don't know), but if you've only got 4 months expenses left with what you currently have in cash, I'm leery of the idea of buying a capital expense. The family is on board with this? Or do they think they have little choice but to cross their fingers and hope?

Would you be able to convince someone else of the value of this idea? I mean, if you needed $5k or more from someone else to make this happen, do you think others would jump on it. I'm fresh off the read of FLM and it just seems to me that this concept is kind of an example the book details as something that is just another J-O-B, and probably not a very high-paying one, with long tedious hours, and no guarantee of a stream of clients that will get you even halfway to the lifestyle you're accustomed to.

I've never heard of that kind of business, so don't read my comments too harshly... maybe there's big money in this space. But in talking to many people the past 4-5 years, it appears to me that people are spending less on optional expenses overall. They, like you, are also being laid off.

I'm happy you're going to use this as a push to change directions, but those terms "be your own boss", "avoid dead end job", and "be happy" are a bit vague and Instagrammy. A smaller investment might be pressure washing or lawn mowing or snow blowing, but even so, what's the differentiating factor. It's a limited market (like all markets) so how will you pull customers away from who they currently use? Can't be price. And there's very few (maybe none with the economy) new-to-the-business customers to be acquired.

Not sure what your prior business was that you considered dead-end. I mean, obviously it was after your job loss, but I assume you had skills/knowledge in that area and could capitalize on that perhaps a bit more easily? I mean, if it was a desk job and you're wanting to be in the field, I totally get it. Probably better for your mental health. But maybe you could find a way to do both? Anyway, I'm curious as to what you'll do.... just thought I'd encourage you to keep the cash in the bank for now. At least give it a week and be sure to discuss/pray/consult with family for total alignment.

Full disclosure: I started a business once the day after I got laid off. Mostly with an irritated attitude. And in a different field than my job. Did "okay", but had almost zero startup costs (I already had the skills/equip which was computer-based). Closed it down four years later and learned a ton. But in future attempts, I've planned out things more carefully. I wasted pretty much the first year of that business making nearly no money and working 80 hour weeks and stressing out as we slowly fell into all-but bankruptcy. But at least I wasn't negative $10k from day one.

 

[Xavier X]

@Bigdduble2 You could also consider something along these lines with your van. Ideally, you'd want to operate it under a business label, as opposed to just hustling it out as a no-name operation.

EXECUTION - Relatively Profitable Business You Can Start This Week

This post is based on a YouTube video I just stumbled upon, on a channel called Box Lyfe. I have no affiliation with the YouTuber, and know nothing about him. However, the video is very straight to the point and not spammy. I think it contains practical information that can be implemented...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

 

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[constant]

I'm going to rail on no-code solutions a bit here. If you're building a prototype, or something veeeery limited in scope, they are usually fine. If you plan to go any further than trivial, you are going to wish you started with native languages and frameworks. Swift on iOS, kotlin on Android.

What’s your opinion on React Native?

 

[Bigdduble2]

I'm new. Are we all supposed to be supportive? I hope this doesn't sound gloomy, but can I encourage you to wait on a big investment (van) until you are making _some_ money through something? Maybe you meant a $1000 POS that you'll run into the ground just to get work for now (don't know), but if you've only got 4 months expenses left with what you currently have in cash, I'm leery of the idea of buying a capital expense. The family is on board with this? Or do they think they have little choice but to cross their fingers and hope?

Would you be able to convince someone else of the value of this idea? I mean, if you needed $5k or more from someone else to make this happen, do you think others would jump on it. I'm fresh off the read of FLM and it just seems to me that this concept is kind of an example the book details as something that is just another J-O-B, and probably not a very high-paying one, with long tedious hours, and no guarantee of a stream of clients that will get you even halfway to the lifestyle you're accustomed to.

I've never heard of that kind of business, so don't read my comments too harshly... maybe there's big money in this space. But in talking to many people the past 4-5 years, it appears to me that people are spending less on optional expenses overall. They, like you, are also being laid off.

I'm happy you're going to use this as a push to change directions, but those terms "be your own boss", "avoid dead end job", and "be happy" are a bit vague and Instagrammy. A smaller investment might be pressure washing or lawn mowing or snow blowing, but even so, what's the differentiating factor. It's a limited market (like all markets) so how will you pull customers away from who they currently use? Can't be price. And there's very few (maybe none with the economy) new-to-the-business customers to be acquired.

Not sure what your prior business was that you considered dead-end. I mean, obviously it was after your job loss, but I assume you had skills/knowledge in that area and could capitalize on that perhaps a bit more easily? I mean, if it was a desk job and you're wanting to be in the field, I totally get it. Probably better for your mental health. But maybe you could find a way to do both? Anyway, I'm curious as to what you'll do.... just thought I'd encourage you to keep the cash in the bank for now. At least give it a week and be sure to discuss/pray/consult with family for total alignment.

Full disclosure: I started a business once the day after I got laid off. Mostly with an irritated attitude. And in a different field than my job. Did "okay", but had almost zero startup costs (I already had the skills/equip which was computer-based). Closed it down four years later and learned a ton. But in future attempts, I've planned out things more carefully. I wasted pretty much the first year of that business making nearly no money and working 80 hour weeks and stressing out as we slowly fell into all-but bankruptcy. But at least I wasn't negative $10k from day one.

Hey , thanks for the reply! I appreciate the kick back down to earth maybe people are being too supportive in my situation.
I already have the equipment to start up the detailing business & quite a bit of knowledge on the work involved too. The nxt step is finding clientele which I'm hoping isn't too difficult, as where I'm from I don't see many people doing this work & a lot of dirty cars. My neighbourhood alone have gave me their word they will use me once set up so I'm hoping to get more customers from their recommendations. I have found a van for £1000 which I am buying off a friend and is a good work horse so hoping it holds its own.

I understand it isn't fastlane & what difference is this from my previous job? I personally would rather do this & potentially earn a bit less, but have more time freed up to divert my energy to other ideas I have.

For example a normal detail will cost £30-£40 & usually takes 1hr- 1hr.30m if I do 3 - 4 a day that is enough to pay my bills and give me so much free time which I believe is necessary in my situation ( having 2 kids and a fiancé zapped any free time I had after finishing a 8 - 6 job) I also play poker semi-pro which has allowed me to build a decent 5 figure bankroll & if needs be I could withdraw ( don't ever want to do this as I love the game and don't treat my poker bankroll as spending for living expenses)

In conclusion , I think you're right in saying this whole plan is a hope and pray but I'm fortunate enough to have a supportive partner who also has income & I just feel its worth taking a risk instead of getting comfy in another job I will end up hating

 

[Skroob]

What’s your opinion on React Native?

Same problems. You can build more complex apps than nocode solutions, but you’ll eventually run into the same issues.

 

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