start your own business

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

Yes, my wife and I have this discussion often. We have a lot of friends who just recently had kids and it's the best birth control EVER.

If your young enjoy some free time now and then have kids a little latter in life. There is nothing that can replace having a child in my opinion. You also have to remember I was a single parent for 8 years with my now 24 yr. old daughter and now she is out of the house I have a 3yr. old. So about 36 to 40 years of my life will be with a dependent child.

[BleedBurgundy]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

Because it was more calls than I know what to do with. My normal customers are more than enough for a few bucks here and there. Spyware comes in ebbs and flows and it's one of those things someone more enterprising than I am could quit their job just to clean up.

But as computing evolves, spyware goes away for the time being.

I DO enjoy my free time since I have an 8:30-4:30 job every day anyway, it was easily 2-3 extra hours a day when I ran that ad.

My thing is, I could never afford the toys that I get to play with now. To go from an operating budget of $300k to whatever I could afford would be miserably boring. IT on the corporate side has its bad side, but the funding is a huge bonus (at least at my co.)

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Originally Posted by firstdown

If your young enjoy some free time now and then have kids a little latter in life. There is nothing that can replace having a child in my opinion. You also have to remember I was a single parent for 8 years with my now 24 yr. old daughter and now she is out of the house I have a 3yr. old. So about 36 to 40 years of my life will be with a dependent child.

My dad is the same way. He had me first and now he has one that's as young as 11. My wife and I will have the talk at 30 (2 years)...

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Originally Posted by BleedBurgundy

My thing is, I could never afford the toys that I get to play with now. To go from an operating budget of $300k to whatever I could afford would be miserably boring. IT on the corporate side has its bad side, but the funding is a huge bonus (at least at my co.)

For sure, that's if someone wanted to start their own business though. I'm perfectly content with my six weeks vacation they give you here (I CANNOT believe that). Our budget was extra tight this year thanks to the economy, so no replacement computers for anyone the past two years..

[BleedBurgundy]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

For sure, that's if someone wanted to start their own business though. I'm perfectly content with my six weeks vacation they give you here (I CANNOT believe that). Our budget was extra tight this year thanks to the economy, so no replacement computers for anyone the past two years..

We actually get the same amount, it's funny, i've never met anyone else who gets that much. Normally, it's 2-3 weeks at the most. We upgrade machines every 4 years, and we're not due for one of those for another two. Spent mine this year on virtualizing our servers.

[Skins fan 44]

Pizza place and a bar. If you dont have a good pizza place around where you live do some homework and shop around a find a good pizza recipe. A bar but I could not stand to see the regulars day in and day out. I would almost feel guilty about taking there money everyday.

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by firstdown

If your young enjoy some free time now and then have kids a little latter in life. There is nothing that can replace having a child in my opinion. You also have to remember I was a single parent for 8 years with my now 24 yr. old daughter and now she is out of the house I have a 3yr. old. So about 36 to 40 years of my life will be with a dependent child.

I could not imagine having a 21 year old then finding out my wife was prego and having to do it all over again. Then again it is easier then have two youg ones at once.

Do your kids fight over their toys? =)

I had my son at 34 and my wife was 28. Two year olds are so much fun, eyes rolling. Seriously I love him but lots of work.

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Slingin Sammy 33 has a place in Va Beach but I don't think its his primary income. I've been wantin to check it out one day for lunch but it seems anytime I'm in that area I'm in a rush.

I've been waiting on you, Beem & Beem's pop, and some of the other guys down here to show up

The pizza place is an investment business that has turned into nearly a full-time second job. When the economy is running fine things are good. This recession has definitely slowed my wife and I down in a big way from our plans and timetables for the business. We financed it and had hoped to have it paid in about 3 years, that's not happening now. There's high-margin in the pizza business, so if you have an independent established place, which is what we bought, you can weather the storm. I don't know how the franchises are surviving making $ 5 pizzas & $ 10 loaded pizzas, then paying franchise fees, advertising fees, etc.

If this was our primary income, we would've laid off at least 3-4 more people and picked up hours ourselves to make ends meet through the recession. As it is we just cut some "dead weight" and scaled back some hours. Also, you're tied to the business. Phone rings and someone calls out sick, doesn't show up, decides to smoke a doob out back by the freezer, and you're going in to cover the shift or handle the situation. Want to take a weeks vacation with your family....think again. You can't be there every open hour so you have to find employees that are trustworthy, we're pretty lucky in that regard. You have to deal with landlords, pests, vendors who will stick it to you if you don't watch every invoice.

