Wow I love the emotions this thread has generated. It really has brought out a few winners and a few more whiners. :-)

When you work for yourself, you have the best boss in the world (who lets you start and stop work whenever you want to) and the worst boss in the world (who doesn't keep you focused on your task and allows you to work on whatever you want to whenever you want to).

To be successful you need more than just great ideas. You need focus, discipline and an ability to properly manage your finances and resources on whatever scale they may be.

Most of the serious business owners here are either business minded or creative minded by nature but unless they have partners (or employees) who fulfill the "other" role, or have an ability to combine the two roles themselves, they will not be achieving all they could. (left brain/right brain stuff)

I once worked for a (then) small two partner accounting firm who in my mind had the perfect setup for business. One guy was a bean counting machine who never deviated from looking at numbers and needed everything exact to the penny. He serviced all the traditional accounting clients and brought the regular money in, and managed the business' own finances whilst his partner (also an accountant but a more flamboyant, "detail doesn't matter" guy) was able to look at the bigger picture, and dream up new services for clients, and new ways to build the business.

He was able to do that, and do that well, because he knew his partner had the business making core income, and that freed up his time to go after the bigger deals, which he then had to "sell" to the guy controling the funds.

Sometimes when you don't have a boss, it is good to think like you do.....

:2 cents:

Your post is actually very inspiring.

Freedom = Priceless

Second that!
Great story. Good luck!

This is very inspiring too!

Wow, and I just took you off my ignore list a few days ago because I couldn't remember why you pissed me off a couple of years ago.

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

I've done that a few times (with others) - hate when that happens.

Amazing how quickly they show up with a fresh reminder and back on ignore they go. :1orglaugh

I do hope that was a poor attempt at a joke.

Many self-employed people quit their jobs to fulfill their own dreams and not those of someone else.

Luckily, most people don't have the balls to rely on themselves and nobody else. If they did, being self-employed wouldn't be as lucrative for many.

The chorus to "Hey Jealousy" by the Gin Blossoms popped into my head when reading this post.

Remember, you have no one to blame but yourself for your own shortcomings.

I'm sorry, what is it exactly that you do again?

being self employed is the only way to go

Cool topic...for a sec though I was back to 2001 ah

You are a tool :1orglaugh

We all have our 20/20 hindvision. I was almost the original author of Slashdot, but my argument was 'who gives a fuck what a bunch of nerds want?'

Oops.

I need to give you a piece of advice. If you come across a golden idea, as an entrepreneur the hardest thing is to make it work.

You have to put in 1-2 hours per day for 6 months to judge if it will work or not. Having an idea, building a site out to 75% done and then quitting is a useless waste of time and energy and YEARS of your life.

Got an idea? Do it, and just work at it even if you hate the project. Just keep plugging away until it's done and you've got it launched and got signups/joins/members/free members etc.

i had the idea for the space shuttle.

but i was only 8 yrs old.

fuck!

Beware of haters, don't feed them your energy. They are pseudo-psyvamps.

I want to build a battlestar, but I lack the metal and artificial gravity technology. :mad:

Congratulations, that is a great thing to accomplish. :)

Here's to another 5 years! :drinkup

heeeeey! but wait a second... just remember warp speed was my idea.

seriously... i do hate it when impoverished, unemployed/unemployable jackasses start talking about how they had the idea for splitting the atom or for breathing air and want to tell you about it 10 years after the fact as if they could have ever stood a chance of bringing that idea to fruition.. much less actually pulling it off as a business.

ideas are easy. everyone has them all day long. 99% of the time, they are often totally obvious to anyone with a brain, even though we tend to reassure ourselves that we're total genius's for thinking of it "first"

it reminds me of Uncle Rico on Napoleon Dynamite making his video tapes of passing the football and day dreaming about how he can throw a football over the mountain. ... and while almost weeping muttering "if the coach would have put me in to play in the fourth quarter...we could have went to the state championships"


the only time someone regret's the past in business, is when they don't believe they have a future.

i don't have a spare moment when i'm not thinking "What's next".. i can't imagine sitting around thinking and lamenting that fried chicken in a bucket was my idea.... much less bragging about it to the public as if it somehow validates my own greatness as a thinker... while at the same time, trolling for freelance work on craigs list.

Righhht. You're so busy thinking about the future, yet you have plenty of time to go ON AND ON with this ridiculous argument. For someone so busy with their super awesome lifestyle, you sure do spend a lot of time thinking about people you've never met. You're right about one thing, though. There is at least one person in this thread trying way too hard to validate themselves, but it's not who you think it is.

<<<< Self Employed for 16 years. Could not imagine life any other way or answering to anyone.

Kudos to the rest of you who can make your own way.

He is more like gfys Village Idiot...:1orglaugh

Sorry hearing that bro. :(

being that you've already stated your preference for being "a broke loser" than being someone who actually achieves their personal, financial and business goals... i don't really know what more can be said to you.

It's interesting to see different peoples prospective on this topic.
To camperjohn64, congrats on the 5yrs of self employment! I am also self employed yet my company requires me to work for multiple people at once but I always have the finial decision. Some days I absolutely love what I do and other days I wish I could call in sick. Running a company in which others rely on you requires self motivation and consistency which for some does not come easily.
I personally have seen tremendous growth in my company and am proud of my accomplishments. That's my 2 cents.....anyone want to debate with me? LOL