And so...it begins.

I have recently found myself in the position of having to start my own business, as some of you may be aware. This did not come at a time of my choosing, nor was it in the least bit convenient for me, since there are many things I would rather be doing with my time than anything even remotely like paperwork, especially since I have been in a somewhat delicate mental state for the last two or three years.

Nonetheless, I can cut keys, fix locks, get people into their locked up houses, and I am still capable of all the engineering tricks that I have gained over the years to earn my crust with. Assuming work comes in, the important stuff can still be covered. However, I have been very concerned about my ability to do the banking thing and operate accounts and all that sort of malarkey, because it does not come natural to me, quite the opposite. I am affronted by every piece of paper, every single little receipt, chit, delivery note, statement, and all other sundry paperwork and form filling that I ever have to do. None of it makes any blasted sense, and there will always be something better to do, like earning more money, or getting hit repeatedly in the face with a police issue flick baton.

One of the things I have been most concerned about, in terms of management, is all the nonsense you have to remember, like account codes, customer numbers, and all that other stuff that would be irrelevant in a sane world. One of the things I am worst at, is remembering series of numbers, unless I use those numbers more than fifty times a day, every day, because numbers particularly may as well be neutrinos for all that I can grab at them and pin them down worth a crap.

And so today I forgot the pin for my business banking card. I will not go into any detail as to the nature of the trouble that has caused for me, since that is by the by. What terrifies me is that no matter what those four digits allow me access to, my brain will not keep hold of them, because quite rightly, it sees numerical data which is not a measurement for a job, or an amount of money I am owed or owe, as totally irrelevant data. Because things have been slow, and because I have been doing my paying of bills by way of the Internet, I have not had to use my bank card for some months, and the number is simply gone from my brain.

What really annoys me, is that I did not write the damned number down, because we are told explicitly that we are prohibited from doing so, because leprechauns will steal our kneecaps and magica unicorns will poke out our eyes if we do!

GAAAAAAAAAAH!

No matter how good I get at my job, I am going to be dealing with this block where pointless drivel is concerned for the rest of my life, and I am not looking forward to it.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Ever see the film Memento?

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

.doog yrev tnsaw ti tub,seY

A bit pretentious if you ask me. Directors, writers and producers alike forgot what order the beginning middle and end are supposed to come in.

a reply to: TrueBrit

But he had a rather innovative solution to the challenge of forgetfulness you are both attempting to overcome.

Plus I think all the tats would play into your bad boy rocker image.

a reply to: TrueBrit

A simple solution to remember your pin is to have a fictitious number on your phone and have it at the last 4 digits.

Not much help after the event I know but handy when the brain freeze hits.

I had to use someone else's card the other day and all the way to the shop I was repeating the same 4 digits over and over again through fear of forgetting it. When The lady asked me if i wanted anything else I told her the pin number as it was embedded into my brain...

I am also going legit at the moment after many years ducking ad diving and I agree that there is a lot of stuff to deal with on top of actually doing the stuff that is supposed to be earning you money.

a reply to: TrueBritTry not to worry so much. Just a couple of words of advice, you do know you can pick your own pin number, think of a number you'll not forget like your birthday or summat. As for the paperwork that's easy-peasy, marry a woman who can do book-keeping. Job done ,keep it in the family and you can also claim a wage for her against the business. Now you know why all these MPs employ their relatives.

a reply to: TrueBrit

I can have brain farts when it comes to numbers that i have not used in a while . So i put them under a phone number in my mobile something only you would understand if you lose the phone .

EG / Brian B tel 021 xxxx xxxx the last 4 being your pin

I used to do this with girls phone numbers years ago when i was young and a player . I struggled as well years ago with the paperwork when self employed .

One envelope per month / everything goes in it & advertise for a bookeeper it will not cost as much as you think for the year , 1 or 2 locks will pay for it .

Best of luck bud

a reply to: TrueBrit

All I can say is best of luck to you.........I ran my own small business for a while and it nearly drove me bonkers.

One thing that simplified my life considerably was Quicken; you might want to look into that.
I don't know about the UK, but in the US, the regulations and tax people make owning a small business near impossible. Frankly, it might be more profitable to simply go on the dole and play in a band at the local pub in the evenings for tips and such. I have an engineering friend from the UK and after he couldn't stand owning his own business anymore, he secured contracts as a consultant and has made out quite well.

Anyway, hope it works out for you.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Birthdate of someone you love?
Upside down numbers turned into a word? SOIL - 7105, BOIL - 7108, BEEB - 8338

Good luck with the 'earning money' side of your business though, that is certainly the most important, and all the rest is just playing the HMRC game. I agree though, the non-productive administrative side of self employment is my least favourite, but it can be an earner tax wise if you get it right.

a reply to: TrueBrit

I completely identify with that frustration. You want to do business not bother with regulations. Let them handle all that… or get a partner.

I tried to keep a salvage business going and I was always frustrated by the keeping of the ledgers, permits, resale numbers, taxes, putting stuff on the internet, responding to customers.

