Reinvention: Worker To Entrepreneur

Have a clue, writes Tony, before changing your career because of financial strain.

Recently, I’ve run across several people who have been laid off because of the recession and are now turning to entrepreneurship.

Normally, I’d say this is a good thing. I always applaud anyone who starts their own business, despite the complaints from authorities that this just means people have given up on finding “real jobs

But I do recognize that this recession-caused mass reinvention from worker to entrepreneur is a double edged sword.

On the one hand, it’s great: More people should experience the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. It’s one of the most exciting things you can do in a lifetime.

On the other hand, it can be difficult and I’m afraid that many of these people are plunging into it without a clue as to what they’re doing.

Let’s get something straight: Entrepreneurship is not easy. It involves a lot of work and requires an ability to think differently than most other people. Also, it can be very lonely, because not only are you now the master of your own fate, you’re also the primary cause of it. You can’t blame misfortune on anyone else, like a bad boss or stupid co-workers. It’s all on you.

One aspect of entrepreneurship that exists today but never did before is the rise of social networking support. There are a lot of smart people out there, and today you can be connected to all of them. Got a problem? Just jump on the network and get some help.

One I really like is a new social group for professionals called LaidOffCamp, which began a few months ago in San Francisco.Based on the BarCamp philosophy prevalent in technology, LaidOffCamps are ad-hoc gatherings o unemployed and nontraditionally employed people who want to share ideas and learn from each other.

There isn’t one in Vancouver yet, which is surprising, considering we’re usually quick adopters of these California trends. But I’m sure there will be soon.