[Closed] Straw poll time... So if you can’t earn a living doing what you’re good at...

Brexit negotiater.

Then what the Blinking Flip do you actually do instead…?

Blackmail?
Bank robbery?
Pray for lottery win?

The most inventive may win a prize if I’m feeling generous!

I thought you are skint.... 😉

Do something else that pays the bills!

Something you are good at or something you want to do? They don't often/always coincide.

Train to do something new that you can become good at?

Lucky bastard, some of us aren't good at anything.

Something you are good at or something you want to do? They don’t often/always coincide

Indeed. Stuck in an office writing software and putting up with idiocy. Not what I want to do, though it does pay. Oddly when I was a nipper I was all over computer stuff and thought it was my future. Imagining boffin geekness in labs, not boring business stuff and management/sales bollocks to waste my time away.

I'm no where skilled enough with bikes, riding or otherwise, to make money there. I dabble in photography but long ago realised there's a billion other people infinitely more skilled than me and even then it's a struggle to make money if you're anyway decent at it, especially with the Internet making everything free and stealable. Plus just trying to be average costs a lot of money.

Milk the system of the cows

Get good at something else or, like me, do something that requires no discernible talent.

Focus on the transferable skills that make you good at the thing you can't earn a living at, then identify things that require similar skills but which you can earn a living doing.

I've been through a similar thing myself. Moving from journalism into product development, FWIW.

Fake that you are good at it by learning the language of bs, kiss the right arses, and move into a management role.

The problem is mark that owning a bike shop isn't about being good at bikes.

Owning a bike shop is being good at business and marketing

It's the main reason I have not got involved in the market.

How ever the last 8-10 months it's become apparent that to progress in my current job as "subject matter expert" no longer exists - I need to get involved in the business and management side of it - where as as a technical sme I was able to stay out of it.

All a bike shop shares in common with your skills and abilities is the commodity in the box and knowing which of the commodities are compatible -but the money making skill is the marketing.

Do not beat your self up over the situation. Very very few start up bike shops make it even established shops are struggling to stay afloat.

Define ‘good at’. I’m an insurance underwriter- I’m not convinced you can be ‘good’ at it. Sure experience over time means you make better decisions but it’s hardly something you can learn as a hobby first.

I enjoy it though. Sure I’d love to make my money from dj’ing, photography or flying drones or something but hey - means they’re hobbies I can enjoy when not at work.

But it pays well, is relatively low stress if you find the right company and is mentally challenging enough to not get boring. It’ll do me 🙂

I don’t earn a living doing what I’m good at. I don’t even know what I am good at. If I could I’d be a terrible PI, that drunk all day and slept in his office.

Erotic pottery is the way forward.

Send me one of your pieces as a thank you.

What chakaping said - it's the transferable skills. Figure out what excites and motivates you, what skills you have, then find something that fits.

I went into a role where I had no experience, didn't know the tech at all but had done a bunch of things that were similar in style to what I'd need to do.

For Yossarian:

Straw poll time… So if you can’t earn a living doing what you’re good at…

Street food ... if I can set up street food stall that is. BBQ meat on sandwich ... you will get queue of people wanting to eat them.

I got made redundant from oil and gas engineering as a process engineer during the downturn. Went to work in television production.

There's always something out there to do. Although in my case it took about 7 months of looking which was less than enjoyable.

Have you considered pretending to be some kind of big cat and posting shit jokes on the internet?

It doesn’t pay well but Cougar seems to enjoy it 😉

Get your kid to unbox presents for YouTube videos.

I'm sure some kid earned millions last year from doing that

It doesn’t pay well but Cougar seems to enjoy it

Not as much as she enjoys preying on young men.

People are too busy to look after their loved ones these days. Got to be money in that. Either youngsters or oldies, don't know which would be easier but you could think about combining the two. Get the oldies together in an old folks home which doubles up as a nursery during the day and they look after and entertain loads of kids. You get to charge twice for the same space.

The secret of life is to become very very good at something that's very very hard to do.

I've met a few people who do handyman services, man in a van doing minor diy, small bits of decorating, plumbing shizzle, to. They seem to enjoy it and one we use said he can pretty much pick and choose what he takes on and still make a good living. It's either that or back on the game.

