Wage-Slaves Have Dreams Too

So what’s the preoccupation with starting a business?

I suppose that I’ve always craved the freedom that business ownership can bring. Even though I spent over 18 years in the corporate environment, I never stopped thinking about what it would be like to, someday, break those shackles and start charting my own course.

I suspect we’ve all been there at some point. I like to think of this as every person’s secret fantasy. It’s something that many of us keep to ourselves for fear of ridicule and judgment by others. Friends and family are the worst for this – not to mention your coworkers and boss. I never disclosed my plans to anyone at work because I knew that they wouldn’t understand. Most would have wondered why I was looking for something else when I was “looked after” quite nicely by the company. The only thing I can say is that we are all entitled to seek happiness, and some find it within the confines of the company/employee structure.

There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, it’s just not for me.

You could assume that because I spent so long in the corporate world, I wasn’t really that serious about actually going into business for myself. That’s a fair assumption, but not quite accurate. I think it has to do (more) with survival and providing for my family. Though I always thought about going into business, I needed the security that a fulltime job could provide – that was reality.

Now, being a wage-slave (I love that term – don’t know why), doesn’t mean that you haven’t got options. In fact, I started many part-time ventures during my years with the company. Even though I wasn’t making enough to quit my job, I did gain some invaluable experience that would help me once I took that leap of faith.

Many of the part-time businesses never made any real money – heck, I was lucky to be able to cover my costs at times. However, a few did generate a bit of income every month. And this income (after taxes, of course) was just icing on the cake. It was money that I could spend on whatever I wanted.

It’s a great feeling to be able to create your own money. In fact, I found that it was quite addictive. There’s nothing like having several hundred dollars of “extra” cash in your account at the end of the month. This is something that most corporate workers will never experience.