function me() { return array( PHP, Video Podcast, Podfire.sg, Web 2.0, AJAX, Movies, Apple, Christianity ); }
24 Jul
Some of you might have noticed that i have removed the “Lazy Serial Entrepreneur” tag line from my blog.
Not that i am not lazy anymore (although that is a good thing). Neither am i stopping my serial entrepreneurship endeavors. Its more that i’ve given up my juvenile aspirations of becoming “Entrepreneur of the Year”.
In a nutshell, i’d rather be rich than famous.
In the past 2 years that i’ve been working for others, i’ve gotten rather complacent.
Working for others meant that i had relinquished much of the responsibilities of a business owner. I’m no longer personally responsible for the well-being of the company.
I was content to draw a salary at the end of the month and live a comfortable lifestyle. I had relinquished much of my personal freedoms. My time is not my own. But its all right cos i’m content to sell 8 hours of my time in return for a consistent paycheck.
This reminds me of the Cashflow101 game i enjoyed playing so much. At the beginning of the game, we’re in the “Rat Race”. Going round in circles, we’ll shout “Paycheck!” whenever we pass the right square (much like a game of monopoly when we pass “Go”).
In essence, i was living from paycheck to paycheck.
And why not? It was a stress free living. My after hours can be dedicated to fun stuff like the social media scene, blogosphere activities and the Singapore PHP User Group.
The sad truth was that I had gotten into a comfort zone and i was becoming complacent.
Somehow early this year, things took a turn - good things were happening in my off-hour activities.
A momentum was growing in the PHP User Group, pushing it toward a new level. Investors had taken an interest in Podfire.sg. Essentially, my passion for Podcasting and programming are becoming my day job.
All of a sudden, i am called to stretch beyond my comfort zone. My current self was unwilling to cross the Jordan river to the land flowing with milk and honey (ha!). A part of me was like the fearful scouts that came back from the promised land with bad news of giant philistines and impregnable fortresses.
Problem was that I had moved out of the business-owner mode for so long, that i had ceased to take ownership of things. I was inadvertently sabotaging myself with my mental block. The fear of failure still loomed over my previous business venture.
I think its time i snapped out of my dream and wake up. Things need to move forward and upwards. And at greater speeds. I need a new sense of urgency and immediacy.
I need to become a business-owner again. With the same hunger i had before.
Yes, its time to bite the bullet and move out of my comfort zone. Time to sever the umbilical cord and start living the life i am meant to live.
So… stay tuned for new developments…
5 Responses for "Confessions of An Ex-Entrepreneur (Part 1)"
Aint it fun?
Welcome!
Your sentiments are probably something which most, maybe all, entrepreneurs go through at some point. being salaried is always a safety net, as opposed to being out in the wild. over my 10 or so years of working life, i’ve been at the same river bank many times. one thing which i’ve always told myself and others is, “if not now, then when?”. comfort zones will always exist, and the hunger for what else is out there differentiates between a salaryman and an entrepreuneur. :p
comfort zones are good, but then again to succeed u need to push urself up against the wall….
its like if u dun try u’ll not know the outcome…. life is too short XD
Rinkos last blog post..life is interesting
I have the very same feeling now. Selling your time for paychecks just do not make it when you had tried to be a business owner before.
Guess it is just a matter of time when I jump right back in also!
Actually, quite frankly, the commentary is more interesting messages themselves. (Not to insult the author, of course:))
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