Do You Want To Be An Entrepreneur?
Do you ever get tired of the day-to-day routine at the office? Do you have the desire to be an entrepreneur?
As much as I enjoy my current job, the days where I ponder the possibility of venturing out on my own seem to be more frequent.
Lately I’ve been spending quite a bit of time reading websites such as Entrepreneur.com and eMoms at Home (even though I would be an eDad) in an effort to soak up as much information as possible.
Over the years I have done a little bit of consulting on the side and have recently started blogging with a long-term plan of earning an income from my collection of sites. As I dabble in these ventures, I often find myself thinking about the possibility of working on my own.
However, when I think about being an entrepreneur I often find myself thinking about topics that are outside the realm of what I have been doing for the last 10 years. In most cases it probably makes the most sense to venture out on your own doing something you know very well but I think the possibility of the unknown adds a level of interest and excitement. But is that a recipe for success or disaster?
As I read through the success stories of other entrepreneurs, I try to picture myself in the same scenario to see if that is something that I could see myself doing. In many cases, I quickly come to the realization that the business being discussed would not be something that is suitable for me.
Even though I have the desire to be an entrepreneur and feel that I have the personal characteristics that would make it a success, I find myself questioning what it is that I would want to pursue. With my current career I have a lengthy commute and there is a strong desire to run a home-based business. One issue that I continue to battle is the idea that most home-based businesses are nothing but a scam making the other person rich.
One of the biggest hurdles that I see in my path is the fact that I am the primary wage earner supporting my wife and two kids. While my wife has returned to work this past year after being home with our kids, her income is not enough to support the family should my journey to entrepreneurship not be successful. Therefore I think the ideal situation is something that I can pursue in addition to my full-time job but would have the potential to turn into something bigger.
As I continue to research and evaluate opportunities to see if they would be realistic for me, I would be interested to hear from others that have dreamed of being an entrepreneur or those that are currently living the dream. What obstacles were the biggest for you to overcome? How did you find your entrepreneurial niche?
Oh good post. I too would love to work for myself and I don’t see it being to difficult, just a couple of hurdles first to get over.
I think if I were to do it it would be for Web Design and Development. I’ve got a couple of clients I am working for a the moment but they are primarily for setting up a portfolio.
Tyler, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’ve dabbled in the web design/development with a friend of mine and we have done sites for a few clients but nothing too big.
You’ve got quite a bit of artistic talent as well so I am sure you would be able to pursue something along those lines as well.