Starting a business - going out on your own

[SuzukiChopper]

I've been back and forth about posting about this on here for the last couple weeks, but I have been on this forum for about 5 or 6 years and have seen the knowledge shared. Not just about boats, but about life itself and figured I may as well give it a go. It's a bit of a rant but I hope some people can share some knowledge with me.

For the last 3 years or so I've had thoughts about venturing out in to the business world on my own. For the last 5 years I've done the consulting thing, almost 3 years as a software developer and recently acquired a good paying position that didn't involve me having to be the uber geek people saw me as. Unfortunately (and I'll spare you all the details), some hard times have fallen upon myself. This is nothing new to me though and although my dad was the one that taught me to always be strong, he can't even understand how I'm handling what I'm going through. I'm only 26 but this last position had me being paid as well as my father was after 35 years of employment, not 6 figures, but close. It was my chance to further myself, to further my knowledge, to be able to pay back the debts I have from school and ultimately further myself as an individual who was looking forward to helping a company achieve new goals. End of the day I have not only been treated unfairly by said company but I have had my reputation spoiled and have had a few previous employers even back away from me at this point.

A couple months with no pay has happened once before to me and that kicked off the 3 year stint as a developer. It's a little more difficult now owning a house. It has given me a lot of time to think though and has given me time to do some soul searching. First off, I do have a diploma as a Computer Engineer Technologist. I went the "college" route because if I ended up with my degree from a University, I would still be in school and would finish with my PhD. Tempting, but I'm a hands on guy and wanted to apply my knowledge sooner then later. I do have various different skills... not just computer related. Carpentry, welding, metal work, body work, car/house painting, electrical (my dad's line of work), plumbing, etc. Most of all EVERY aspect of computers. Administration, security, web design, web programming, software design/architecture, software development and also things that go along with this like business development, business analysis, etc. I'm very business oriented and apply that whenever I can to technical problems. I've been told by a lot of people that I could make it on my own and I have an excellent track record of turning ideas into reality.

Here is where my weaknesses come into play though...
1. I don't have an idea
2. It seems like too many people have told me I'm too honest (scares me)
3. I can't sell a damn thing
4. I've spread myself too thin with my knowledge and don't know where to focus
5. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT - I have no idea where to start, how to start or where to get any kind of funding to even start... at this point I have no dollars to my name but am very enthusiastic about starting something to not benefit me, but to benefit society, I have a lot to give.

#1 and #5 above are where I really need help, especially #5. I'm tired of being held back by corporate policies and procedures that applied 20 years ago. I'm tired of having a union guy complaining that I stepped on their toes because I did his job in 1/4 of the time it would have taken him. I'm tired of the red tape and the brick walls that I have faced to get something done. I'm tired of over-promised, over-budgeted projects that are 2 years late. It literally makes me sick to my stomach seeing this stuff, but I don't know where to start. I know it's a risk, I know it's a commitment, I know I might fail. I've been through that before as well... I just don't know how to start.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Starting a business - going out on your own

First of all get your self a job if your unemployed.

Second have you thought of moving somewhere else. Way to many people get cought in a rut of having to stay in one place.

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Starting a business - going out on your own

The getting a job thing at this point doesn't worry me too much which is why I have taken the time to really think about what I want to do with myself. Yes my house is for sale and I don't want to lose this place but when it sells it will grant me something I haven't had since I was 16, no debt.

I have thought long and hard about actually moving to Texas or Las Vegas from Canada. I have spent the time looking at apartment rental possibilities and the jobs I could potentially have, but at the same time I just really feel like I'm at a cross roads. I just feel now is the time in my life to move forward, help others, and see if I can't make a living doing that. I guess my other weakness is once I get into something stable and comfortable, I'm scared of leaving that. At this point I have NOTHING more to lose and just feel it's the right time.

 

[captquest]

Re: Starting a business - going out on your own

If I may recommend a book. It's called "48 Days to the Work You Love" by Dan Miller. I believe this book will help you sort out your thoughts a bit.

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Starting a business - going out on your own

If you don't mind me asking, what's in the book? My thoughts about wanting to venture out on my own have been pretty solid for a few years... I just don't know what to expect or how to even begin down the path. I guess my biggest wonder is what should I make sure I have at the very minimum to give myself a chance?

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Starting a business - going out on your own

One thing i give you to think about in your decision and your current state. I went to college for computer science. After working in a cubicle for a few years as a phone tech support agent and then a L2 tech making good money, i found myself not able to sit there still like that. Im like you, hands on. I would balance this huge dry-erase board on a finger whyle i was standing behind my chair and be on the phone with people with people and going through application options without even having to look at the options on my screen. It was a dry erase board with like mission statements and what not. Just a bunch of office brainwashing stuff. Anyways, one day I decided that it was not for me. I would watch the landscapers outside cutting the grass and thought I Wish I Could Do That! So one day I packed it up and took a job as a landscaper. Now i work retail. Moral of the story... I had that job years ago. When I try to get back into it, its a little harder cause the kids grad. high school now know a lot of what I learned in college. So its easier for them cause of the way technology is advancing. If you are getting out make sure you want too. The longer you are out the more the younger guys come out from highschool and college with the newer knowledge. Just a thought.

