Hi folks:

A recent string of messages (regarding missing deposit in First Union account) got me thinking: how many of you are self-employed and/or business owners (guess they're both the same)? This could be a very interesting study.

(I'm a self-employed publishing consultant, and my husband owns his own cooking service--FYI.)

Elena

-- Elena Mauceri (elena-mauceri@worldnet.att.net), January 27, 1999

Answers

Self-employed freelance writer and resume consultant - usually just a "lurker" on these boards.

Jo

-- Jo (jo@somewhere.com), January 27, 1999.

Hi Elena,

I'm a self-employed graphic designer/art director working in the Los Angeles area. I was aware of Y2k but, being a Mac user, I was under the impression I had nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, many of my clients including my largest are technology driven.

My largest client is an association that actually represents many of the largest computer and technology giants of the world... and the president of this association says y2k is no big deal. When they fail, and they will, I lose a large part of my income. Needless to say, I'm pushing hard for new business.

If things go very, very bad I'm looking forward to beginning a new career as a handyman... maybe a folksinger... maybe a historian... we shall see : )

I send my best wishes to all of you who have taken that leap of faith with the hope of "doing it right", avoiding the mistakes of your past employers and making a better life for your families.

Mike ==========================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), January 27, 1999.

This question hits close to home. We have had a small family business for years. We manufacture a handcrafted product, have several employees... We are asking ourselves a lot of questions! Our main supplier of clay, and raw materials is blowing this off as not a problem. There aren't lots of suppliers out there for our particular needs. We hesitate to stock up deeply on supplies... We don't know if there will be a market for our products. (we have "collectors" who love our products) Will we have a business in 2000? What about our employees! We keep supplying them with y2k info... they are beginning to pay some attention, but no one is doing anything about it. We sure would be interested in other small business owners' experiences and concerns Suzanne

-- Suzanne L (familybusiness@webtv.not), January 27, 1999.

Elena, Owner of a commercial cleaning service. I'm concerned because we clean factories, and a few of them are Japanese owned. They all send e-mail and make phone calls to banks and other investors in Japan. Also they are all involved in making parts for the auto industry. I'm already in the process of starting a new business. (:-

-- Alive in 2001 (Outthere@somewhere.com), January 27, 1999.

Own & publish a weekly classified advertiser. IF our computers make it, I expect to lose the business if the local mom-n-pop shops close down (they're our main source of advertising revenue).

-- J (publisher@ads.net), January 27, 1999.

I am self-employed. My service runs from $2500.00 to $10,000.00. I have around 150 customers per year. Usually by this date I have a small backlog of around 10 customers. At the present time my backlog is zero for the coming season. I am sure this is related to customer perception of the near future. I feel any of us that sell a big ticket service will know by May 1, 1999 what is in store for the economy as a whole.

Mike

-- flierdude (mkessler0101@sprynet.com), January 27, 1999.

I have a tax and estate planning business in a small town about 100 miles from a large city. 21 years here. My business has been good because I listen and do not socialize. I have been asking what my clients think about Y2K and every one of them think the government will take care of it, no big deal. I don't know what I will be doing next year but looking forward to the change. Attitude and preparation makes me an optimist. Expecting an 8 or 9.

-- JayCee (Down@south.com), January 27, 1999.

self employed s/w consultant.

-- a (a@a.a), January 27, 1999.

self employed automobile painter here. Have been at it for over a year, doing great at 40k this first year alone. 1999 is looking to be another knockout year in the downtown area I live in. I wonder how 2000 is going to look. Actually, I don't care a fig leaf either way. As a wise Irishman once said to me concering my life... " Your a long time dead laddy "

-- (anon@abc.com), January 27, 1999.

Self employed computer programmer/consultant thinking of becoming a cop.

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), January 27, 1999.

Me too, when you are self employed you only have to work a half a day.

12hrs

-- Uncle Deedah (oncebitten@twiceshy.com), January 27, 1999.

Wow...good response on this one! I'm almost afraid to respond but yes, I am a partner in a small business. We are in the gas distribution business and have a contract with the power company in our state; go ahead and gulp...I do it several times each day. We install gas mains and service lines, perform maintenance on existing lines and do a little bit of work in the electrical end as well.

Are we nervous? YES!!! Preparing? YES!!! How? Good question... My assistant and I have put together a preparedness library for all of our employees with books on subjects that range from "What is Y2K" to gardening, building root cellars and smoke houses and good hiding places. And anything else we can come up with tht might be good to know when TSHTF. We've made arrangements for payroll deductions on group orders on food, lamps, generators etc.

I'd say that probably half of the families we are responsible for are taking this thing seriously...we're trying to keep it in front of everybody, I usually stuff something I've pulled off the internet in their checks at least once a month and everybody knows that they can join our informal discussion groups anytime they want. It seems like there isn't a day that goes by without the subject comming up.

We are compliant, even have certificates that say so but as the disclaimers go...we don't know about our suppliers. We depend on too many of the biggies like ma bell and the post office to keep us going so we're making preparations for the worst like the rest of you and hoping that when the big day arrives that the grocery stores won't see us for a while.

-- Mother Hen (gathering@herchicks.com), January 27, 1999.

Self-employed computer systems consultant for 20+ years.

-- Dean T. Miller (dtmiller@nevia.com), January 28, 1999.

My husband and I own a very small air filter mfg. company. Our employees know about y2k and we are working to make sure that they understand that they need to prepare. No electricy-no air conditioning.

-- Flagirl (Filterlady@aol.com), January 28, 1999.

Hi again folks:

I started this string, and am very impressed with the responses. Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond.

I think it's quite interesting to see how many of us ARE self- employed. There must be a connection: as self-employeds, we've already taken responsibility for our own lives (and those of our families), AND we're now taking responsibility for our futures. We're being proactive (instead of the typical REACTIVE) in preparing and educating ourselves about the potentialities of y2k. It's interesting, too, that all of the DGIs I know are employed by someone else. (No offense to any of you out there who are employed, just making an observation.)

Congratulations on what you've done, and what you're doing. I know it's not easy, but personally, I'd rather be in control of my own destiny than leaving it up to anyone else. I guess that's something we share with our employed comrades in this discussion group.

Elena

-- Elena Mauceri (elena-mauceri@worldnet.att.net), January 28, 1999.