What did you give up to reach your dream of being your own boss

When I made that decision 8 years ago, it was more of a natural progression rather than just going cold turkey and quitting the day job to "hope" I could make it on my own.

What I gave up *before* I made the transition was:

time & sleep

I went to school full time, worked full time and worked on my business/websites/t-shirt stuff any spare moment I had. Sleep = spare moments.

I started my business in 1996, and it wasn't until 2002 that I was confident enough in my ability to be my own boss, manage my time, keep income coming in that I felt OK in quitting my job. During that time I spent a lot less time with my family and friends to make it happen. When I started my business, it was a "side thing", not really done with the intention of quitting my job someday. That's mostly because I didn't think it was possible in 1996 to work full time from online ventures. It wasn't until years later that I got more serious and saw the HUGE possibilities that could happen when I took what I learned and applied it.

Once I figured out that I didn't want to work for someone else, I put everything I had into it. I didn't have money, so I invested what I did have...time. Time to research everything in the world, time to test things out, time to read online forums like these, time to give back to others what I had learned.

Giving up that steady pay check with benefits 8 years ago was a tough decision, but it was the best decision I've made.

Like others have said...it's not easy being in business for yourself. When I was in my day job I could "call in sick" and the work would still get done. Or I could go on vacation and not think about work. Generally speaking, since I wasn't in sales, it didn't matter how the economy was doing. I went to work, I got paid.

That being said, the benefits of working for yourself (for me) outweigh the drawbacks by far.

not what I gave up, but what helped me get here.


Keys to Success




1. Have Faith. Believe in yourself when others may doubt you.

1. Be willing to risk something to get everything.
2. Have a vision and take action up that vision.
3. Never accept someone elses outcome as your own reality.
4. Don’t be afraid to innovate; be different
5. How you think is everything
6. Write down specific goals and a plan to achieve them
7. Be humble or be humbled (The choice is yours)
8. Learn a little bit from everyone and LISTEN
9. Always be willing to help someone that tries to help themselves.

I have had my tattoo shop for 13 or 14 years now and just recently got back into screen printing on the side.....

everything that has been said here is truthful as all get out, it's hard, the pay goes from eating filetminion to ramon, if your not there it dont get done, the best line I saw was only working half days but the boss picks the 12 u do work..... lol wow is'nt that the truth.

when I started it was rough, but over the years it has gotten rougher. sounds weird but truthful. I dont work as much as I used to because the customers just are not here like years gone by, and why waste the electric. But still better than having someone tell you what to do and when to do it. I'd rather collect pop cans than punch the time card again.

now you cant control the people coming in or how much they spend, but you can control you. and your going to have to because when the chips are down it is real easy to stress out or lay down be lazy and hope it all works out. sometimes it will sometimes it wont but if you dont get up and do SOMETHING it will get worse for ya. so I guess what I should of said than wrote this long post is MOTIVATION is KEY.......

there will be good and will be bad but its up to you to turn it around and keep kicking...... if you cant do that well.....keep punching that time clock and dream about the good life

As a business owner YOU are the person soley responsible for whether the business is successful or not. Ultimately it is your decisions that drive the business even though employees may give advice and insight, you are driving the boat. It's a big responsibility and one that will consume most of your waking, thinking time. As others have said, now you will have to pay for legal fees, accounting fees, inventory, payroll, insurance, rent, utilities and possibly more. My advice from one who has worked in a family owned resort business for 25 years is don't do it if you don't have business accounting knowledge. If you do not know how to read a balance sheet or understand a Profit & Loss statement you run the risk of not being able to guide your boat in times of difficulty. If you don't understand these items you will not know how your business is really doing at any given time and be able to adjust your sails so to speak if one month you are headed down the wrong stream or money gets tight.

Start part time from home. Build a small business then, at some time after you will know it is time to go full time.

foot print said:

I gave up a 30 minute commute in traffic coming and going. I gave a steady pay check, I gave up being employee # 1 at a shop that i truly enjoyed. and i gave up having to be around a total @$$ of a boss . granted i wasn't always a peach of an employee..but i poured my heart and soul in to the shop for almost 3 years..but i gained my sanity, and a pretty cool boss (myself) that lets me sit on my butt all day ..LOL Now i pray that i may succeed.

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Now that you said it, after 8 years, I got myself free from a inutile manager who got a PhD in office politics. Have been under younger managers, less experienced managers, female managers, etc, but this one really tops them all. My worst working experience especially where I am the assistant. Grabs credits, passes blames to you, and a person who will probably kill you if you grab his sandwich. Courts and dates "old" grandmothers just for free snacks and I am not exaggerating. To attract less attention, the "grandmothers" would leave the food or other items at a package counter in one of the shops nearby, hand over the "claim stub" as discreetly as possible, and he will claim the "gifts". Still got caught but our clients and janitors.

Also got a mistress who occasionally visits the office. He also puts his chest out as a beautiful nurse passed by while his son was still in near death condition(This came from the lamenting wife).

Wouldn't have believed such people exists had I not experienced it personally. Anyway, free at last.