Need general advice

[stryped]

Hi,
I stumbled onto your website after doing a search "how to make a million dollars". I guess it was more out of frustration than an actual search to make a million dollars. I have been looking for things I could do on the side to make income, and possibly enjoy myself.

I work in HR during the day and have been blessed to be at the same place for almost 14 years. The pay is ok, but it is still hard with a family. My wife is a school teacher and I have 2 kids. I have a small house and drive a vehicle with 322,000 miles on it. I worry with the economy about my kids future, ability to go to college, etc.

There are alot of things my kids dont have that others have but they are well taken care of. My daugther complains alot about the size of her room, closet, etc.

I see these shows like OCC and hear of these people startign things in their garage or basement and think, why cant I do that. But I can always find a reason for somethign to not work.

I for the most part like my job, but I am a quiet, non confrontational, hates conflict type of guy. I sometimes think people take advantage of me becasue of it and it seems as if HR is always makign someone mad becasue they have to tell someone somethign they dont want to hear. I feel a general lack of respect.

Right now I am pretty busy both at work and at home as I am training to run my first marathon in the fall, but things should slow down a little after that. I have a detached garage and like to work with my hands in my spare time. But I am slow at everythign I do. I thought about getting into woodworking again and making small items to sell at fleamarkets.

I dreamed once I building kit cars and selling them as completed units. Most people said there would be no money in that.

I have welders all kinds of tools but I am not a certified welder by any means.

I have an undergrad degree in HR and a masters in organizational communication. I have been an Assistant HR manager in a manufacturing plant for a long time. Thought abotu going back to school but there are limited things you can take at night. I did find a nighttime law school but it is an hour and a half away but only 2 days per week.

Anyways I guess I am looking for direction. I found your website and you sounded like a good person to ask.

Thanks!

[generationy]

WOW, you've come to the right place! The number one thing you have to do in order to succeed is find something you are passionate about. What is it that you can talk about for hours on end? What "turns you on"? Can you work on that idea as a business with long hours, some results? Will you give up? If you can find that one thing, you are set. No obstacle, no matter how monumental, will ever stop you from achieving success and your drive/ambition to make it BIG will carry you through hard times too. Check out the facebook page for inspirational quotes, articles etc. to help you too! Young Entrepreneur | Facebook !

[Phil_Conrad]

Stryped, you have guts to post this. Most young entrepreneurs or pre entrepreneurs don't wouldn't post this on a public forum. I'm just curious though as to why more members haven't posted a reply.

As someone that started his own business at 19 years of age, what I can tell you is you just have to begin and not stop. You may not have the right mix of idea, timing, and cash, but seeing that this is your first venture the most important thing is to just get started. If the idea falls flat, you will just be better prepared for your next idea. I know this is harder to do when you have kids so you will need to balance that out.

Surround yourself with other entrepreneurs that share your passion. This will make the difficult times easier to get through.

Looking forward to seeing your first product. Post back when your Web site is up and running.

Phil.
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[Bugman]

You don't need a million dollars. Set a budget that keeps you out of the red, contribute to your 401(k), and forget about it, just be happy. If you want help with your personal problems I recommend a few books. The One Minute Manager, Crucial Confrontations(ok, it's too long and not THAT great, but there is some good info there), and then read The One Minute Manager again. It's a good book. Talk straight and problems go away.

If you want to do some woodworking, like doing it, then do it. Make stuff to sell like wooden rocking horses or whatnot.

[someguy317]

There are a lot of money making opportunities available online. Blogging for instance can generate quite a bit of money through ads if you have great content and constant traffic.