For many, the most difficult issue of all is finding the right job. Some lucky people with an existing skill, hobby or interest can capitalise on that and step seamlessly into their new life. For the rest of us, it’ll probably mean a lot of soul-searching and nights spent staring into the bottom of a wine glass. And that’s before you’ve even started on the practical side. ‘How much money am I going to need? Where are we all going to live? And how long can we survive before I start making a profit?’

NARROWING DOWN YOUR OPTIONS

If you really haven’t a clue where to start and you only know that you have to get out of whatever it is you’re doing at the moment, then there are some basic questions to ask yourself.

First, decide what your endgame is, your ultimate aim.

Hobby job

You may decide you only need a part-time job to bring in a bit of extra spending money. You may even be lucky enough to be able to do something because you enjoy it and any money coming in would be a bonus. But you’d still like to maximise your opportunities.

The breadwinner

You may have a family to support, a mortgage to pay, and your new job has to be a success virtually from the beginning. Much will depend on whether you can change careers and stay in your own home or whether you’re downsizing from a city lifestyle and planning on relocating the entire family.

Global domination

Or you could have bigger ambitions still. Perhaps you’re so confident in your idea that you want to lay down the foundations of a large business that you can nurture, grow and one day sell on as a going concern. This is playing the long game.

THAT EUREKA MOMENT

The very good news is that you don’t need one. Not everyone can invent the internal combustion engine, internet or even the clockwork radio. Millions still make a very good living out of doing something that lots of other people already do. It’s just a question of spotting a tiny little niche that you can carve out for yourself.

• It could be a new product.
• It could be an existing product with a new twist.
• It could be a new way of selling it.
• Or you could be selling it in a place where it isn’t available at the moment.

• You could re-brand or re-package something.
• Or perhaps offer it cheaper than anyone else.
• Maybe you can combine two existing products and come up with a brand new one.
• Maybe it’s a new manufacturing process.
• Or a new creative process.
• Perhaps using different materials.

The variations and twists are endless.

Try applying the above points to whatever is in front of you now. Say the kitchen table. People have been selling kitchen tables, or at least making them, for hundreds of years. It’s one of our most humdrum possessions. Yet a few people are still out there, producing them and presumably making a good living from them. And all those people did was to pick an everyday object, do something slightly different to it and sell it on to a waiting public.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

This is the bit where it’s difficult not to sound like a school careers adviser, but if you don’t have a clear idea of what to do then you have to sit down and either consider your SWOT analysis or start a fresh list of options.

You could pay to see a private careers adviser. There are many out there, but serious and tailored one-to-one advice over a period of time can be expensive, running into many hundreds of pounds. It’s probably better in the first instance to see what you can come up with yourself, using the internet, book shops and the local library, before resorting to professional advice.

But before you do anything, ruthlessly condense into no more than three short sentences:

• What you can already do.
• What you’re good at.
• What you really want to do.

This does focus the mind and forces you to think of the realistic options open to you. Aim to end up with something like: ‘I’m an accountant. But I know I’m good at teaching. I really want to spend my life sailing so I’ll start a sailing school.’

Before you can get to your three short sentences you need to take a long hard look at your life so far.

Qualifications

What did you train as originally? Did you take an agricultural science degree, train as a nursery nurse or study homeopathic medicine? It doesn’t matter how far back it goes because it’ll still be relevant. You may not be up to speed on the latest developments but you’ll still have more experience and knowledge than someone who didn’t do it at all.

Have you re-trained in anything? Added another skill to your existing qualifications? You may have had some IT-related training or perhaps followed a managerial or people-management course.

Experience

Go back as far as those teenage jobs. Did you ever pick potatoes, help with the hay-making or look after the neighbours’ chickens when they were away? If you were a city child, did you work as a waiter or waitress, behind the bar somewhere or in a shop in the pre-Christmas rush? Where have you travelled? Are you familiar with other cultures? Can you speak another language?

Practical skills

Can you work in wood or metal, sew, cook, paint, design? Do you know your cotoneaster from your cornus? Recognise a beech or a sycamore? Identify small animal tracks or wild flowers? Can you sail, navigate, interpret a chart? The skills you’ve picked up while following your hobby could now be just as important as any academic or professional qualifications you used in your previous ‘proper’ job.

Personal strengths

Perhaps you’re creative with a good eye for colour, or maybe organisation and attention to detail is more you. Do you have a strong social sense or vocation? Are you a carer? Have you drive, vision, focus? Are you good at motivating people? Can you motivate yourself?

Personal weaknesses

Maybe money and figures aren’t your strong point. Perhaps you’re slow at getting started. Or are you short-tempered and impatient? Do you panic or worry easily? Do you not get on with people as well as you think you should? Do you sometimes feel misunderstood?

Hobbies/interests

What is it you really like doing? Is it walking by the sea or up mountains or just being outside? Are you never happier than when you’re pottering around the kitchen or in a workshop or studio? Do you prefer curling up with a good book? Are you most comfortable being around children all day?

