Who's Owned a Small Business?

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  • Barefootsies
    Choice is an Illusion
    • Feb 2005
    • 42635

    #1

    Who's Owned a Small Business?

    Like a franchise of some kind, or another small business (outside of porn) where you had employees, payroll, and all that jazz??

    I'm looking for some experienced folks who've had this. I know some have said it's enough to make a grown man cry. But I want to hear some more.
    Should You Email Your Members?

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    Enough Said.

    "Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"
  • European Lee
    Confirmed User
    • Dec 2002
    • 7133

    #2
    I hate to break it to you but, 'employees, payroll, and all that jazz' works the same way whether you are in porn or not so far as the IRS is concerned

    Regards,

    Lee
    YOUR TRAFFIC IS SAFE WITH US - CONDOM CASH
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    • Barefootsies
      Choice is an Illusion
      • Feb 2005
      • 42635

      #3
      Originally posted by European Lee
      I hate to break it to you but, 'employees, payroll, and all that jazz' works the same way whether you are in porn or not so far as the IRS is concerned

      Regards,

      Lee
      It depends on how big your porn company is first of all. Also if they contracted (1099) models, or actual hourly employees sire. You're jumping the gun.



      However, as one might pick up from the subjects I am referring to, I am looking at other investment opportunities outside of porn.

      Should You Email Your Members?

      Link1 | Link2 | Link3

      Enough Said.

      "Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

      Comment

      • munki
        Do Fun Shit.
        • Dec 2004
        • 13393

        #4
        I've had a couple... best resource, if you really no idea, is your local SBA.

        I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.” -Oscar Wilde

        Comment

        • Machete_
          WINNING!
          • Oct 2002
          • 14579

          #5
          Last year i sold a IT-service company I had started myself. Build it from the ground and ended up with 3 people fulltime. We were Certified Cisco, MS and Novell partners and it was very profitable. Only problem for me was, I never got to do the things I liked. it was 5-6 hours of management and advertising and almost no hands-on work. I'm a good leader, but I hate it - I hate having to tell people things twice, so when I got a reasonable offer, i sold.

          I was the best thing I have EVER done. Now I only do what I want. I work on my sites if I want, I fix server and networks if I want or I play Warcraft if i Want.

          I reccomend:
          - Outsource all book keeping
          - Get pro advetivcers - it cost more, but its worth it
          - When hiring people, look more at the chemistry than the persons qualifications. Its easier to teach him what he dont know, than it is to make a good guy out of a asshole.
          - If you arent a good boss, dont try to act like one. Let your staff help you, they want to and its what you pay them to do.

          Comment

          • Barefootsies
            Choice is an Illusion
            • Feb 2005
            • 42635

            #6
            Originally posted by munki
            I've had a couple... best resource, if you really no idea, is your local SBA.
            Much appreciated. I've heard that the SBA can help with some of that. My C.P.A. could as well. But he gets pricey.

            I am looking for experiences people have had. I make nice money now, but if something like a franchise is 1000 times the headaches for an extra 100k between employees, customers, and the corporate, that's nothing I need, and will keep looking for other opps.
            Should You Email Your Members?

            Link1 | Link2 | Link3

            Enough Said.

            "Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

            Comment

            • Barefootsies
              Choice is an Illusion
              • Feb 2005
              • 42635

              #7
              Originally posted by ebus_dk
              Last year i sold a IT-service company I had started myself. Build it from the ground and ended up with 3 people fulltime. We were Certified Cisco, MS and Novell partners and it was very profitable. Only problem for me was, I never got to do the things I liked. it was 5-6 hours of management and advertising and almost no hands-on work. I'm a good leader, but I hate it - I hate having to tell people things twice, so when I got a reasonable offer, i sold.

              I was the best thing I have EVER done. Now I only do what I want. I work on my sites if I want, I fix server and networks if I want or I play Warcraft if i Want.

              I reccomend:
              - Outsource all book keeping
              - Get pro advetivcers - it cost more, but its worth it
              - When hiring people, look more at the chemistry than the persons qualifications. Its easier to teach him what he dont know, than it is to make a good guy out of a asshole.
              - If you arent a good boss, dont try to act like one. Let your staff help you, they want to and its what you pay them to do.
              Excellent post and feedback!

              Should You Email Your Members?

              Link1 | Link2 | Link3

              Enough Said.

              "Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

              Comment

              • AsianDivaGirlsWebDude
                Purveyor, Fine Asian Porn
                • Jul 2004
                • 38323

                #8
                Good input Ebus_dk...

                At one point my mainstream business had 5 employees, not counting my wife and I.

