Run! Bitch Run! What is really

Run! Bitch Run!

What is really important? What do you want to pursue at this point in your life? Is being your own boss the way to go? I spoke with several silverbacks to share their wisdom gleaned from these life changes with a new member of the pack. Dean turned 50 in January of 200 In May he was fired from his position as marketing director of a high-tech firm. HeÁs angry at the ease with which an employer could let him go. ÁControl is a big issue for me. Do I really want to have someone tell what, where, and how? It seems like I work a lot but donÁt reap the benefits. If I were on my own IÁd have all the benefits and all the risks. Á Dean is deciding whether to find another job with the security of a regular paycheck and benefits, or start his own business. He finds information on the internet helpful but wishes there was a Big Brother-like program pairing people and businesses to help him sort through the options. Carl was 51 when the ordinance plant where he was safety manager closed its doors. ÁI had a lot of friends in the business. I could have easily picked up another job but I would have had to relocate halfway across the country. I didnÁt want to do that. Á Bob was an engineer whose position was eliminated after 23 years with the firm. This sent him into a deep depression that lasted for months. ÁI couldnÁt even drive. Á With the help of his psychiatrist, Bob recognized what was most important in his lifeÁhis wife, his son, and his lifelong hobby, bird-watching. ÁMy doctor told me to go bird-watching every day. While out there on the wetlands I had a vision. I couldnÁt go back to the corporate life. Á It takes a lot of stamina and belief in yourself to move ahead with plans for a business. Carl spoke of his state of mind at the time: ÁI wasnÁt frightened. IÁm a survivor. I screwed up when I Run! Bitch Run! youngerÁ went bankrupt, lost a lot of material things. One good thing about failing is that it gets you over that fear of failure. You learn from your mistakes. Á Both men did a lot of research, internal and external. Bob determined that he loved birds, kids, nature, education, photography, and the environment. Anything he pursued needed to involve those. Once he was clear on the essentials the how-to landed in BobÁs lap. ÁI saw an ad in a magazine to call for franchise information. My mind immediately took off with the possibilities. I began looking at retail spaces thinking ÁI wonder how that location would work?Á I saw the ad on a Saturday. That Tuesday I called the company. On Thursday I had the package and on the following Tuesday they had it back. Á Carl was taking his time, looking at options. His values included a love of people and a desire to create a positive environment. His plans started with casual conversation. ÁMy buddies owned this building. There had been a restaurant there years ago but it had been mismanaged. And somehow the idea of starting another one came up. At first we were clowning around, yucking it up over a few beers, but then we started getting more serious. Bob made use of the infant, but still helpful internet of 1 Carl used lower tech methods to estimate his market. I spent 15 days from 4:00 am to 11:00 am counting cars at that intersection. I figured if we could Run! Bitch Run! a big enough percentage of them to stop weÁd be in business.