Timdogg is in a band that's got some regular gigs, which is cool. They play in downtown Olympia periodically, and I make it out to their shows when I can. One of the band members recently decided to quit his state job and take up welding as a full-time profession. He and a friend are going to start a shop and make decorative things and hopefully make a living... and since they're putting all of their proverbial eggs in one basket, they really have to make it work.

My father-in-law started his own business down in California - he's a home inspector, and managed to make quite a bit of money during the recent housing boom. He started out with nothing and wound up making over two-and-a-half times the amount I make.

A friend of mine, after working for somebody in the concrete industry for a number of years, decided to start his own concrete business. In just a year, he's managed to pull in about half-a-million dollars in business, which will easily get all of his equipment paid off, and will allow him to take a hefty bonus at the end of the year.

I like my secure job. I like my steady paycheck, my nice benefits, and I generally enjoy the people in my office. I like not having to think about whether or not I'll make any money in any given day, because when you've got a family, it's nice to be able to budget for things like groceries and little vacations, and it's certainly easier to do when you have a steady income.

However... there's a part of me that's getting a little restless. I'm watching these people start their own businesses, and it's stirring up something inside me. I know that I've got creative talent, and I know that I could be successful starting my own business, but there's some kind of mental block, I think. I just don't know what I'd want to do! That, and I'm afraid that I would get bored of anything that I started, and since the start-up costs for any business are generally pretty high, I can't afford to be fickle.

I've got hobbies. Plenty of them. I weld, I do some woodworking, I work on cars, I write... and I'm sure that any one of those could be the starting point for a business... but I think there's something inside me that wants to keep them as hobbies, and not have to rely on them to make a living. Do I think it's too risky? Do I fear getting bored of it? I don't know. I think I've got to get some of that sorted out, because I'd really like to do something here soon. Not that I want to quit my wonderful job... but if I can start something up and make some real money doing it... I can't see a good reason to not switch tracks and do something different.