It has now been 60 days since I stepped away from the womb of corporate America and into the great entrepreneurial unknown. As a statement of the obvious I offer this: it sure is different out here.

Brilliant, no?

Here are some of the observed differences in no particular order.

In my Last Life I had ‘people’. By that I mean I had folks to help with the various brainstorms and hair brain thoughts that cross my path every single day. If I had an idea for a new marketing campaign I would call the good folks in marketing and say:

me: hello, marketeer, I am contemplating a new whiz bang campaign that looks like this in my mind

markeeter: sounds interesting, why don’t I formulate a few ideas that play off of that and get back to you , say next Monday

me: perfect, I await your call

-or-

me: the web site looks like it could use a page/section that covers the theory of grommets properly placed for maximum absorption (what?)

internet guru: sounds interesting, why don’t I gather some metrics and we can huddle (huddle?) next Monday.

me: great, although I’m with marketing on Monday, let’s do Tuesday

The idea that you have a team to assist build the business is no small issue in the world of entrepreneurialism. Today if I need to brain storm a thought I am calling a friend or a person that I am paying to do a job i.e. video producer, graphic designer, etc. They, of course, have other agendas besides my business.

In my Last Life I had an expense account….a big one.

Now I pay for everything.

Simple, I know, but when the revenue has not yet started (still building) and the money is being spent, every last dollar feels important. Oh and my wife thinks I am cheap to begin with! Just this morning I needed to get a package to an associate for delivery tomorrow. In the Last Life I filled out an air-bill and slapped it on the package.

Who got charged? Hell if I know!

Now it costs $16.25 from the United States Post Office.

Last life: IT help

Today: Not

Last Life: dedicated admin assistant

Today: uh, no

Last life: all office supplies, well, supplied

Today: uh, no

The lists does go on.

That said, here is real question – am I happier today? The answer here is a resounding YES, YES, YES.

Need to hire a speaker?

The next weeks will be spent contacting tons of folks who may (or may not!) want to know where I have gone and what I will do. At the same time I will be working to write copy for the new web site that will do the PR for one element of my business. Also during this time I will be working through a presentation.

More to follow…….

the typical sequence of changing jobs. Traditionally this has been defined as the sequence of neatly fitting job one’s end to job two’s beginning, job two’s end to job three’s beginning and so on.

What games does the mind play when after 29 years of this Lego game the next step is not clear?

Plenty.

Have you heard of the term Gremlins? These are the thoughts (not voices, I’m not psychotic…yet) that the ‘other you’ has. That force that wants to tell you that the decisions you are making are wrong. That your best laid plans are ill conceived. The ‘I’m not good enough’ voice; the ‘I don’t deserve that’ voice. We all have the Gremlins inside of us. Listen closely and you will hear them.

What is it like to wake up on a day (oh, say next week) and realize that you don’t have to be anywhere that day? Predictably disconcerting, and a tad scary. You see I have been a corporate guy for all these years and now I am striking out on my own so I can get out from under the Man (sounds mighty 60′s, right?).

My battle against the Lego Career starts, in earnest, next Tuesday.

This will be a mighty fight I do believe.