Freedom Countdown

Archive for the ‘Picking a business’ Category

Most of the books I’ve read about how to find work that you love  ask you to perform an exercise where you write down what you would be doing on a perfect work day after you quit your job.  Over the last three years, I’ve done this several times and it always ends up with something like:

• Wake up when I want to
• Spend a couple of hours reading the paper/internet
• Start working when my body wakes up (usually around 10 AM)
• Have a variety of tasks to chose from so I can do what matches my mood for the day
• Work about 4 hours
• Have some tasks that involve going places and doing things, not just sitting at a computer
• Have the flexibility to not work at all if I don’t feel good or have a better option
• Have time to actually go out to eat lunch vs. sitting at my desk eating beanie weanies (ughhh)

In the Six Sigma world these become  your CTQ’s (Critical to Quality).  Things you must have in a new product/process/whatever.  Some of your CTQs are more important than others, so you rank them as to which ones are the most important.  As you start to evaluate options, you prioritize them based on whether or not they meet your CTQ’s. Certainly if a business idea you are considering doesn’t meet your top CTQs, you should think strongly about tossing it out.  After all, this is about creating a better life for yourself, not trading one thing you don’t like for another.  If that’s all you’re doing, just keep your job.  It’s a lot easier and has a steady paycheck.