OK.........I'm Gonna Do It

[krj]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking for a while, and have really appreciated the huge amount of experience and information I have found on this site. I have never been a business owner and my work experience is primarily in management at the municipal government level. A couple of years ago I accepted a job on the other side of the country from where I lived. Within a few months I was desperately sending resumes out all over the country, and after being in the job for only 13 months finally resigned. By the time I walked out the door for the last time I was physically exhausted and emotionally wrung out. Tough gig.

Over the past year (as I continued to send out resumes) it finally began to dawn on me that my stomach was dropping every time I applied for a job. At first I figured it was just still the regrouping I was feeling after have gotten beaten up so badly in my last job. It may have been that at first, but somewhere along the way I started to think about starting my own business. I had this idea to start an outdoor gear and clothing consignment shop.

After having worked in "real jobs" for my entire career the thought of starting my own business was daunting. Scared to death of failure, financial ruin, taking full ownership for success or failure. But the idea wouldn't go away. My significant other was unconvinced - also worried about money, lack of health care, the time it might take to begin actually making a living. Which sent me back to the drawing board time and again. But now he and I both seem to be in the same place. We have some savings and he has a very good retirement so regular income is coming in. It will be tough for a while but I think we're both ready to give this a shot.

I've put a financial plan, operational plan, and marketing plan together. We won't be taking out any loans so all of these will simply be a road map for how we proceed with this. A date to pull the trigger on all of this? We're still working through the process so date to be determined. But if I had to give a time frame right now it would be within the next three months.

Anyway, my long winded way of saying I'm glad to be here. I hope to ask a lot of questions, do a lot of reading, and maybe even contribute something intelligent to the conversation sometimes.

[Business Attorney]

krj, thanks for coming into the light! It is much better than lurking. That was one of the best introductions I've seen. As you get ready to launch your new business, please do feel free to pepper us all with questions. I've found that adding ideas to the pool helps the thought process, even if you don't take up any of the ideas.

[Harold Mansfield]

Everyone has the fear of failure. If you don't , you aren't being realistic about it.
Happy to hear that you are taking the plunge. It's Stressful. Exhilarating. Confusing. Rewarding. And a bunch of other emotions that you don't expect, but it's worth it.

Never taking the chance and always wondering, was something that I didn't want hanging over my head for the rest of my life. And I think very entrepreneur feels the same way.
It's what separates us from those that just talk about it.

[vangogh]

Welcome to the forum krj. I think your story will be a familiar one to others here. I would guess many of us similarly worked for others while wanting to work for ourselves. Taking that step isn't easy. It's scary. It's giving up the security that comes with a steady paycheck and doing something different than what you've been doing most of your life.

I'm sure all of us who overcame our fears and went the entrepreneurial route will tell you that it was more than worth it.

A big key to making it is sticking to it. There will be some ups and downs along the way. Early on it can be a struggle, since there's so much to learn. It will likely take longer than you think to really figure out how to best run your business. Don't give up. If you stick with it you'll figure those things out and keep making improvements. I'd bet a lot of us could share stories of early on when we weren't sure if we'd make it and were wondering if heading back to the job market was on the horizon. We could also share stories how we didn't do that and kept at our businesses and are still working on those businesses today.

Congrats for taking that big step and thanks for joining the community.

[krj]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the kind words and the warm welcome.

[cbscreative]

Like the others said, your story bears similarity to many others in business. I think all of us will identify with at least one part of it. For me, it's that wrung out feeling and your employment nightmare. I was there when managing an office under impossible expectations. Even if I could have performed, the rules were sure to change and what was right became wrong without the information being dispensed until after a transgression. I have never before or since been in such an exasperating situation, and it amazes me that these types of businesses find a way to survive. The good news is, you've made the right choice.

I'm speaking from the perspective of just crossing over the 10 year mark with my company a couple weeks ago. I rarely ever think of that painful experience other than the fact that I can appreciate having it behind me. As tough as it was to go through that, it helped provide motivation to succeed and never have to make myself susceptible to the whims of an employer ever again. You've found a great resource of people here willing to share what they know and provide encouragement so you can succeed.

Welcome and enjoy this resource!

BTW, I did the app thing looking for work too, and came to the same conclusion. With all that energy trying to find a job and getting nowhere, why not start a business? I'm very glad I made that decision.

[KristineS]

Welcome to the forum. This is a very supportive environment for people who are starting out, but we're also not afraid to ask the hard questions. I think you'll find a lot that is useful here. Can't wait to hear how things progress.