It's got its ups and downs, in this economy its been more downs than ups. Talking with food vendors and other folks that own restaurants/bars, we're doing comparatively well so we're definitely thankful for that.

I would advise anyone looking to start their own business take first's advice, be prepared to have little-to-no income for two years. Without my "day" job, we'd be in a tough situation.

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by firstdown

If your young enjoy some free time now and then have kids a little latter in life. There is nothing that can replace having a child in my opinion. You also have to remember I was a single parent for 8 years with my now 24 yr. old daughter and now she is out of the house I have a 3yr. old. So about 36 to 40 years of my life will be with a dependent child.

Or you can go the other way and have your kid out of the house and only be 44. Then it's off to Vegas to gamble away his inheritance LOL

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Slingin Sammy 33

I've been waiting on you, Beem & Beem's pop, and some of the other guys down here to show up

The pizza place is an investment business that has turned into nearly a full-time second job. When the economy is running fine things are good. This recession has definitely slowed my wife and I down in a big way from our plans and timetables for the business. We financed it and had hoped to have it paid in about 3 years, that's not happening now. There's high-margin in the pizza business, so if you have an independent established place, which is what we bought, you can weather the storm. I don't know how the franchises are surviving making $ 5 pizzas & $ 10 loaded pizzas, then paying franchise fees, advertising fees, etc.

If this was our primary income, we would've laid off at least 3-4 more people and picked up hours ourselves to make ends meet through the recession. As it is we just cut some "dead weight" and scaled back some hours. Also, you're tied to the business. Phone rings and someone calls out sick, doesn't show up, decides to smoke a doob out back by the freezer, and you're going in to cover the shift or handle the situation. Want to take a weeks vacation with your family....think again. You can't be there every open hour so you have to find employees that are trustworthy, we're pretty lucky in that regard. You have to deal with landlords, pests, vendors who will stick it to you if you don't watch every invoice.

It's got its ups and downs, in this economy its been more downs than ups. Talking with food vendors and other folks that own restaurants/bars, we're doing comparatively well so we're definitely thankful for that.

I would advise anyone looking to start their own business take first's advice, be prepared to have little-to-no income for two years. Without my "day" job, we'd be in a tough situation.

I'd like to stop by for lunch one Monday-Friday to have lunch but I'm only in that area a few times a month. Are you ever there around lunch time?

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by mredskins

I could not imagine having a 21 year old then finding out my wife was prego and having to do it all over again. Then again it is easier then have two youg ones at once.

Do your kids fight over their toys? =)

I had my son at 34 and my wife was 28. Two year olds are so much fun, eyes rolling. Seriously I love him but lots of work.

I was 22 when my first daughter was born and seperated by the time she was 2. She moved in with me at age 3 and pretty much all but a few years while growing up. My current (and last) wife is 8 yrs younger and it took us 5 yrs. for her to get prego. With so much time between the two its like starting over from scratch.

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by firstdown

I'd like to stop by for lunch one Monday-Friday to have lunch but I'm only in that area a few times a month. Are you ever there around lunch time?

My office is only about 15 min. away just shoot me a PM when you want to stop by.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Slingin Sammy 33

My office is only about 15 min. away just shoot me a PM when you want to stop by.

I will do that in the next week or so.

[SmootSmack]

I co-started a media company a few years ago and I learned two key lessons

1. Good friends don't necessarily make good business partners
2. Bad business can ruin good friendships

In spite of that though, I was able to get the company to the point that we were having serious discussions with a similar company to merge and I would stay in a managerial/ownership role. But as those talks lingered ESPN came calling and I took that opportunity...a couple of years later that company was bought by ESPN for a few million dollars. Yay me...sigh

[budw38]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I co-started a media company a few years ago and I learned two key lessons

1. Good friends don't necessarily make good business partners
2. Bad business can ruin good friendships

In spite of that though, I was able to get the company to the point that we were having serious discussions with a similar company to merge and I would stay in a managerial/ownership role. But as those talks lingered ESPN came calling and I took that opportunity...a couple of years later that company was bought by ESPN for a few million dollars. Yay me...sigh

Working with friends / family can be very tough . Hope you end up making big bucks SS , you do a great job on this site ! If I start a business one day , it would probably be a gym or martial arts studio . Good luck to those of you on here that have ... or are starting a business !