                I used ADP for accounting (good fixed price, plus it's a write-off - all I needed to do was call in the gross pay for everyone, and they took it from there, calculating and paying all of the taxes and filing the quarterly reports).

                I used Blue Shield for Medical/Dental.

                I negotiated a very good deal for phone service (since my bills ran in the thousands per month), by having all the major companies bid on it, and then making the company I wanted all along match the best bid.

                Ebus nailed it on the head when it comes to hiring employees. I expected each person to pull in a pretty good chunk of change for the biz, so I treated it as a big decision. Finding self-motivated people that know how to get along with others is golden. The rest you can teach them.

                After 9/11, the Marketing Departments of many Fortune 500 companies (our target clients) pulled in the reigns on outsourcing, and as a result we had to change our business to adapt to a very different environment. We gave nice severence packages to everyone, had a tearful goodbye party, and re-invented our company.

                We now only hire people as sub-contractors for specific projects. Life is much easier and the company always operates in the black, allowing me to focus more time and energy on my adult businesses, although I miss the comaraderie of working with a group of people for several years (I do almost all of the adult biz myself, although I also hire people for specfic projects).

                Outsourcing is back on the rise, however we are continuing with the sub-contrator model since it is much more flexible and entails less overhead.

                If you have any specific questions, I would be happy to try and answer them, either here or offline.

                Good luck,

                ADG Webmaster
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                • phasic
                  Confirmed User
                  • Jul 2005
                  • 2104

                  #9
                  I ran a Blockbuster Franchise for a pretty good while. DMK Entertainment, look it up, we've won awards.
                  Brief revisit. (mic drop)

                  Comment

                  • Barefootsies
                    Choice is an Illusion
                    • Feb 2005
                    • 42635

                    #10
                    Originally posted by AsianDivaGirlsWebDude
                    Good input Ebus_dk...

                    At one point my mainstream business had 5 employees, not counting my wife and I.

                    I used ADP for accounting (good fixed price, plus it's a write-off - all I needed to do was call in the gross pay for everyone, and they took it from there, calculating and paying all of the taxes and filing the quarterly reports).

                    I used Blue Shield for Medical/Dental.

                    I negotiated a very good deal for phone service (since my bills ran in the thousands per month), by having all the major companies bid on it, and then making the company I wanted all along match the best bid.

                    Ebus nailed it on the head when it comes to hiring employees. I expected each person to pull in a pretty good chunk of change for the biz, so I treated it as a big decision. Finding self-motivated people that know how to get along with others is golden. The rest you can teach them.

                    After 9/11, the Marketing Departments of many Fortune 500 companies (our target clients) pulled in the reigns on outsourcing, and as a result we had to change our business to adapt to a very different environment. We gave nice severence packages to everyone, had a tearful goodbye party, and re-invented our company.

                    We now only hire people as sub-contractors for specific projects. Life is much easier and the company always operates in the black, allowing me to focus more time and energy on my adult businesses, although I miss the comaraderie of working with a group of people for several years (I do almost all of the adult biz myself, although I also hire people for specfic projects).

                    Outsourcing is back on the rise, however we are continuing with the sub-contrator model since it is much more flexible and entails less overhead.

                    If you have any specific questions, I would be happy to try and answer them, either here or offline.

                    Good luck,

                    ADG Webmaster
                    Another nice one.

                    I see a lot of it works the same as sorting through dozens of models a week. In the end it comes down to work ethic, and their teamwork, can-do mentality.

                    I've heard plenty of nightmares about once you start hiring employees, that is when you start weeping, pulling out what's left of your hair, and contimplating suicide. Not because of the business, but because of your employees.
                    Should You Email Your Members?

                    Link1 | Link2 | Link3

                    Enough Said.

                    "Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

                    Comment

                    • squishypimp
                      PostMaster General
                      • Aug 2006
                      • 10781

                      #11
                      never had one, but have always wanted to start one

                      Comment

                      • tombarr
                        Confirmed User
                        • Jul 2003
                        • 320

                        #12
                        Excellent recommendations...and all of them very true.


                        Originally posted by ebus_dk

                        I reccomend:
                        - Outsource all book keeping
                        - Get pro advetivcers - it cost more, but its worth it
                        - When hiring people, look more at the chemistry than the persons qualifications. Its easier to teach him what he dont know, than it is to make a good guy out of a asshole.
                        - If you arent a good boss, dont try to act like one. Let your staff help you, they want to and its what you pay them to do.

                        Gay Paycheck
                        Clickx Network Hard Link Trades, Blog Roll Trades - 110 Straight and 40 Gay Niches

                        Comment

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