“I’m doing it for fun”

It is amazing to me just how many people today believe they are ‘stuck’ doing work that they think they either have to do or are supposed to do instead of work they really want to do.

This has never been more evident than it is right now with the economy in or on the verge of recession, the leading edge of the baby-boomers approaching retirement and the trailing edge of this generation seeking a more gratifying lifestyle.

As I meet with people day in and day out discussing the success dreams they have, I believe that the most difficult thing for ‘would-be-if-I-could-be entrepreneurs’ to accept is that they REALLY CAN do what they love and make a go of it.

Home-Based business is not only legitimate, not only here to stay, but is the way of the future for entrepreneurship. Gone are the days of commuting, cubicles and huge capital costs - traded in for a favorite pair of blue jeans, a fast Internet connection, coffee brewing in the kitchen, and some of the smartest and most spirited entrepreneurs in the world … running their businesses from home.

Here is a great example:

It’s 7 a.m. Larry Murphy’s had his first cup of coffee, confirmed the weather on the computer in his basement office, and has his rods and reels already stowed in the back of his truck. He’s not headed to the corporate headquarters to punch in. He’s headed to meet today’s fishing clients at the lake.

Just another typical start to the business day for this home-based boomer entrepreneur.

Murphy, barely making the boomer cut at 47, is the sole owner and operator of outdoor-tour company Murphy Outdoors. He traded in his office job of 25 years for a boat and some fishing tackle. After his time at Kansas City, Mo.-based technology firm DST Systems, where he worked his way up from a computer operator to executive management,

This wealth, garnered in many cases after time spent at large corporations, has often led to early “retirements.” But in reality, many of these people left their corporate jobs to follow their own personal passions-from home-and hang the “Open” sign.

Baby boomers are one of the largest segments of the home-based business phenomenon and are significantly responsible for its boom across the country, says Jeff Williams, blogger and chief coach of Chicago-based business startup consultancy.  As of fall 2007, there are 27 million people over the age of 50 who want to continue to work well into their 60s, he says.

“We really established what it meant to be a workaholic,” Williams says of the boomer generation. “We got used to working 60- and 70-hour weeks, and we can’t move away from that very easily. The largest number of startups is coming from people over 50.”

Murphy retired from DST in May 2007, and launched his venture the following month. Through Murphy Outdoors, he runs fishing expeditions for small groups of people in the Ozark region of central Missouri.

“It’s one of the things I’ve done all of my life as a hobby,” he says of fishing.

Murphy now runs the office part of his business from the basement of his home in Gladstone, Mo., outside of Kansas City. With the purchase of a new boat, fishing gear and a computer, his startup cost him around $53,000.

So far it has paid off. He has done slightly more than 30 trips since his launch and charges $150 for a half-day of fishing for two people and $225 for a full-day event. His goal is to hit 100 expeditions annually.

His computer background allowed him to build his own Web site, through which he does most of his marketing. His skills helped when Murphy needed to make his site visible on popular search engines, a process he completed by following the instructions those engines give “to the letter,” he says, and making sure you have important key words on your Web site that will trigger a hit.

“It isn’t something that happens in a day,” he warns of his search engine optimization efforts for his Web site. “It takes three or four weeks sometimes.”

Murphy also spreads word of his business by handing out cards at the many fishing tournaments he regularly attends and has put a sign on his truck advertising the business.

Though Murphy retired relatively young, he suggests that aspiring entrepreneurs “stick it out” at their current jobs, invest correctly and secure financial stability before going out on your own. That way you can enjoy your new careers more fully.

A variation of Murphy’s advice has worked well too: Start part time, in the evenings and on weekends, while you still bring in the day-job paycheck. Only when your home business has enough momentum to succeed should you jettison yourself from the corporate world.

“I’m not doing it for money,” he says. “I’m doing it for fun.”

Finding the perfect entrepreneurial business for yourself can be done following a simple 10 step process.

In the next few weeks I will introduce you to each of the Ten Simple Steps To Astonishing Entrepreneurial Success.

Check back every day or so to keep up with the process or subscribe to the feedblitz feed by entering you email address in the block at the top of this article and select ‘Subscribe Me’.

Until next then, be thinking of a hobby you love or a special know-how you command.

Thank you for visiting,

Steve

Your Entrepreneurial Success Champion.

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