TheStraddlersDiary

POST: 6 Essential start-up questions you must answer

For many years my dream has been to go into business for myself. But like many dreamers there has existed a significant gap between the dream and reality.

The following checklist is a guide which I am currently using to help direct my efforts in the important “formative” stages of turning my dream into reality.

1. Know your reasons for starting up…

It is very important to ask yourself why you wish to assume the financial risk, sleepless nights, extra heavy workload, and uncertainty of owning your own business.

• Is it the freedom from a set work routine?
• You are enamored at the thought of being your own boss?
• Be in control of your own destiny, do what you want when you want to do it?
• Improve your standard of living (make more money)?
• Are you bored with your current job?
• You have a service or product to offer for which there is a demand?

Some reasons are better than others, none are wrong, just be aware that there are always tradeoffs. For example, you may escape the 9-5 daily routine, but replace it with a 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. routine.

POST: What business are you in? (Part 2)

In the post titled "What business are you in?" I posed the following questions:

1. What business are you in?
2. How did you arrive at this business model or idea?
3. Are you certain that this is “it”, your path to riches, or is this merely another step down the path as you pursue that ultimate and winning idea?

As the act of writing this material is really an exercise for me personally to get into the mindset and rigor of focus, I wish to answer the second question.

Timothy Ferriss book, “The 4-Hour Work Week” is largely how I arrived at the business model I am adopting. Boiling it all down, I didn’t want to launch anything which would require ever increasing time and personal commitment as the business grew.

POST: Who am I?

The Straddlers Diary is a blog of my personal quest to escape the corporate trap that so nearly snuffed the life out of those entrepreneurial dreams I’ve held for many years, without taking action.  Won’t you join me on this exciting journey of discovery and success?

Who am I?
I am a 39 year-old technology sales and marketing professional in the consumer electronics industry (currently working in Silicon Valley) who lives in the Pacific Northwest with my beautiful wife and two amazing children.

Though at one time I was “on the fast track”, seduced by the allure of promotions, international travel, and large stock grants- long stretches away from home and 60 hour work weeks have finally given me impetus to alter my career reality for a more balanced and fulfilling life.

POST: How it all started

Welcome to the journey – what you are reading is an entrepreneurs blog that chronicles my experience as a “straddler”. 

This all started with the book “The 4-hour Work Week” by Timothy Ferriss.  NOTE: Click, don’t run, and buy this book now because it will change your life!

If you’ve read my ‘About’ page then you have some idea of how this site came to be, but first let me give you some more details.

POST: Soft launch here we go

Hello everyone, thanks for checking out my "construction site".  It's still a little dirty and we haven't finished painting, so please watch where you sit, wouldn't want those new clothes to get ruined!

What you are seeing is a very, very soft launch of my new project TheStraddlersDiary.  This site is intended to be a resource, forum and place of refuge for those of us who are straddling full time jobs while working on or in a business on the side.

It seems crazy that I am embarking on this project, as if I don't have enough to do without starting a business venture to boot!  But all I can say is that after 15 years of dreaming about being in control of my own future, I've decided it's time to actually make that happen.

So, what you are looking at is the first part of a multi-year construction project which when completed, I hope will redefine my work and financial life as I've known it... now if I don't go broke trying to build this thing, tweak my back, break a bone, or get shut down by the city, I should be OK!

Seriously though, you will have a place in all this.  It is my desire with TheStraddlersDiary to gather those who may be feeling a little tired, burned out, or are starting to question why they've attempted to do whatever it is they are doing, so together we can encourage, support and grow our businesses. 

I envision this being a place where ideas can be exchanged, resources shared, assistance requested, and thoughts provoked.  If we can get half way there I'll feel that this project had a positive impact on the world and my fellow entrepreneurs.