Plan B's?

[OwlHoot]

If anyone's Plan B involves online selling, I'd be prepared for a new online sales tax or maybe a home delivery tax.

It's a no-brainer, to preserve high street shops and thus employment. You'll hear the Government start waffling on about level playing fields and the unfair advantage of Internet marketing which has fewer overheads than shops.

Of course that's unless online marketing, with its warehousing and delivery requirements, maintains employment levels comparable to high street shops. Although not sure, I rather doubt it.

[Liability]

My plan B is writing and editing books. Up to now it has been related to all the technical and business related guff I have between my ears, but I've recently found that writing novels is surprisingly fun (and potentially rewarding).

I can see Plan B becoming Plan A in the next couple of years. I still have a lot to learn re Plan B - but it's fun learning it.

You know - you reminded me of a previous Messaging guy I worked with. He left contracting in 2006 I think - and bought a Regional Franchise for a Courier business [..come to think of it I dont know why you reminded me of him! lol]....done really really well! Met him over the Xmas break - wished hed done it sooner! Paid off all his debt, has 3 decent sized properties all paid off, and runs 4 vans. Interesting how people get out of IT and make it in other areas....funny old game.

Although he is prepared for the down turn in his business but so far he hasnt been hit as much as the larger DHL's etc.

[dinker]

Become a bailiff.

[Liability]

Become a bailiff.

hmm thing is all the thugs are now doing this - and the market is getting full.....unless you set your own company up.

[OwlHoot]

What is SKA?

"Super Killer Application" (AKA Majestic I think, like the wine merchants). A peer-to-peer search indexing system that has been gestating (for want of a better word) two or three times longer than an elephant.

I think AtW is hoping it'll be snapped up by one of the biggies like Google or Microsoft, and I suppose that's a possibility. But if so, why haven't they snaffled it already?

Out of interest Alexie, do you know anyone else working on a distributed index model like this?

[AtW]

do you know anyone else working on a distributed index model like this?

Those that tried went bust.

HTH

[Cyberman]

You know - you reminded me of a previous Messaging guy I worked with. He left contracting in 2006 I think - and bought a Regional Franchise for a Courier business [..come to think of it I dont know why you reminded me of him! lol]....done really really well! Met him over the Xmas break - wished hed done it sooner! Paid off all his debt, has 3 decent sized properties all paid off, and runs 4 vans. Interesting how people get out of IT and make it in other areas....funny old game.

Although he is prepared for the down turn in his business but so far he hasnt been hit as much as the larger DHL's etc.

The acid test of this business will be over the next year or so. Your friend has been through a boom time the same as everybody else, but now we will see the 'men weeded out from the boys'. The courier business will get untra-competitive as businesses will inevitably try to save money by cutting costs during the downturn, and many of his customers may sadly even cease to exist.

An old schoolmate of mine has been in that business for decades and he has never become wealthy from it, and also he has never been through such a downturn that we are now seeing, which may explain why he is still in business.

[Cyberman]

Buy-to-let.

Except AtW, he's got SKA, but that might be his Plan A.

Yep!! Buy-to-let shows more and more potential as smaller property prices and interest rates fall dramatically, while rents remain relatively high.

[rob_m]

Where I live (Carshalton), rents have gone down in the last few months. I believe a typical 2 bed apartment that used to rent for around £8-850 pcm is now at around 750 - 775 pcm.

Mind you, with the right mortgage (tracker, interest only), this is actually a better margin that it was in peak times, but things are trending downwards, and so its dangerous ground to be on. Also, with tenants being hit as well, if your tenant loses his job, you might find the margins to be non existent.

Factor in what estate agents charge for rent protection, and the fees reduce the margins as well.

Not saying its not possible, but its just something that really needs a lot of planning (and balls of steel).