ForumsStarting a Business

My day job is my aircraft technical consulting business and my start up is the baby.

Who has a day job, Designer you ask good questions.
This is a history lesson. 30 years ago, I had a day job. Controller of a Film Company.
Set for life. Great salary, Company car, health Ins., Unlimited expense account etc.
Then the company was bought out and so was my job.
Read an ad in the N Y Times, Accountant selling his practice, moving to Israel.
Took the leap. Big money at the time. More than our house.
One of the best business moves (before knowing about business plans) second only to
marrying my wife and buying our house.
This was before computers and cell phones.
No regrets, The business grew and grew, I made my own hours (except tax season)
was home for my children and to play tennis when I wanted to.

Real life experience, LUCKIEST

I posted the "Leap Day" part of my experience in a story here:

http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.banko
famerica.com/docs/DOC-1812

To go back earlier than that . . . near the end of my military service, my unit brought in a civilian consultant -- and I decided that he had a job and lifestyle that I'd really like to have. I set a goal that week to start my own firm. I spent the next 17 years working for others in order to develop the necessary skills and experience, acquire an advanced education and professional credentials, and gain recognized expertise in specific industries. My last "day job" was with a 175-year-old company, and when they began to get new business based on my professional reputation as much as theirs, I figured I might be ready to go out on my own. I started a part time business to build an infrastructure and client base, and made the leap to full time a year later. (As I've said before, I'd have more money, more security, and be living an "easier" life if I'd stayed with that company -- but I'd still make the leap if I had it to do over.)

So . . . I have great respect for anyone here who is using a day job to prepare themselves and "move responsibly" toward self-employment. Customers and investors want to do business with someone who is really good at what he or she does. Family and friends may love you no matter what, but they can only provide total support for your business idea when they are certain that you really know what you're doing.

Getting that good at something takes time -- you have to do it enough to gain in-depth experience and to learn important lessons from mistakes. If you can demonstrate that you gained that experience and learned those lessons while working for someone else, then your customers, financial backers, and family members can feel more confident you're not going to be learning at their expense (and, in fact, you won't be) -- so the new business will be better positioned to grow and thrive.

If your sitting at home not doing anything, then you don't have a day job!
We all have a job in one way or the other really!

Myself well I worked for Home Depot then Lowes for a long while, I even struggled going through labor halls for minimum wages before that. Then one day my wife was unable to work long hours at most jobs so we searched for what she could do at home to make money. Needless to say we came up with a idea.

Barely making ends meet I still went with the idea to own a $1.00 retail store, now it was hard comming up with the business plan that would wow any investor, 3 months later I had it done. The next part was even harder than I ever expected. I had how it would all come together, but still had to work to be able to support my wife and daughter. So when I would come home from work I spent most of my time organizing how I could get the oppertunity to open our first store.

Between working durring the day, and helping my young daughter with her homework isssued from school each day, I never gave up the idea of what I wanted to do..I worked hard to provide qaulity to my family life, and worked hard to become a business owner, though both endevors have never stopped to this day.

We are having our grand opening next week of our first store, 25% of proceeds durring the Grand oppening are going towards NDI (National Dance Institute) that helps kids here in New Mexico in so many ways. Local goverment offficials will help with the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Do I have a day job? OH YEA!

Unfortunately I still have my day job. But each day I get one step closer to being free of it and running my business full time. My personal rule is that when my business income equals that of my day job I will quit. I need about 2 more clients to do that and am working my tail off to make it happen. Once it does, there will be no looking back. Great Question!

Jackie Nees
Integrity Office Solutions
http://www.integrityofficesolutions.com