What next?

At the end of the exercise get someone who knows you well, whose opinions you trust and who you know will be honest, to look over your conclusions. They may well pick up on something you’ve missed because it’s too obvious. And another person’s view is always useful anyway.

Don’t be downhearted about the weaknesses. They’re not a problem as long as you do something about them. If you’re terrible with figures then find a business partner who isn’t. If you shy away from people then sell through a shop or agent. If you’re disorganised set yourself daily targets of tasks to achieve.

CAREER OR PSYCHOMETRIC TESTING

If you want to take a more structured, less DIY approach then think about career or personality tests, also known as psychometric testing.

There are dozens of variations but essentially they all do the same thing. By you providing a series of answers, solutions or responses to questions or scenarios, you reveal your strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes and so on. And in that way, you’re led to groups of jobs or professions which would most suit you.

Most tests essentially explore the same areas:

• ability
• aptitude
• personality.

They also explore your personal values and ask you to rate or grade what’s important to you, for example:

• lifestyle
• power
• status
• social or altruistic motives
• security
• achievement.

If you think testing could be helpful, start off by having a look on the internet. Worldwide, there are 2.5 million matches for the words ‘career tests’ and a third of a million in the UK alone, so there should be something out there to suit you. Some sites offer completely free testing, others offer initial or preliminary free testing with the option of buying a more detailed analysis later. With others you pay up front.

The good ones do work, not necessarily because they come up with any startling revelations, but because they help crystallize your abilities, narrow your options and point you in a realistic direction. Don’t expect a big shining light to appear as you finish the last page: ‘The job for you is (pause)… Lion Tamer’ Instead, a good test may conclude you’re strong on organisation, logic and people skills and therefore should consider a career in management. Or you may emerge as a largely creative person who works best under little pressure, who needs some support and has no strong financial motive, and therefore is best working in an arts co-operative.

THE JOB

Having established the answers to your three short questions, now turn your attention to the specifics. The following isn’t a definitive list: instead use it as a prompt to get you thinking for yourself.

Accommodation provider

Requirements: good people skills, physical fitness, practical aptitude, suitable house/land, access to finance, good business head.

Bed and breakfast
Camping/caravanning site
Guesthouse
Hostel
Hotel, country house
Hotel, town or village
Self-catering cottage

Animals, pets

Requirements: likes animals, possible access to finance, possible premises.

Breeding
Cattery
Dog training

Dog walking
Kennels
Pet cemetery
Pet grooming
Pet hotel
Pet sitting
Stables/livery stables

Antiques

Requirements: knowledge of antiques, good research skills, possible large premises, possible access to start-up finance.

Antique dealer
Antiques restoration
Auctioneer/auction house employee
Clock/watch restorer
Picture framer
Picture restorer

Artists, craftspeople

Requirements: good with hands, design-orientated, probable patience, a workshop or studio.

Artist (general)
Artist (portraits: people)
Artist (portraits: pets)
Candle maker
Ceramicist
Glass/stained glass worker
Interior designer (rustic/contemporary)
Jeweller
Leather goods worker

Potter
Sculptor
Tile maker/designer

Design – IT and traditional

Requirements: possible formal training, contacts, software, raw materials.

Books, brochures, leaflets
Ceramics
Clothes
Corporate design
Fabrics
Graphics
Illustration
Logos
Shoes

Food and drink/retail

Requirements: knowledge of food industry regulations (hygiene, health and safety), good people skills, likes food, imaginative, access to finance.

Baker
Café (organic, vegetarian, vegan)
Caterer/supplier to self-catered cottages
Cheesemaker/dairy products producer
Cheese shop
Chef
Confectioner
Deli
Dinner party catering

Home producer: jams, chutneys, relishes, pickles
Inn/pub
Mobile deli (bike, van, horseback!)
Mobile groceries round
Organic box scheme
Party organiser
Patissier
Picnic/hamper supplier
Restaurant (fish, local produce, game)
Special occasion cakes
Sweet shop
Tea room
Wine bar
Wine importer
Wine merchant
Yacht catering (day or passage)

Environment

Requirements: a believer, contacts, some relevant formal training an advantage.

Alternative energy consultant (wind, waves, tidal, geothermal)
Campaigner
Lobbyist

Gardens, agriculture

Requirement: able to work outdoors all year, physically fit, possible access to finance, some formal training an advantage.

Bulb specialist
Farm
Garden centre

Garden design
Garden furniture design
Garden maintenance
Hanging baskets supplier
Landscape gardening
Market garden
Nursery
Orchard
Smallholding
Trout fishery, fish farm
Vineyard

IT

Requirements: IT skills, knowledge of business environment.

Computer/IT troubleshooting
Desktop publishing
Small company IT consultant
Website design

Natural therapists

Requirements: relevant training, interest in health and complementary health treatments, good people skills.

