“Take this job and shove it, I ain’t workin here no more.” In my twenty plus years recruiting, I’ve heard this line many times from candidates who have either just told their bosses or would like to. It seems that there are two common ways at arriving at this conclusion. Some folks just react or over react to an event or person. Others are on a slow burn, they begin questioning themselves about why they’re staying at their company, they’ve reached some heightened level of frustration due to one or many of typically the following situations. They view their boss as incompetent, arrogant, unappreciative or overly demanding.  They view their company as one that is not a market leader, isn’t providing a career path, may have experienced downsizing or is in the process of merging or being acquired.  For some, this means that they place a phone call to me asking to find them another company that will provide them a better opportunity to leverage their skills and increase their income. For others, these events accelerate a nagging thought that now begins to possess them. If I were to read their minds it would sound something like this.
 
“Why the heck am I continuing to work for this blankety blank company or person, when I’m doing all the work, not getting the credit and could be making more money and dealing with less garbage if I just worked for myself.”  Seems like a reasonable thought to me, after all it’s probably similar to the thoughts that crossed my mind back in 1986 when I started Alta Associates Inc. Of course at the time I didn’t realize how naïve an assumption that was and I think many people don’t realize it either. I was a great recruiter, so why should I continue working for someone else?
 
Well, I’m here to tell you that just because you’re great at doing something technical, it doesn’t mean that you’ll be great at running a company that offers a technical product or service.  So before you take that huge leap forward, realize that in your effort to free yourself from the stress of your current job you’re going to be adding more to your work load than you’ve ever imagined. Why do I say that? Right now you’ve got a job that you are confident you are really good at. If you thought you needed hand holding, training or close supervision you probably wouldn’t consider going out on your own. Now think about the multiple jobs you will be acquiring if you start your own business. Let’s say you’re a really good technician, and you believe you’re ready to be the CEO. The question is, are you ready to be the VP of Sales, the VP of Finance and Accounting, the Administrative Officer, and the Chief Marketing Officer? What kind of experience and training do you have in these areas? Do you think that these are things that will come naturally to you? Many technologists are subject matter experts but are totally out of there comfort zone when it comes to business development, marketing, billing or collections. Are you willing to learn these skills? Recognize even if your plan is to outsource these tasks, ultimately you are responsible for them all and you will have to know enough to set goals, create policies and evaluate the performance of and deal with the consequences of the actions of those you outsource to.
 
So do you really have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Only you have the answer to that one. Are you forward thinking? Do you like having things in your control? Are you willing to be ultimately accountable for everything that happens whether it’s your fault or not? Do you have the funding to pay the myriad of expenses that go along with starting and maintaining a business? Can you build the receivables to sustain the inevitable lows that are going to occur? Are you prepared to not be part of a much bigger organization? Do you really have the personality, the gut, the work ethic for starting your own business?  Realize that most business owners work harder than any of their employees. Especially in the beginning you will have to eat, sleep and breathe your business. Do you have the dedication and willingness to commit and follow through on the tremendous amount of personal time that it’s going to take to get this up and running and then to maintain the business as a profitable going concern? And most importantly, what is your risk tolerance. In my opinion above all things you have to revel in the idea of taking chances. You have to be willing to put yourself, your ideas, your ability to deliver all on the line. And then you have to consistently produce. Your name, your brand, your reputation now has a value that you have to uphold.  When you speak with other business owners, the horror stories that you hear are incredible. Last week I was dining with a CEO of a company that now has hundreds of employees, but she was telling me that when she first founded the organization everyone worked tirelessly to close what would be their largest sale and first showcase company and the week that the contract was supposed to be signed, the person responsible for the purchase died and so did the deal. At Alta, we’ve worked on senior executive placements for months that fell through at the very last minute because, the spouse changed their mind and wouldn’t relocate, the house had toxic mold and couldn’t be put on the market, the candidate failed the background check …and the list goes on. My point is when you own your own company as much as you think you are in charge of your own destiny, there are still many outside factors that will have a huge impact on your success and your cash flow. The question is do you have the stomach for the roller coaster ride?
 
You may be thinking, you did it, how hard can it really be? What I can tell you is I have the stomach for it. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t and aren’t plenty of times that I’m sick over the business. And although I’d like to forget all the sleepless nights, upset stomachs, and many tears, the fear and pain is totally outweighed by the rush of winning, the excitement of competing, and the knowledge that ultimately the buck stops here. So if my questions sound harsh or negative, they’re not; they are realistic. 2007 marks Alta’s 21st year of business. It has been the most challenging, most exciting and most fulfilling experience that I could imagine. The satisfaction of knowing that every day I can implement new ideas, create new goals, affect change, build relationships and experience the tremendous satisfaction of a win by our team is one of the greatest highs I know. If you’re up for the challenge…go ahead and leap.