Career & Finance: Self-Employment

Why do you want to do this?

I have thought about starting a business for as long as I can remember. I tend to be a person that has all these wonderful ideas, but they never go anywhere. After working for the state government now for almost 8 years, I can't believe how fast that time has went and am starting to realize that the next 8 years will go just as fast. It really is the time to do it and I feel like I have a solid idea to run with.

What three things will you need to make this happen?

Time is my biggest issue. With a full-time job and commute and kids that are involved in a lot of activites, time seems to be tough to come by. I need to commit to one hour a day to begin with and I need to prioritize it. I know I have time during the day that could be dedicated to this.

I will need to make contacts with the people that could be great partners in this endeavor.

I will need a bit more education on certain topics in order to ensure that I am prepared when it comes time to actually starting the business.

What is the biggest barrier to your achieving this?

I think there are two barriers. One is, again, time. I need to be strict about how I am managing my time and reaffirm to myself that I have plenty of time to work on this. Second I would say is a bit of fear--specifically a fear of other people's perceptions. I believe it is a good business idea and I have a solid vision for what it could become, but in the back of mind, I have a nagging thought of "what will people think of this? Will they think it is stupid?" But I am feeling more confident as I am getting more "real-world experience" and feel ready to take some of the big next steps.