Acupuncture
Alexander Technique
Aromatherapy
Homeopathy
Hypnotherapy
Osteopathy
Pilates
Reflexology

Reiki
Shiatsu
Therapeutic counselling

Needlework/fabric skills

Requirements: good tailoring skills, eye for colour and texture, professional-standard equipment, meticulousness.

Curtain maker
Designer (clothes, fashion)
Embroiderer
Fabric/textile designer
Knitter/crocheter
Maker of accessories
Milliner
Seamstress/tailor
Soft furnisher (cushions, throws, wraps)
Upholsterer

Retail, non-food

Requirements: business acumen, access to finance, good at trend-spotting.

Accessories, shop or direct sales
Baby, children’s clothes
Book shop
Clothes hire
Clothes shop
Evening wear hire
Fancy dress hire
Farm shop
Florist

Gallery
Gift shop
Hats
Niche clothes
Second-hand designer clothes
Shoes
Soft furnishings/household
Vintage clothes/accessories

Rural trades

Requirements: knowledge of the trade, probable physical strength, ability to problem solve, prepared to work in harsh conditions.

Blacksmith
Coppicer
Dry stone waller
Farrier
Firewood supplier
Hedge layer
Installer/restorer of ranges and woodstoves
Metal worker
Stone mason
Thatcher
Wood carver

Tourism, leisure

Requirements: probable relevant formal teaching qualification, knowledge of relevant health and safety legislation, good people skills.

Abseiling instructor
Balloonist
Climbing instructor

Cycle hire
Guided walking, riding, cycling
Local history tours
Orienteering instructor
Party/event organiser, children
Party/event organiser, adults
Riding instructor
Ski/snowboard instructor (Scotland!)
Specialist holidays (walking, horse riding, conservation)

Water-based

Requirements: possible formal teaching or other relevant qualification, possible access to finance, probable good people skills.

Angling supplier
Beach lifeguard
Boat builder/repairer
Boat charter
Diving instructor (deep sea, scuba)
Fisherman
Sailing instructor
Sail maker
Surfing instructor
Windsurfing instructor
Yacht delivery

Woodworking

Requirements: good with hands, meticulousness, eye for design, problem-solving skills, possible premises.

Carpenter/joiner
Exterior windows, shutters and doors designer/builder

Furniture/cabinet maker
Garden furniture designer/builder
Garden shed designer/builder
Picture framer
Traditional toy maker
Tree house designer/builder

Other

Child care
Franchise holder (see Chapter 7)
Local author
Photographer (book/magazine illustration, landscape, portraits,
wildlife)
Private tuition (music, languages, English and maths)
Writer

DO YOU HAVE THE PASSION?

Let’s assume that you’ve found the job that you want to do. Now ask yourself if you believe in it completely. Are you passionate about it? Are you prepared to give it total commitment? Consider:

• If you’re not passionate about your idea, how can you expect anyone else to be?
• If you’re lukewarm about it now, how are you going to feel in six months or a year’s time when you’ve worked continuously on your project and thought about nothing else?

There’s no substitute for really wanting to do something, and it should shine through.

DO YOU HAVE THE USP?

Your USP is your Unique Selling Point. You’ve come up with your job idea but what’s going to make you different, stand out from the crowd? Essentially it means: what’s your new twist? Perhaps you’ve re-invented that kitchen table so that it dangles from the ceiling (no legs so easier to clean underneath), or have come up with a fabulous new combination of flavours for a chutney or relish.

You need a USP because:

• It gives you something to focus your promotions and marketing on.
• It answers people who say: ‘Why you and why your product or service?’

LOCATION, LOCATION…

Despite the internet, some jobs and services still don’t travel. You need to ask yourself if your new job is right for the place where you’re going to be living.

• Will your product or service be affordable locally? Are you in an economically well-off area where there’s going to be a demand for a high value childcare service or handmade shoes? Remember that many of the peripheral regions of the country aren’t as prosperous as the south east.
• If your job is outdoors, is it weather or climate dependent? If you’re a stone waller in the north east of Scotland, how much work will you do in the winter when there are limited daylight hours?
• If you’re a tree surgeon, don’t move to a tree-less Scottish island. If you want to grow early potatoes or January daffodils, don’t move to the Lake District.
• Will your business be dependent on people and crowds? Again, don’t move to that Scottish island.
• If you’re a potter or artist, do you really want to move to the Cornish resort of St Ives where there’s so much existing competition?

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID

By now you should be virtually there in deciding what you want to do, where and how. It’s easy at this stage to get carried away by enthusiasm and massively underestimate the scale of the task ahead. So:

• Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to do all the preparation, research and finance raising before committing yourself to a launch date. Don’t think you’ll be ready by a fortnight Tuesday because you won’t be. Think months rather than weeks.
• Don’t skimp on the time it’ll take you at the beginning to work out your costs. Being under-funded can kill you off before you start.
• Make sure you always focus on what the customer wants and not what you think they want.
• Make sure you have all the necessary skills for your new life.