In any market there's always a premium sector where the budgets are bigger and the margins come easier.  So how about pitching yourself as a "velo concierge" to the glitterati, charge to help them buy their pinarellos or whatever.  I'm sure the likes of Alan sugar don't nip down to the lbs when they're after a new bike.

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I do colouring in for a living. Its fun but hard to get paid for it.

This is a totally obvious question, but have you ruled out managing a chain bike shop if you enjoyed running a LBS but it wasn't working financially?

Have you considered making poles out of straw?

Skill up. Decide if you like people or ideas based on serving the great unwashed, you probably rather like people. You don’t know what you’re going to be good at, but you probably know what you like already. Follow what you like and see if you become good at it.

If all else fails. Chicken sexer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/31746965/shortage-of-chicken-sexers-in-uk-despite-40000-salary

Gardening.

Proactive/constructive answers only please...

I don't have any. It's a very important question though, not only for those who have chosen an interesting path under the misguided belief they will eventually make a living but also those whose path becomes impossible due to social/technological changes. HR departments' idea of transferable skills often differ to abilities that are of use in the real world. Increasingly, and I'd like to be wrong here, it seems like it doesn't matter how good you are at anything so long as you have the correct piece of paper and turn up at the right time. And there's a lot to be said for being pals with the person who does the hiring & firing.
Monday mornings, huh.

Start a window cleaning business.

Brexit negotiater.

I am in the Civil Service and doing something not a million miles away from this. Currently sitting at my desk and trying not to cry/have a panic attack. So I wouldn't necessarily recommend it...

Finbar sed> We're doomed. Doomed. DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!

I tried walking dogs. I thought I was good at dogs.
Turned out not. This was apparent when I asked a farmer to shoot one of them.

Plumbing
Electrician
Plasterer
Bricky
Gas Tech
Take a 1 year course , then get taken on by a relevant trade co. Dont spend hours pissing around on your phone, or get stoned on the way to the site and you should progress nicely
Or
Deliver rich peoples shopping for Ocado . Hardly taxing , pays rubbish, hours long but its low stress.

In any market there’s always a premium sector where the budgets are bigger and the margins come easier. So how about pitching yourself as a “velo concierge” to the glitterati, charge to help them buy their pinarellos or whatever. I’m sure the likes of Alan sugar don’t nip down to the lbs when they’re after a new bike.

I remember reading about an ex-LBS owner who did this. Mainly clothing - bit like the fashion personal shoppers, would pick stuff to their taste, bring it to their home or office to try on and charge a hefty markup for the service. Far less overhead than running a shop.

I’m sure the likes of Alan sugar don’t nip down to the lbs when they’re after a new bike.

A billionaire was in one of my LBS' the other week, he was having a bike fit, he'd flown his trainer over to do a load of blood tests at the same time. At the end of the fit, bought a super bling (stock) tri bike, had it packed into a bike bag, then went to an airport to load it into his jet and off he went.

Wrote a long, detailed response this time last night to all those who had responded already... Anyway... Guess what happened...? Yup, predictably, the bloody forum crashed! I swear in all my time on here (longer than I care to think about, got to be pushing 17 years now, I think it was 2002 Sleepless 24hrs at Trentham when I met my first forum members having recently joined the forum weeks before) that the forum has got worse, not better, but still... I guess the government needs some heatlhy competition. Anyway...

Sadly I don't think they'll make me Brexit Negotiator, not because I wouldn't be good at it (I'd excel at it! I'd have revoked article 50 by lunchtime, and got pissed on taxpayers money celebrating remaining in the EU by the end of my first day!), but I think that like most potential employers now the govt would probably have tapped up my Facebook feed and seen my rants, which I fear might preclude me

Bike concierge service is a really good idea, something I did look into the possibility of doing some while ago. However... In an industry where everyone knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing, I just don't see how it could work. At best, you'd be getting RRP for some high end products (margins on higher end stuff are usually quite a lot smaller than on entry level stuff), and in order to sell such products you'd need every colour option in every size in stock... I've seen shops that (try to) do this with some success, but it's an incredible amount of cash to tie up just in the hope that you're going to appeal to the Alan Sugar's and a handful of rich arabs of the world. I also think that whilst I do the honest people skills well, I know that I don't do the bullshit well at all.

