Reconnecting...
What drives you forward?
I'm always interested to hear why people start their own business. Financial freedom and not having to worry about money are the obvious answers, but for me, it's always been about more than that.
I want to make the most out of this life and this is what drives me forward:
1. Never having to work in a cubicle
This is the entire reason why I started my business. I was a junior in college and had two friends come to visit. They had recently graduated and at one point, they began to brag over who worked more unpaid overtime and argued over who was the better worker.
It honestly felt like I was taking crazy pills. I couldn't believe they were debating who was the "better" worker by comparing how much time they gave up in exchange for absolutely nothing.
It was at that moment that I knew I never wanted to spend any amount of time in a cubicle and I decided to take the leap and build something for myself.
2. Getting to see the world with Amanda
This goes hand-in-hand with number one above. The greatest perk about running your own business is that you never have to ask someone else if you are allowed to take time off. Plus, you aren't limited by the number of hours in a year that you can spend out of the office.
Our goal is to travel the world as much as possible. We like to explore new countries, meet new people, and step out of our comfort zone from time to time. We know time is our most valuable resource and we want to make the most of it, together.
3. Providing a good life for my son Vincent
This little dude is only a few weeks old at this point, but Amanda and I are completely head over heels for him. Sure, sleep may be hard to come by every now and then, but getting to watch him grow up is going to be the absolute best result of running my own business.
Amanda and I will get to actively raise him. Far too often we hear from friends how their kids get dropped off at day care on their way to work, they pick them up in the evenings, and spend an hour or two at most with them before bed time.
That is insane! You are not raising a family at that point. Your children are spending all of their time with someone else. I WILL be there for my son during all stages of his life.
What drives you forward?
Family, freedom, and travel. That's what drives me to keep pushing my business forward.
What about you?
Reply
I've been blessed to be able to travel all over the US, east, west, north and south. The thought of being able to provide that freedom more often for my family is what drives me.
We live far from immediate family and would love the opportunity to spend more time with them, more than just a few days over the weekend.
Also, in these uncertain times I'm fueled by the desire to be less bound by the corporate world structure and more driven by and in pursuit of the limitless opportunities that are found in self-employment.
Like my mentor and several others say, "take action today!" Nonetheless, I must continue and know that I will succeed if I don't give up.
Chris
What is driving me to doing this is because I don't like working for companies and people who can care less about you, and not pay you for what you're worth. Plus, I want to be able to provide for my son, and be able to take my son and the rest of my family on fun vacations whenever I want.
I'm doing this for ME!!! I'm tired of working for someone else. I did the best I could for my children, but I've realized that they are individuals and I am not their only influence.
I'm the youngest of four, and my older sibling's are simply just nothing. They're waiting for someone to take care of them. We are all in our 50s. I don't want them to know what I'm doing, and trying to show them is a big waste of money and time for the both of us.
I want a JEEP(Automatic transmission), a LOFT, and all the TRAVEL TIME I can have. And I don't care to SHARE any of that with them. I know that sounds very selfish, but that's how my siblings have been towards me since our parents passed away some 17-18 yrs. Ago.
I think I spent too much time in cubicles. I am one of those who were taught to work hard for other people, but never learnt how to work for themselves. It is very sad to look behind and realize how much time was lost. Maybe there is nothing wrong in working for other people, but sometimes the outcomes are different of what you expected. Mostly, what you see is that your work is taken for granted and getting more experience just makes you more and more enslaved. I want to change that... That is my Why.
My son is also a big drive for me. He is 12 and has never had to go to a day care or have someone else take care of him. He does spend some time away, it is his choice to spend time with his friends or family.
Working from Your home or wherever you hang your hat today is a great feeling of freedom from a 9 to 5 grind. We do travel a bit every year when school is out, he is getting to cross off a lot of states on his list.
Congratulations to you and Amanda for making this journey, it is not an easy choice.
John
I started my career in the mid 60s and became a supervisor pretty quickly. I thought that was cool, because my boss and his boss were exempt (meaning you do not get paid for overtime). This was the classification for all managers and engineers in the organization.
Then came the 50 to 60 hour work weeks ... because I thought it was expected of me. I was paid decently, and was proud of that, but one day I calculated my equivalent hourly rate. I was shocked, and slowly broke the habit of working long hours voluntarily.
Did you complete your college degree and did that help you develop your business?
