A Decade of Independence is a Good Start

Today marks a milestone for me.

Ten years ago, I walked out the door of my day job for the last time following more than 22 years.

I knew I had done all I could do there. In fact, looking back I think I overstayed my welcome by a few years. It was time to move on.

I’ve never looked back.

I learned a lot during those 22-plus years, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. But the things I have learned over the past decade are immensely different. I’ll share a few.

First, if you’re leaving something, make sure you are 100 percent sure what you’re heading toward is a better option.

Kim and I bought a staffing franchise 4 months before I quit the day job. I saved a week’s vacation for December so we could travel north for training.

To make a long story short, it wasn’t a good fit for either of us. And while we researched that business before committing, I didn’t ask some of the tough questions because I was afraid the answers wouldn’t be what I wanted to hear.

I was right. Shortly, we moved on to greener pastures.

This brings me to lesson No. 2: don’t bury your head in the sand. Ask the tough questions, because the answers are always less painful than the consequences of ignorance.

Another thing I’ve learned is that it’s simply hard being your own boss sometimes. There’s no one in that corner office to drop problems on. And being in charge can be exhausting. 

And of course, dealing with the government is always fun.

Today we got a letter penalizing us for sales tax we didn’t pay in the second quarter of last year on the coffee shop we permanently closed in March when the Covid lockdown started.

I wonder how long it will take to get that straightened up?

The coffee shop experience illustrates another lesson I’ve learned. Always be open to new opportunities. I won’t go into detail about how we added a coffee shop to our collection of endeavors, but it was fun. It was a learning experience.

Besides, being in food service was always something I’d wanted to dabble in. And now I’ve done it.

One of the main takeaways from my self-employment experiment is the importance of networking.

When I struck out on my own, I quickly realized I knew very few people in my town, because my job was in another county.

Since then, we have forged friendships with lots of people — many who are business owners themselves.

Self-employed people are a unique breed, that’s for sure. But we’re never boring, and that’s refreshing.

Which leads me to my main point: enjoy today, and don’t worry too much about tomorrow.

This does not come natural for me.

Hey, I said I learned it. I didn’t say I had mastered it.

I’m a planner. It’s how I’m wired up. I also tend to fret over things I cannot control.

I’m getting better at living in the moment, though, because I work on it constantly. Today is all we have. And as the cliche goes, tomorrow never comes.

Ok, it’s time for me to go out there and seize the day. I hope you do so as well.