Is there ever a good time?

Last spring when I decided to embark on a new career as self employed, I did a lot of soul searching. Because making the decision to forego the regular paycheck and embark on something this unsure, is not a decision you make lightly. Especially not when you have mortgages and other expenses to pay regardless of your income.

The fundamental question was: Is this a good time to go self employed? I eventually reached the conclusion that the answer was ‘yes’ for a number of reasons, I won’t bother you with here. But one of the things playing with my mind and making it a tough decision to make was the other part of the fundamental question: Is there ever a good time? And how do you know.

My take on it is that you can’t ever know whether it’s the right time. The obvious answer in times with econonmic growth is not necessarily ‘yes’. And at the same time the obvious answer is not necessarily ‘no’ when the going gets touch for the economy in larger society. My point? It’s not macrofactors that are essential to whether its a good time or not - its all the other and more personal factors. And I say this because experience tells us that we often hang our hat on these same macrofactors.

Don’t. Think hard and long about whether going solo is the right choice for you. But don’t put too much emphasis on society and its financial condition as such. Even in a downturn there is abundant opportunity.