What a bother. I just wanted to go out and find stuff, thats what I am best at. I had a friend that did the same thing, he had it licked. His wife at home was handling all the logistics, so he was able to focus on going out and collecting stuff to sell.

a reply to: crayzeed

I cannot use my birthday as my PIN number, since that is the single least secure piece of information one can imagine.

I know that I chose a number that I would have remembered, IF I could remember dates, designation codes, the numerical reference for stars, and all that malarkey. Right now, I cannot even remember what it was a reference to, let alone what the blasted number is. I HATE my brain! I can remember useless facts about science and history and politics, I can remember events, sights I have seen, people I have met, even people I met at a Cathedral gig about six years ago while abso-flipping-lutely WASTED, but I cannot remember a damned pin for the life of me!

You could get a brain transplants. They say elephants never forget.

Good luck with your business. Get a file cabinet and some of those hanging envelopes. If you are dealing with people's access codes, I wouldn't store them online where they can get hacked.

a reply to: rickymouse

Oh that stuff is kept locked away, you can count on that much.

But my personal data cannot be locked away with the data of my customers, that would be improper, and I would forget where I had put it in any case.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

So you are suggesting I get it tattooed onto my body? That could work. It's a good thing that PINs are only four digits, because it is best to store private data in a...secure location. Trouble is, my most secure location is one in which space is at a premium, hence my joy that PIN are only four digits long.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
Trouble is, my most secure location is one in which space is at a premium, hence my joy that PIN are only four digits long.

Well, in that case Ricky mentioned a brain transplant from an elephant. I say skip the brain and ask for something else.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Think of numbers as music if that helps you , the way i remember how to play jingle bells

10 , 10 , 10 , 10 ,12 , 8 ,9 , 10 .

Think of numbers as letters A =1 Z =26 simple as abc = 123

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: rickymouse

Oh that stuff is kept locked away, you can count on that much.

But my personal data cannot be locked away with the data of my customers, that would be improper, and I would forget where I had put it in any case.

I ran a business for twenty five years, I still have it but am inactive. It is a lot of work and organizing. I had between one and six employees depending on the jobs I was doing most times. I did payroll reporting every three months, same with the unemployment reporting. I worked the jobs and did all the other stuff after the workers were off work. sixteen hours a day was nothing. I would take a year off occasionally and go work for someone else, as a vacation. I could have worked at many of my suppliers if I wanted to but only took two vacations from my business.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Oh my fine feathered friend, when it comes to running a business, it is absolutely imperative that you become very organized when it comes to paperwork and finances. Yeah, I know... I just said the four-letter word: organized.

*gulp*

But without it, you'll be pulling your hair out by the roots in no time !


You literally need that "in/out" box thing going... throw all your incoming paperwork into the "in" slot to remind you that you have things to deal with, and then toss it into the "out" box once it's taken care of and can be filed away at a later date. When it's in that "out" box, you know that you no longer have to worry about it and can erase it from your mind.

For myself, not only did I have a designated "in/out" box, but I also had an "In-Progress" box and an "I-Don't-Know-What-The-Hell-To-Do-With-This-Yet" box.



Designating one specific day each week to taking care of paperwork and paying bills is the ideal way to handle things... this way you know that, say, every Tuesday morning (or whatever day/night works for you) is paperwork/bill paying day. This way, you know that you don't have to concern yourself with paperwork or bills on any other day and instead, can spend those days stomping out other fires. When paperwork comes in, you just simply toss it into your "in" box to deal with on Tuesday per se.

And post-it notes ! To this day, I have post-it notes plastered all around my computer monitor to remind me of deadlines that need to be taken care of within the next couple of weeks.

As for this "not writing down pin #'s" and such ? Bollocks !

Write down every single password, pin #, account #, what have you... and file it away - all in the same place (somewhere safe and secure obviously). Also have a backup copy somewhere on your computer.

The less you have to memorize, the less Rolaids and Tums you'll have to munch down on.

Write it all down man, and file it safely away somewhere !

There are many many ways of organizing yourself and getting into a daily routine that will immediately lift that heavy-weight monkey off your back... easing your burden by way of finding a smooth flow is the key to sanity, my friend.





Just keep reminding yourself that at some point, all this stuff that seems crazy and chaotic to you right now, will eventually become second nature without you having to put much thought into it at all.

Trust me, it'll happen... no matter how hard you try to fight it.

a reply to: TrueBrit
Go see a qualified hypnotist.
They may be able to recover the memory for you.
Seriously.

a reply to: TrueBrit

TrueBrit inc. will always have the backing of ATS.

I am sure that someone on ATS with a fiscal mind will be able to assist you; And if you need a cheesy jingle then cake is your man.

'If you need a key then come see me

If you have a lock then I have the key

So sing out loud and don't spare your voice

True brit is the only choice!'

Okay that was terrible. I can't imagine how difficult it is to manage finances. I'm thinking of starting a minuscule business myself and the prospect is daunting so I can't imagine what you are going through.