Building Moxie (part 4 of a few) aka you have to do what you need to do before you can do what you want to do

Click here for part 3

(I might have to trademark the "un-post")

I was hanging a door, when I got the call. At some point after being let go, I must have put my resume up on Career Builder dot com. And that’s how they found me, I guess. My former company (remember that global web-software provider) called and said, “Do you want to come back?” I said, “Let me ask my wife.”

Well, and I almost laugh out loud, it had been a tough year – you know – not getting thrown into a new thing. Not having to dig up clients; not having to pay for health insurance; not having to pay taxes; not having to rehab a house, and definitely not having to figure out how to estimate and bill for the work I was doing.

What do you think my wife said? Well, . . . you know.

As with most things in life, I feel that I do more right than wrong

I consulted with my former boss (a one time custom home builder) before I jumped in. I said, “I guess I am just going to work for myself.” His initial response, “Just don’t make any mistakes.” Sound advice, I thought.

Did I make a mistake or two that year? Absolutely; actually I probably made a few more than that. And yes, some were . . . work related. I was hungry, after all – taking anything I could get my hands on, and just giving it away. A couple of the jobs I took on – well, I really didn’t "nail." And when you (as a new small guy trying to do right by clients) don’t hit expectations for quality and/or expenditure, it is tough to have billing power.

Do I regret some of the decisions I made? Absolutely not. (I mean, by now you should know me; I was . . . .) And I did learn a thing or two about myself that year. Most notably – that I, not as contractor, move slowly.

I also learned that the jobs I felt most comfortable doing, the ones I excelled at – were the larger ones, the ones where the client & I could engage each other early . . . in the planning phases. These jobs did not produce the pictures below (among some others):














Anyway, back on the horn

Financially, it was getting tight. Though the real estate market was slumping, we had funds left over from the sale of our most previous property. My wife, though, not working full time as it were – was getting even fewer leads and prospects, and we were burning through that cash quickly. The girls two and four then – were starting pre-school, and it was time to pay.

So, as any good head of the household, I sucked it up, negotiated a slightly higher salary, and, well, went back to the desk job I had abandoned four years earlier. And . . . as you might have guessed – I currently work that job. To make that decision sit, though – I told myself (and my wife) – I am going to take this time to finish that business plan, started back in August of 2004.

I mean, this was the only way I was going to possibly keep my sanity (or loose it).

Jobs do not make a career

I always squirm (especially now) when I get the question: What do you do? And I answer as best I can, “I am a software analyst,” my head nearly exploding.

I mean, don’t get me wrong. I really do like the company I work for, always have. I am proud of the product I work on, and of my contributions to it. I even own stock. And yes, I am risking myself by putting myself out here like this.

Though I do most of my research, development, and writing before I enter the workplace . . . well, to be honest, sometimes it is unavoidable – I just need a fix . . . .

I convince myself it is OK. Others surf YouTube, play fantasy football, and do this, that, and the other thing. I instead focus on my baby. And by September of 2007, I already had a name picked out; I was calling her “Show-How.”

Building Building Moxie :: Some Methods and Means

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More Moxie:
Career Builder: http://www.careerbuilder.com/
The most fantastic school in the world: http://www.dulaneydayschool.com/