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Starting a business - going out on your own

One thing i give you to think about in your decision and your current state. I went to college for computer science. After working in a cubicle for a few years as a phone tech support agent and then a L2 tech making good money, i found myself not able to sit there still like that. Im like you, hands on. I would balance this huge dry-erase board on a finger whyle i was standing behind my chair and be on the phone with people with people and going through application options without even having to look at the options on my screen. It was a dry erase board with like mission statements and what not. Just a bunch of office brainwashing stuff. Anyways, one day I decided that it was not for me. I would watch the landscapers outside cutting the grass and thought I Wish I Could Do That! So one day I packed it up and took a job as a landscaper. Now i work retail. Moral of the story... I had that job years ago. When I try to get back into it, its a little harder cause the kids grad. high school now know a lot of what I learned in college. So its easier for them cause of the way technology is advancing. If you are getting out make sure you want too. The longer you are out the more the younger guys come out from highschool and college with the newer knowledge. Just a thought.

I'll relate some of my personal experience to this. When I was doing the software development thing I was in charge of the integrated payment solutions for the point of sale software. I knew some of that industry before hand and became more and more knowledgeable as I went on in my years. I found myself knowing every little trick of the trade to help our customers (the merchants) save as many pennies as they could when they called in for technical support on a credit card issue and on top of it could save their customer (the end customer) the hastles. I did this without even thinking about it. Technical support for computer problems, I can be sitting on the side of the road and talk someone through whatever is causing them troubles. Security with networks, computers, etc is something I have made sure I've kept up on mostly because of my credit card experience, both as a customer and to help merchants. I am up to date with technology and because of my experience with businesses and down to earth mind, I know when technology can help and when it can hinder. I can sit here and say 80% of the users of this forum don't need more then a 2Ghz processor with any more then 1gig of ram and can prove it all day past Sunday

Either way, I'm not out to be my own man, I would surround myself with people who know what they are doing and even people who have different ideologies as myself because a one tracked company would never succeed. I would always make sure these people had morals and made sure the customer came first and that the customer was who we were serving, not ourselves. For me I can go get 2 jobs, pumping gas, and be perfectly happy... but that doesn't make the people around me happy. I want to contribute, and although I don't have an idea, what I really want is some kind of brain dump or information on what I can do to get started.

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Starting a business - going out on your own

To sum up what i said though, is to not loose your touch with what you do now. You never know when you might have to go back to what you hate to make some ends meet. Thats all I said in that book i wrote. Good Luck!! I want to start a landscaping business myself. Start one and ill be your foreman.

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Starting a business - going out on your own

To sum up what i said though, is to not loose your touch with what you do now. You never know when you might have to go back to what you hate to make some ends meet. Thats all I said in that book i wrote. Good Luck!! I want to start a landscaping business myself. Start one and ill be your foreman.

Funny you mention landscaping, the guy that lives right behind me owns one and wants to get out of it after 4 years lol Maybe we can buy up his equipment and do some boat moving with some of the tractors, bobcats and forklifts he has?

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Starting a business - going out on your own

If you don't have #1, forget about starting a business and look for a job. If, in the future, you get #1, THEN you can reconsider starting a business.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Starting a business - going out on your own

Good luck. If you are successful, expect to have to give it away. I admire ANYONE willing to try to start a new business in the next 4 years. The incentive is gone. Any wealth you make will be taken from you, and people still think that's ok. My God what has this country come to?

 

[JustJason]

Re: Starting a business - going out on your own

The incentive is gone. Any wealth you make will be taken from you, and people still think that's ok.

That's not entirely true...... but the incentive is surely not gone.
The hole point of starting your own business is this........ how much you make, or claim to make, is nobodys business but your own. The gubmt can only take what you declare you have. If you don't claim to have made it, they can't claim to take it.
They can always take you to tax court..... but if your the little guy, and you give them just enough to keep them off of your back (which is often zero for the first couple of years) they never will. Besides... the point of taking you to court is that the prosecutor has to actually PROVE something.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Starting a business - going out on your own

Good luck. If you are successful, expect to have to give it away. I admire ANYONE willing to try to start a new business in the next 4 years. The incentive is gone. Any wealth you make will be taken from you, and people still think that's ok. My God what has this country come to?

The government taxes you at 100% WOW.

I just love how the rich complain that they're poor because they get taxed so much, even though they aren't paying Social Security taxes on anything they make over $97,500... So your Fed tax is higher, it just makes the total tax % more equal to the guy who's only making $75,000.

That whole, "we're poor because we make so much that we're getting taxed an extra % or two" arguement, is a big part of why the rest of us, hate the rich so much. Quit whining about it, because if push came to shove, I'll bet you'd rather make enough to get taxed that extra %.

Besides all that, with our national debt, we all owe a hell of a lot more than we're actually paying. So quit complaining, you're getting off easy. If the national debt were divided equally among all taxpayers, you still owe about $50,000. How would you like to pay for that? And you want to complain about getting taxes an extra 1-2%?!? How do kids these days say it... MOFO PLEASE, STFU!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Starting a business - going out on your own

sorry this is turning political and getting totally off the subject. SuzukiChopper i wish you luck in solving your quest, but i am closing this, due to politics.