Window Cleaning Business... This made me laugh! Whilst I see the appeal, it seems that so has every Tom, Dick & Harry locally already... Every 5th VW Transporter locally is signwritten for a window cleaning business! It's certainly an oversubscribed profession already round here, and though appeal may be obvious, the fella I use to clean my windows at work has also highlighted an issue that is perhaps a little "old school" for most business' these days but not for window cleaning... Despite his top notch home security system, it turns out he'd been followed for months by a (cleverer than most) criminal who knew what he was doing. He knew where his home security cameras were, where to find all of his undeclared income etc... The perfect crime basically! Because my window cleaner could only declare that he had around 2 grand in cash (a typical weeks takings from all of his usual customers between him and his mate) on the premises or incriminate himself for not declaring his true income! So said criminal (who didn't leave a trace anyway, but even if he did) risks at worse getting a slap on the wrists for breaking and entering and stealing £2k, and will get away with the rest (some £30-35k he conservatively estimated that the taxman doesn't know about)... Maybe I've found my new career after all... 😉

Whilst plumbing or electrician appeal for the job security and potential income factors, the typical 7am on site starts and/or 800-1000 miles per week that all the self employed plumbers and electricians I know do, do not... I'm NOT a morning person, and I have no desire to turn back the clock and return to ridiculous (unpaid) commutes etc. If I'm being paid to drive from clients site to clients site, not a problem... But you can keep the serious commutes thanks.

Gardening appeals... Doesn't pay well I know, but it appeals... Over the next few weeks, got a bit to get on with in my own to be fair as it hasn't had any attention in a while, will see how I feel about doing it for a living after I've done my own I guess.

For Terry and anyone else who was concerned I might be beating myself up over my shop etc. I have absolutely done what I could to keep it going, and given it my best shot. Sadly, I realised some 18 months ago or more, unless several factors outside of my control were changed, that I was only ever going to lose. The question was would I lose a little, or lose big. I chose the former option, looked for my escape route, and minimised my losses. Many/most in the bike trade will not be afforded that luxury! Mark my words, NOBODY is making money in the bike trade (Mike Ashley maybe the exception whilst he asset strips Evans) right now. I do think that will change in time, but I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel myself right now. To work for someone else in retail right now, be it a chain or an independent, I just feel I'd be waiting for my P45 the whole time. I do see small elements on the industry making growth right now, perhaps somebody specialising in these elements maybe, but the bike trade on the whole is in desperate straits right now...

Transferrable skills wise, been looking at the obvious, but really don't want to go into anything like car sales (also another struggling industry, and working on a heavily commissioned basis would kill me I think!). I can sell bikes cos I'm passionate about them, not because I'm a natural salesman.

Anyway... Keep em coming. These suggestions are certainly thought provoking!

How about becoming a Pro Team mechanic? That can’t be that hard to get into, surely?

I think the bike shop business is tough at the moment anyway. Seeing quite a few go over recent years and some owners admitting they can't keep the business going with competition, the Internet, etc. Though often combined with some personal reasons, with priorities being different as they get older. Maybe it's more of a young person's game requiring enthusiasm, but then I see trendy shops open, and then gone.

How about becoming a Pro Team mechanic? That can’t be that hard to get into, surely?

You're main problem is the lack of pro teams, the British road scene is on its knees and I'm not sure there's much money in the MTB scene.

Sad to hear about this mboy, followed your trials and tribulations a bit on here, certainly you seemd to put your soul into the shop.

Out of curiosity did you ever try getting into kids bikes? The local, previously failing, bike shop (only one in town, several high end shops in town 5 miles away) seems to have completely transformed its fortunes about 3-4 years ago solely, as far as I can see, on the back of starting to stock Frog bikes.

Oh, and a new career- how about a decent record shop?

Open an artisan  coffee shop.

Bricks and mortar retail shops are doomed.

Sell experiences, not products.

Ride-thru artisan coffee shop. Same as a drive-thru but bike friendly.

Creperie. With coffee, obviously, but everyone likes a flat pancake. Love making them too, myself.

To work for someone else in retail right now, be it a chain or an independent, I just feel I’d be waiting for my P45 the whole time.

