At the edge

So now, I have the money. It's in the bank. True, there's apparently a five-day delay before the checks are cleared, but, practically speaking, it's done. I can start.

Now what?

It's not that much different, being at the edge of the cliff, when you had known you were going over for weeks. I can't say it's a radical life-changing experience. But it is sobering. Now the question is, why don't I hand in my notice on Monday? What would hold me back?

There's good reason, like getting some dental work done while I have good insurance, or some other useful but until now put-off task. But aren't those excuses? Shouldn't I just start? I'm trying to figure out how much of my wanting to get those last tasks done is fear. That's hard to tell, at this point, because while I do feel fear, the excitement is there too. They seem to be working independantly.

Prep and circumstance

Laser printer in. Chair in. Laser printer good (Brother HL-4040CN, $200, at the moment, from Staples, about $150 off normal), chair, meh. (Acadia, a mesh-backed chair from Staples. The seat seemed fine for a few minutes in the store, but it doesn't work when you sit for a couple hours.)

Chair will go back and new one will be tried. It's part of the prep work, getting as many things ready as I can before I turn in notice and my home becomes my office. There are many, many items on the list of to-dos... get the company setup legally, get accounts for the company, payment systems (merchant account? Paypal?), which remote backup system(s) will I use (everyone needs a remote backup), defrost freezer so I can stock it full of steaks without it taking out of my investor's money (potatoes, they won't mind as much). The list is long but it's of things For Me, so it's better than a list of to-dos at "work."

We all know the importance of checklists, don't we? That's what a to-do list is. (Actually, first a to-do list should be a "do I need to ever do this, really?" list, but then it becomes a checklist.) It's a tool to do well what people do poorly. Not just dumb people. Even doctor or programmer people.

Some of the list of things to-do at the start are common. The Small Business Administration has a lot of what should be on your list, even if some of it is focused on "traditional" businesses involving retail or manufacturing. But part of it is circumstantial, and make use of that where you can. How many folks have a freezer? I'll be able to use that friendly monster to reduce my living expenses a bit, while still having tasty foods. If you don't have one, is it worth getting one? They're cheap, really. Can you get rid of your car? I did, long ago, but I live in Chicago. We've got trains and buses that go everywhere and I can walk to most common destinations (grocery store is across the street). In San Jose, that wouldn't apply.

Do you have special circumstances that can help... or hurt? I've got a mortgage, and it's for a fairly cheap place in the scheme of things, but it does mean I'm pretty tied to this spot. Chicago didn't get quite the boom and isn't having quite the bust that other real estate markets had, but selling a condo downtown would still take some time and result in, I'm guessing, not much money. If you're renting somewhere expensive, could you move somewhere cheaper? Sometimes that's really, really possible. If you're young, that's one of the pluses: you have fewer bits of stuff, you have friends that will help you move without having a coronary (literally), you've got no family and you don't need much in the way of space. If I had a wife and kids right now, I wouldn't be starting a business... it's not just risky, it's expensive and time consuming. (Do I mean families or startups? Both of course. Families are riskier, though. There are limits to how much pain and suffering a company can give you, but there's no limit to a bad family life.)

OK. I wandered a bit there. That'll happen. :)

Now, the pitch

And now, early news. Investor talked to lawyer. Lawyer good with the idea, wants to see us all in person and hear my pitch. Otherwise, he's fine with the idea.

Holy Shit.

This is looking more and more like a done deal. Holy Shit. Now I'm actually more excited and only slightly more terrified.

New business, new terrors

I'm trying to start a new business. Which means, really, that I'm starting a new business one way or the other.

I have a potential investor discussing things Friday with his lawyer... so I could get good news Friday night. This is just as exciting and terrifying as you can probably imagine. I'm a 43 year old corporate drone, and this is kind of going to involve all sorts of new and difficult experiences. I'm looking forward to it. But I'm scared.

Hopefully I'll look back at this and laugh. And won't have a "wow, I THOUGHT I knew what fear was!" post just a few months down the line.