Why I Started My Own Business

I was doing very well at the consulting firm where I started. I was making good money, and in my first three years I was the best business developer the firm had ever seen.

Then one night I found myself crying and calling my wife from a hotel somewhere in the Midwest. I said, “I can’t do this anymore, I’m really unhappy.” She said “Okay, let’s make a new plan.”

How did this happen? I loved working in a highly regarded firm and playing “the pro from Dover” all over the country. I was making more money than I’d ever seen before, and I felt really “smart” to be advising big company leaders on how to be more successful.

I realized that I was out of alignment with my own values and priorities. My wife and I had agreed from the start that our family was always going to be our first priority, and I was missing my children growing up.

The lonely nights in hotel rooms were bad enough, but coming home to discover that my family had made decisions and moved on without me was even worse. I was missing the really good stuff like the challenges and victories of our children growing into great adults.

In addition, I had no real sense of community. My life seemed to be passing before me at 30,000 feet above the country. I had plenty of business contacts, but not much time to develop real friendships.

I was terrified when I launched my business in 1997, but I knew I had to get control of my time so I could live my values and priorities rather than someone else’s. Almost immediately I started assistant coaching two little league teams.

There certainly have been days when I wondered if I made the right decision, but now I’m quite satisfied that it was the right one for me. I’m reminded of the Farrah Gray quote, “Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.”

Don’t be a stranger. (770) 993-1129, tdockery@TheResolveFirm.com