There will come a day when you drive up to where you work and you just can't pull in the parking lot. Instead, you drive to a park and sit - and think - and finally make up your mind and go do it. The younger the better.

Hey Jay! well, I finally quit my full time job (that I had been doing since 1987) as a pharmacy technician in November of 2004 to pursue my dream...now, I only teach and perform, and it is feast or famine in this business...so I am pursuing my life long dream...

for over 18 years I have been studying and then teaching yoga part time, then 10 years ago I went back to dancing... in my mind over the past 3 years I have had a business plan to go non-profit and take what I know out into the community to help those who have been through domestic violence, alcohol & substance abuse, teen pregnancy/disadvantaged youths in homes...etc etc... over the past few months I have been visiting and dancing in nursing homes, youth homes, teaching yoga in battered women's shelters, community projects (and have even been hired by some on a monthly/biweekly or weekly basis to visit!) (I am very grateful to my x boyfriend who got me started doing this...)

this has truly been my life's dream and I hope within the next year I will be able to turn it all around and open an entire community center & outreach project... I have been thinking of returning to school and transferring my existing pharmacy credits over (if possible) and going for psychology/sociology to use as a base for this project...

I have really put the plan into full force these past few weeks and have gotten an amazing response already! I am in the process right now of filing for my non-prof status, and already have a good deal of grant writing done, it just needs to be tweaked to the needs of each separate proposal...

I have found a wonderful office space/studio close by and hope to have it up and running by the end of the month...so, here I go jumping off the deep end! I have tried pursuing my dream of bringing happiness and strength to others with other people, but the passion just wasn't in their hearts...they didn't want to pull their weight and get the ball rolling...so it is better if I do this on my own now...I have wanted to do it for as long as I can remember and I know it will be a great success...irregardless of the county's cutbacks for the arts, there are still grants available from private foundations & organizations to help fund my expenses for the project... and I am confident I can obtain them as I did before for another studio.
so, what do you think about my business plan? has anyone here ever done anything along these lines or have any advice?
~N

I would rather be happily self employed, with much more modest means - than work for someone else making them rich and hating my life. For me, there has never really been a question of when.

This is a very personal question, and will vary from person to person. Some people methodically plan and transition smoothly over years, some gradually become dissatisfied, some break down or are fired and some go into business for themselves because they are, effectively, unemployable.

IF YOU HAVE A CHOICE in the matter, I suggest making a logical, multi-year plan with numbers, by which you gradually ramp up your future business and put as many systems as possible into place before you make (or even announce) the transition. Attend SCORE workshops, read books on systems, hang out with others and look for mentors, understanding that this may *not* be the right thing for you.

Some people are just not built to be employees, and some people are just not built for self-employment, and my experience is that one often cannot appreciate who is who without some major failures.