Totally get this and I think you're right to be bold and make a clean break.

Seems the only real growth in the cycle trade now is in ebikes - and that may already be saturated with specialist retailers anyway?

Gardening appeals… Doesn’t pay well I know, but it appeals

I wouldn't be so sure....

If your at a loose end .... Spokes racing team are looking for a seasoned mechanic to go to Belgium on expenses for the weekend ......

I'm about to retire. I think I'll be good at it although the Daily Mail reading and voting UKIP parts might be beyond me.

BBSB - have you started practicing smugly saying "I'm so busy! I don't know how I ever managed when I had a job..."?

I work with a lot of retailers, across sectors, pretty much everyone is suffering. Even ecommerce pure play companies are losing money as digital marketing is so expensive and amazon is eating up everything.
A florist near me "pivoted" and is now a coffee shop/breakfast place (surrounded with lots of flowers - she still does special events) and she seems to be doing ok.

Creperie. With coffee, obviously, but everyone likes a flat pancake. Love making them too, myself.

You might be onto something here actually. There's a crappery called the Green Frog on Preston docklands, they must be doing something right because they've had a trailer thing there since at least the early 90s.

EDIT: established 1989. http://www.greenfrogcatering.com/

How about a bike themed cafe with gin and craft ales. Call it the speak easy or gin and juice. Need say 30 Covers, coffee machine, big fridge, get the Sunday road ride clubs in and that's maybe £200 in the til. No need for silly early or split up the day with a business partner. They do brekky and you do 11 till close.
Cheap evening meals like chicken in a basket, pizza, burgers plus coffee and cake (£4) jobjobbed. Big bike stand outside, track pump, few allen keys on wires, sell tubes gels tyres etc

Or go micro pub, source 6ft fridge and set temp to 9,c. Buy 18 pint beer boxes from any brewery for 90p a pint and sell for £3 = £3.50. Always rotate lines and have 8 to 10 on at any one time. Couple that with 12 gins, full on gin cocktail menu, for tha ladies obviously, big plasma with classic tdf lance, big mig, bjorn rids, pantani on the go, few classics jerseys, what's not to like.
Have big bbq specials for Paris roubaix day, pasta carb fest if there is any event sportive race etc local, get voucher codes on the event website
Sell amstel on amstel gold day,
Christ I should charge for this.
Or collect, service, valet and deliver bling for the cash rich time poor community who have big race (sportive) coming up and they can't be bothered to index their gears or change the frayed cables, pump up the tyres etc

The Ginstitute of Cycology.!

How about a bike themed cafe with gin and craft ales.

Make sure you're open Saturday and Sunday though, your weekend may be best moved to Tuesday and Wednesday.

On a more serious note if you were closer we'd have you driving for us until September. 10am start and 5 or 6 hours a day max, weekends off as our usual bloke prefers to work weekends. Enough working time to keep you amused while working out what to do.

Good luck. (We met once a Swinley on a CG organised forum ride).

The Ginstitute of Cycology.!

That.... is genius!

Or collect, service, valet and deliver bling for the cash rich time poor community who have big race (sportive) coming up and they can’t be bothered to index their gears or change the frayed cables, pump up the tyres etc

I think if you could market this, along with "competition servicing and setup", it could be a good niche.

Tricky to expand, you'd need mechanics that were genuinely on it, but I think you could charge top dollar.

From my time 20 years ago in an LBS, not sure I'd bother with those customers though...

So it comes down to how much do you want/need to earn, where, and how long are you prepared/able to retrain for it?

Left field but this morning I walked past a "self service dog wash" on the high street in what used to be an opticians shop. I guess the main skill required is being really good at getting hair out of plug holes.

I guess the main skill required is being really good at getting hair out of pug holes.
FTFY

So... Job interview tomorrow! Been a while since the last one, but looking forward to it...

Fingers crossed eh!

How about becoming a Pro Team mechanic? That can’t be that hard to get into, surely?

I don't think there's a sarcastic enough emoji that exists... But no... It's Bloody hard to get into, and then it's not just the mechanicing, but the driving of the team vehicles from point to point (whilst the riders and managers fly) all across europe etc... Nah, I'm good thanks!

