Thoughts on Starting a Business - Part 1

I lost my job in February 2002. It was another of a long series of layoffs. I was use to this; I made my living as a freelance technical writer and web designer.

Since then I haven't had a full time job. I've done some freelance writing and web design work, volunteered for a series of political campaigns, worked in a book store, digitally edited music for dancers, sold stuff on eBay, worked in a supermarket, worked in a coffee shop, and taught English as a Second Language.

This has been an interesting adventure. I keep a positive attitude and believe this is an opportunity to learn and explore different options.

A few weeks ago I went to a job fair. I didn't find any work but did find an interesting company that may change my life. The company is The Entrepreneur's Source (www.theesource.com).

Their goal is simple - to help people who want to start their own business. This idea appealed to me. The one thing I learned from my layoffs and unemployment is that you cannot rely on full-time employment for money. Whether you do work for someone else or not, you need to find an alternative system to generate income.

My dad worked for the post office for thirty-seven years. He also had a variety of part-time jobs. My dad still tells me, "Find a company where you can work for twenty years and then retire." Ironically, most of the companies I worked for folded long before their twentieth year of business.

I gave the gentleman from the Entrepreneur's Source my phone number and agreed to have him call me in a few days. I thought this would be an interesting option to explore. Even if I did not do business with this firm, I would at least learn some useful things.

Our first conversation went well. We spoke for approximately 45 minutes. Part of the conversation dealt with my financial history but most of the conversation identified my goals. Why do I want to start a business? What do I expect from starting a business? What do I want to achieve? What type of working environments do I like? What type of working environments do I dislike?