Week Zero
I’m finishing up my zeroth week among the self-employed.
Things are good. I have a client, so I don’t have to worry (yet) whether I can continue to put food on the table. On the other hand, all of the basic things you have to take care of to run a business are pretty overwhelming. I’m still looking for an office. I thought I had something lined up, and it fell through on Monday. I would work at home, except my two-and-a-half year old son doesn’t really accept the concept of “Daddy working now.” I’ve been working out of the neighborhood coffee shop, getting WiFi for the low low price of one medium latte (though I did branch out this evening and sample the macchiato). This is probably the best real estate deal around, but the drawbacks include:
- Terrible environment for taking phone calls. The milk steamer is calculated to destroy you. “Can you hear me now?”
- Cannot bring my 20” display or my Wacom tablet.
- What, no Herman Miller Aeron?! I picked one up for a song after the dotcom crash. There was a time in Austin when you could walk out onto Congress avenue and scoop up Aeron chairs with a fishing net.
I still need to get with an accountant and a lawyer. I have a banker and an insurance agent. Speaking of insurance, did you know you can’t buy private health insurance as long as your wife is pregnant? Yeah, it’s a pre-existing condition! Now it is my honor and privilege to subscribe to COBRA for a thousand dollars a month.
Not that I’m complaining, though. I love making my own hours. The ones that feel natural to me are weird by the standards of corporate America. I have to remind myself to shower and shave and wear pants. My entrepreneur friends tell me this gets easier. I treated myself to some GQ-caliber grooming products. Maybe now I can say the phrase “founder and CEO” without cracking up.
Comments
Glad to hear it’s going well and is agreeing with you, Zach! Looking forward to hearing more of your adventures in Entrepreneurship!
Sean
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