Yesterday I wrote how seventeen year old boys and girls are deciding the eventual fates of many adult career paths. You can either scroll down ’till you get there, or click here to read it in a new window.
Some of them work out well, but studies show that huge percentages of the American public would do something else if they felt they could afford it.
Many would volunteer, and give their lives to altruistic endeavors. Many more would start their own businesses if they believed they could manage the financial risk.
In reading yesterday’s article, you learned that at seventeen, I had convinced myself to become a dentist so that I could play golf four days a week. I know… I know… I shouldn’t have been trusted with such decisions… and I guess that’s really the point.
Thankfully, I ended up in a Business Administration program with a double major in Accounting and Marketing, and opened my first company a few years later. Cool heads do prevail.
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I just saw a television commercial about “Sedation Dentistry”. A local dentist smiled as he talked about knocking his patients out “with a little pill”, and then going to town on them while they “snooze”.
Actually, the “going to town on them” part was my interpretation… he didn’t actually say that.
You know, as I look over the years I am very glad that I took another track in business. That said,
I was just thinking about what it was that initially intrigued me about the dentist thing.
For sure it wasn’t the “open a little wider” reminders, or the sound of the suction machine. It wasn’t the cool looking shoes, or the gloves or masks. No… those are actually the reasons I chose to have a non-dental practice.
I think it was just the desire to have a little control… that extra bit of freedom that comes with ownership… the potential to profit from the things that go well, and to learn from the things that don’t. The ability… and responsibility, to not blame anyone else.
I love being in business for myself.
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So, what now… what if you’ve reached a point in your journey after seven or eight years… or even twenty or thirty years… where you suspect the seventeen year old was wrong.
If you’ve given it your all, and there’s something still missing… it may be time to change course.
There has never been an easier time to get into business for yourself. There has never been a better time to begin to lead. There are over twenty-seven million small businesses in this country. And there is plenty of room for one more… yours.
I look forward to speaking with you.
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