Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

...that being your own boss was something you wanted to do?  And, if you worked in corporate America or another setting (i.e. working for someone else), what was the "Aha" moment that confirmed "NOW" it`s time to strike out on your own?

Here`s my story:  I`ve always known that I wanted to have my own business since I was a child.  I loved finding ways to make $ while offering a quality product or service (we all call this entrepreneurial spirit, correct?).  I babysat, packed bags at the local supermarket (then set up a little bag packing club where the group of us would pool our earnings, split the shares based on who brought in the most $ and/or referred a new "packer"), made clothing for dolls and sold them to relatives and friends for a profit, sold my lunch ticket books (I was a light eater back then, so there was no need to let the books go to waste)

Fast forward to the corporate environment of the `90s through today.  Mergers, acquistions, restructurings, thankless/low morale work environments, and cost cutting further fueled the need to be MOB (my own boss).  Then, it happened.  Something that I had only about from others or seen on t.v.; layoffs occurred which meant that since I was one of the "lucky" ones, I had to assume additional responsibilities and complete them along with the old ones in an unrealistic manner.  Like everyone I did the work.  Promotions were announced (along with other awful activities) and the rest is history.  It got to a point where my health (mental and physical) were being negatively impacted.  If I was going to work as hard as I had been, why not do it for my destiny?

So now, I`m preparing for the exciting new move next month and I can`t wait!  A new beginning to life, entrepreneurship, and the great beyond!

Like you I knew I wanted to be my own boss as a kid.  I`m not sure how that came about - both of my parents, and most people I knew, worked in very traditional employment situations.

I started working independently as a designer/artist while in high school and throughout college.  Following college I thought I would be joining the traditional workforce (probably because that was expected of me) and there were no jobs to be had in my industry in late 1980.  I began my own business by default.

Still, I knew that I didn`t have the skills needed to run my own business effectively.  Over the next few years I took on "real" (in the eyes of my parents) jobs as the art director of a group of publications, art director of an advertising agency, and creative director of a clothing manufacturing company.  Each position was part of my "continuing education" and I always knew that I would again have my own full-time business.  Since 1987 I have worked independently.

As I always tell people: "It`s not that I don`t play well with others; it`s just that I want to choose where, when and with whom I play."

- J.







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Jeff Fisher | Jeff Fisher LogoMotives | Tweet! Tweet!

I knew I never wanted to work for another company after 5 lay offs within a 18 month span.. I used to work in the semiconductor industry "I used to make microchips" After I got laid off one to many times, I said the hell with semiconductor and these huge corporations... I`m doing my own thing. and it`s going on 4 years now.... It was hard in the beggining but now, I am loving it...

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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

For me it was the internet. The first time i got online and saw the cool stuff i could do (which wasn`t much back then!) i was hooked. I read everything i could and started to develop my own websites. My first site was a romance resources site just a bunch of affiliate links and lists etc. It generated close to $200 a month for me back then and that was it.Ever since then i`ve been trying to get that one idea off the ground which would allow me to make a comfortable earning and maybe if i`m lucky and with enough hard work it`ll become a full time gig.

You name it i`ve done it. The idea of running my own business as always appealed to me. I`ve done the MLM thing, the lemonade stands, college start-ups etc. but my true passion lies with the internet. My points of success are easy.

• get interviewed by startup nation (yes it`s a new one)
• get mentioned on slashdot or digg or whatever is hot
  
• get profiled by chris pirillo (used to work with this guy He`s the BOMB!)
• have someone refer me to MY site :)
• hear my wife say something other than "what`s XYZ.com done for me lately"
• be profiled on some small business / startup podcast
• have my site go viral via the blogs.

If I can accomplish most or all of these i`ll be a happy man.

My aha moment came several years ago while working at a large auto corp.  My manager pulled me aside one day and told me that "I do not face in the same direction as management....that my thinking was too out there....

So, he`s now working at a car dealership in D.C...and I`m working for myself...hmm.


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Kim
the-petset.com
blogfabulous.com

I worked for an exciting company that was the toast of the town, so to speak. The founder was CEO and Chairman, a bit quirky, and was always around. We had a lot of good times and the emphasis was on getting the job done. The organization was flat and all the customers were excited to be a part of it, too. Unfortunately, the company was public and so control was not entirely in the hands of the founder. After rebuffing `buyout` offers for months, the potential suitors managed to sweet talk a few members of the Board of Directors into the deal and things began to change. We were a profitable company that was taking on the colors, logo, and CEO from a competitor that had never turned a profit and had a culture that conflicted strongly with ours. Emphasis turned onto raising executive compensation above all else. The culture and management structure of the past was replaced with stuffed shirts and lots of bureaucracy/red tape. The original founder always talked about changing the way business was done, but 6 months under the new environment and he was so frustrated that he bailed out. The influential members of the Board that pushed so hard for the merger didn`t last much longer before they sold off all their shares and headed for the hills. We ended up being part of a company that strived to do business just like everybody else did, rather than one that was aiming for something better.

Eventually, it hit me that the only way I can make sure a business sticks to its vision, ideals, and overall beliefs is if I am calling the shots for myself. I`ve spent the past few years convincing myself that it can actually be done and that I shouldn`t be depending on other people to find satisfaction or help me pay my bills.