I think the bike shop business is tough at the moment anyway. Seeing quite a few go over recent years and some owners admitting they can’t keep the business going with competition, the Internet, etc.

About 3 or 4 independents per week announcing they're closing across the UK from what I can see. I can compete with the internet, I can compete with my local rivals... What I couldn't compete with is austerity, the indirect effects of the 2016 Brexit referendum, and just how little confidence any of my customers have to spend ANY money (not just with me) at all right now... All factors way out of my control!

Out of curiosity did you ever try getting into kids bikes?

There's only 2 brands that anyone seems to want to buy for their kids... Islabikes (direct only) and Frog... 2 out of 3 of my local competitors stock Frog... I therefore can't, based on territory saturation!

Oh, and a new career- how about a decent record shop?

My dream was a bike shop upstairs, with a record shop in the basement, many years ago... The irony! But good god no thank you... Not now!

I wouldn’t be so sure….

I'm all ears... I like being outside and don't mind getting dirty! I also have plenty of contacts in that trade...

Seems the only real growth in the cycle trade now is in ebikes – and that may already be saturated with specialist retailers anyway?

Nail firmly and squarely hit on the head... Though I'd say whilst eMTB is getting towards saturation point, eCommuter and eCargo bikes have quite a lot of scope for growth myself... Especially with the war on the i/c engine hotting up!

If your at a loose end …. Spokes racing team are looking for a seasoned mechanic to go to Belgium on expenses for the weekend ……

Thanks for thinking of me, but got a lot on my plate at the moment... May have shut the doors to customers, but now have a shop premises to return to how I found it in order to get my 3 month deposit back! That and I've (now that I am shut of course!) got a number of good customers begging me to get their bike in the workshop before everything is out... Nobody on here works for HMRC right? 😉

The Ginstitute of Cycology.!

Make sure you’re open Saturday and Sunday though, your weekend may be best moved to Tuesday and Wednesday.

Sounds like the PERFECT establishment! I'd frequent it... However... Not a chance in hell I'm running a retail premises again any time soon. Once bitten, twice shy and all that... It's literally been years since I had a weekend free. I am looking forward to a long overdue lie in on a Saturday, possibly followed by a bike ride...

On a more serious note if you were closer we’d have you driving for us until September. 10am start and 5 or 6 hours a day max, weekends off as our usual bloke prefers to work weekends. Enough working time to keep you amused while working out what to do.

That would honestly be absolutely perfect for the interim! LOVED my summer driving delivery vans for am agency immediately after finishing uni, whilst working out who to apply to for a "real" job... My right arm has never been so tanned! Where are you based? Certainly it's not out of the question if I could get somewhere to stopover 4 nights a week in the interim...

Whilst plumbing or electrician appeal for the job security and potential income factors, the typical 7am on site starts and/or 800-1000 miles per week that all the self employed plumbers and electricians I know do, do not…

I wouldn't necessarily write it off. A mate of mine was let go during the last big slump and retrained as a spark working for himself. He mostly does local domestic stuff, has enough flexibility to ride his bike a lot and while he's not a multi-millionaire, he does okay.

Anyway, good luck with it all. I still have memories of you being kind enough to swap my tubeless tyres onto spare wheels on my ML7 at 24/12 years ago. And meeting you before that, I think, Mayhem - or it might have been SITS - where you recognised the bike 🙂

mboy, out of interest where what the shop? what was it called? Nothing more than idle curiosity, I dont work for HMRC 😉

The independent bike shops near me (Bath) seem to be doing a roaring trade. Obviously i dont get to see the accounts, but they all seem to be expanding in stock etc.

We're in East Anglia, I'm in Ipswich. You need to like riding long distances to get the ascent in (very long distances). Personal email in profile and I'll forward the job application email address to you (boss wants letter and CV by email only).

Why do folk always suggest the building trades and a quick one year course, a good apprenticeship was 4 years and a further 2 if a sparky to get approved status. A boil in the bag course may get you some domestic work which isn’t real sparkying anyway and that may earn you a nice living driving round in a shiny van. There is good money for good sparks in commercial and industrial but it does go up and down with work. Don’t expect good money or work with a one year course though, need to add some experience and away you go. But early mornings, driving and cold building sites aren’t for everyone.