Business On A Shoestring, Part One

When I started Metier Career Coaching, I did so with zero external funding and a few dollars in my pocket that I was willing to risk on this venture. I'm not really a born entrepreneur, if there is such a thing; just a guy who wanted to start a coaching practice and didn't know how to go about doing so. Taking big risks isn't my cup of tea, but I also know that no risk = no payoff, so I've had to become comfortable with a small level of risk. Recently, I've realized there's a term for this approach to entrepreneurship: bootstrapping. Turns out I'm not the only one who's taken this approach, and there's a lot of articles out there on the internet to help bootstrappers. There are books on bootstrapping, networking sites for bootstrappers, blogs on bootstrapping, and resources for bootstrappers out there. Just google "entepreneur bootstrapper" to see what's out there. Gee, wish I'd known about this a year ago! Here are eleven inspirational stories of bootstrappers who made it from Bootstrapme.com to get your creative juices flowing.

In the next entry in this series, I'll do some googling myself and let you know what I found.

Entrepreneurship and Balance

Jeff Cornwall posted an excellent article on his blog "The Entrepreneurial Mind" on the need for a balanced life, and the risk faced by the entrepreneur who gives his/her all to a new business venture. He writes: "...If we are to become all that we were put on this Earth to do, we have to temper the temptation to become consumed by our work..."

Good advice. That's why in coaching client careers I focus on finding balance, and why we'll talk about all areas of your life. A person who knows only one note but plays it well will have a hard time finding harmony in his/her life. You can read Jeff's post by clicking this link.

Vasily