Today is my last day at work!

[PAGoldsby]

Effective tomorrow, I will be gainfully self-unemployed. I'm starting my own one-man engineering and consulting firm. I've learned a lot working for my current employer, but there's work out there that I want to do, and this company's not interested in it. I appreciate that position; this company is incredibly successful. However, I must heed the call of my entrepreneurial spirit, and make a stab at things on my own.

Basically, my commute will go from 7.8 miles to 46 feet!

:bolt

[Oldhway]

Congratulations! :clap


I chose self-employment 3 and 1/2 years ago when I bought my store. It is very satisfying and terrifying at the same time.

Remember the old adage, a self-employed person gets to set their own hours, they can work whatever 20 hours a day they choose.:bolt

Best of luck in your new enterprise!

[Voni]

What a wonderful freeing feeling that is! I applaud your daring spirit.

Wishing you all the best.

Voni
sMiling

[GrafikFeat]

Effective tomorrow, ... I must heed the call of my entrepreneurial spirit, and make a stab at things on my own.

Beauty, eh?
Nothing ventured... Nothing gained.

I'm looking that way too as corporate America offshores my job. :deal
Back to free lance work!

Good Luck w/ your new endeavor! Keeps life interesting!

[Kutcher]

Congrats!:bliss

I've been tossing this idea around for a year or so myself...
Slowly I've been testing the waters with small moonlighting work that actually has been great.

Its that leap to full time thats the tuff' part.


How are you going to handle the sales, promoting, get the name out there...Stuff. -Vs- the actual work...??

My father in law has been doing EE work now on his own for about 17 years, after being in it for almost 38. He's never had to sell himself. Everything has been word of mouth and its kept him MORE than busy.!

Heres something I've been working on...

[rinty]

PA:

That's the nice thing about the professions: you can pick your niche. And if things don't work out, nobody can take your knowledge and experience away from you.

I went out on my own in 1975, but I'm still "practising." :D

Good luck!

Rinty

[tessler]

Good Luck Phil! I went out on my own 7 years ago and never regretted it for a second!

(ok, there were a few times I regretted it, but then I decided to take a few Fridays off and ride my motorcycle and then remembered why I like working for myself so much). :D

[PAGoldsby]

Thanks, all, for the words of encouragement. It's something I've been thinking about for a very long time, and I'm certainly looking forward to the new adventure. I came in last night after-hours and hauled off all my books with my pickup so that I could ride the RT in today. I hope to be a great deal more available for some moto-vacations!

Kutcher, I don't know what that is, but I want need one ... maybe four!

PhilbeRT

[Kutcher]

Hey Phil,
You say you need 4...!?
At ~$80K per, get me your addy and I'll make em for you!!!!:deal

If I could do the same my commute would go from about 80 miles to about the same "footage"...

What field exactly are you in?:thumb

[The_Veg]

I wish you the best of luck, and now that one more person has given up a job maybe I'll be that much closer to getting one (self-employment has totally sucked for me).

Keep us posted on how it goes!

[robsryder]

...I'm starting my own one-man engineering and consulting firm....
Basically, my commute will go from 7.8 miles to 46 feet!


I did this a little over 10 years ago. I've not regretted it. My financial needs aren't what they once were. This is a good thing. It helps to be debt free (or have a managable amount of debt) and have well understood expenses. I can choose to work more to increase the amount of the discretionary money available.

After a while having the time to do things becomes more important than the money. I've also become somewhat more picky about what I choose to do. Sometimes I'll turn down mind-numbing work (that likely doesn't need to be done anyway) to stay home and tinker with a bike... or I'll take on a less-well paying but interesting short term teaching or research activity at The Local University.

If it is not raining or snowing, most mornings I'll hop on a bike and ride a few miles, even if just to get a cup of coffee.

Good luck in your endeavor.

[monkeywork]

I've been self employed in the past, worked out great, but the boss was a dope.


Congrats!

[Flyer5]

Basically, my commute will go from 7.8 miles to 46 feet!

:bolt

Im sorry to hear you will be missing out on those 7.8mile rides every day . 46 feet wont be near as much fun on the RT .
Congrats ,and good luck . I did the self employed thing for 8yrs in the auto repair field .Being self employed was the most rewarding time of my life except for raising my daughter . If I could have purchased the building at the time I would still be self employed . Dave

[From MARS]

Thanks, all, for the words of encouragement. It's something I've been thinking about for a very long time, and I'm certainly looking forward to the new adventure. I came in last night after-hours and hauled off all my books with my pickup so that I could ride the RT in today. I hope to be a great deal more available for some moto-vacations!

Kutcher, I don't know what that is, but I want need one ... maybe four!

PhilbeRT

When are you going to bring that new RT down for us to look at now that you have free time? We're having a camp out the weekend of Sept 5 for a group of ADV riders. Most are from your area. Join us.

Tom

[Rpbump]

GOOD LUCK :clap

[PAGoldsby]

When are you going to bring that new RT down for us to look at now that you have free time? We're having a camp out the weekend of Sept 5 for a group of ADV riders. Most are from your area. Join us.

TomNow you're talkin'!

[LTrider]

I made the move 1/07. Best thing I ever did. The problem is I now work harder than ever! Oh well, at least I'm now getting the credit.

Good luck!

[Montana]

Good luck, but you should retitle this topic. It's not your last day at work, it's the last day you will work only during the day! There is nothing like being self-employed to find yourself working at all sorts of weird times and days. I've advised a lot of folks in technical fields going through the process you are starting, it's very exciting. You will learn things you never knew you needed to know about running a business and you get to do your actual professional work in addition to the other tasks. I started teaching QuickBooks this January and most of my students are small business folks. One thing I've learned from them is, you need good advice to get on track maximizing the tax law rules without "bending" them. You also want to get some good business advice to keep the cash flow working for you.