help to redefine my business

[Dave A]

OK. Profile your previous employer. Identify businesses with similar profiles (i.r.o your value add) and start knocking on doors.

I think the key is to keep moving, be in circulation, cover ground. When I started up, I was either doing work or looking for work during the day. Then I'd do my thinking at night....

Each night I'd refine my plan and build a list of activities for the next day. Then the next day I'd switch off the thinking cap (and with it the fear) and brainlessly kill that list.

Think some. Do some. 'Till you find what works. Perfection is arrived at in a lot of little steps, not one big leap.

To reduce the "vagueness" list specific projects you have already done and maybe specific stuff you can do (that you're aware of right now). People can see "Well, he's done that, can do that - he should be able to do this".

You're bright. Maybe you've figured this out already. If so, maybe this is just reinforcement (and a pointer or two for anybody else out there).

[duncan drennan]

Thanks Dave, I'll keep that in mind.

[Dave A]

A quick thought here (and one I did not want to raise before I got a little more information):

How many accountants have an accountancy business? Many use their accountancy skills, but in a business that is in another line of work.

[Marq]

You seem to have more info on this and a reason for asking?

[Dave A]

You seem to have more info on this and a reason for asking?

I guess private messaging was invented for a reason.

[Marq]

My guess is that most accountants get into positions in Corporates, see that their accounting training has stood them in good stead for the business world and move on - to either their own concerns or into the top management fields. With regard to this thread it probably means they focused onto specifics.

After all Accounting is boring stuff.

So to have a stab at answering your question - my guess 65% are doing something in the business world with only indirect links to their accounting expertise.

[Marq]

I guess private messaging was invented for a reason.

??? Confused??

[Dave A]

??? Confused??

The "More info" part. I think our posts were overlapping.

[Dave A]

And from that thought I'd quietly suggest that Duncan should keep an eye out for an opportunity to apply his talent to making/inventing some widget that will make him a fortune or two.

There is probably more prospects of big financial success this way as opposed to a consulting engineer. Sure, the consultant role can make decent money, but there's very little leverage.

[duncan drennan]

And from that thought I'd quietly suggest that Duncan should keep an eye out for an opportunity to apply his talent to making/inventing some widget that will make him a fortune or two.

There is probably more prospects of big financial success this way as opposed to a consulting engineer. Sure, the consultant role can make decent money, but there's very little leverage.

Dave, that is exactly my line of thinking, but there are a couple of things to take into account.

That is definitely the end goal, but there is a lot of work in between. Specifically the consulting work acts in a number of ways,

• It supports me financially while I develop my own widgets (at least it is supposed to)
• It will help expose me to new businesses and therefore more ideas
• It forms one small aspect of a long term goal (just the most pressing aspect

If I wanted to me a hard core engineer I would go find a job and apply my trade that way. Couple of problems with this,

• I have to work for my money
• My time is not mine
• Freedom
• This is a much longer path to financial freedom

Most of this process is to help me identify what I need to focus on, and how I need to position myself so that people will be willing to pay money for my services.

I went to see some guys that do product development and prototyping (mainly mechanical and plastics), and it seems like there is definitely work out there, it is just a matter of making people think - "Oooh, Engineer Simplcity can solve this for me"