Why did I start up my own business, you ask? Simple. I had to.

I had to because there was something gnawing at me from the inside that kept telling me that I had to. I'm not trying to be dramatic here at ALL. I finally decided on a rainy Thursday that it was time to start up my own business because I had been led to believe by my parents that owning my own business was the one way that I could never be fired.

Hmmm.

That was my exact motivation. By hearing that year after impressionable year as a kid, I suppose it sunk in!

And guess what...they were right. When I decided I'd had enough of New York and commuting and client presentations in Kansas and Canada, I knew that I had to start up my own business. I was conditioned to do so...so I did.

Many people can work their required 40 years in a cubicle wearing golf shirts and sipping cafeteria coffee.

I couldn't any longer. Then again, I never was a coffee guy. Tea's my thing.

Starting up on my own was very difficult. I suddenly was making zero dollars. I suddenly had to deal with the fact that every waking minute of every day is a minute or an hour that can be spent working...making more money. Learning more things.

In fact one of the major downsides that happened when I knew it was MY time to start up my own business was knowing when to STOP WORKING. Left to my own devices, I could forget that I'm still a Dad and a father.

Those are huge responsibilities that I take very seriously.

So when you start your own business, find balance as fast as you can.

And if have NO kids, and NO spouse, then you'd better be working your fingers to the nubs. :)

I suppose I set out to start up my own business, and I ended up learning a lot more about me.