I feel im at a crossroads now in my life ?

Question

basically this is where i am at now in my life,it feels cliche but its a crossroad,
Im 22 years old and having worked since the age of 15 under 3 devious managers in factorys I decided that i will give it a go myself,Its something i have wanted to do for a long time but the last 6 months ive taken a course on starting a business and am really going gung ho,the recent credit crunch has affected it for now as if all was right with the world i feel i would have my investment now but as ive spoke to my bank,they cannot give anything towards it now,which is a shame but it wont stop me,its a great idea and something sligo will really benefit from i feel,i suppose watching my brother who owns a successful bar and restaurant in sligo town for over 10 years now has made me want it a little more thats not in doubt,but theres a element in me that wants to do better,not to be spiteful or anything malacious its just a personal dream of mine to be very successful in what i do and make my late father proud also,alot of people have asked me "why dont you ask this brother for the investment" well without boring you all silly,my family is very odd,we get on great and always look out for each other but my brother made his success from nothing,and really i mean that,our family home which i still live in with my mother is just your average house in a estate that has the worst reputation in sligo,which doesnt help but ive grown up with good people there so i cant knock it,its my home always,so since my brother never offered me anything and he knows my ideas for this but hasnt offered help as such,i thought "you know what,he did it alone,i will too" so at the moment as banks are a failed option for now,i might look down the road of a angel investor,a guy who will see the great idea and potential for massive profits and help me,thing is,where are these guys lol .. i`ll keep looking and i`ll never stop trying to be successful,who knows i could have a business this year coming,it could be 2010 or ever 2015 but i will one day open a business i can call mine,and not work under any devious inept boss again. Actually recently the sligo enterprise board got in touch with me and said they like the idea and think it will be great for sligo so who knows what will happen,hopefully sooner rather than later eh. thanks for reading if you have and good luck on your own venture,never stop trying,you never know.

Answer 1

Hi Tony



Good on you. You are going about things in the right way - taking a course in starting a business and contact with and feed back from the Sligo Enterprise Board seems encouraging.



I do not know what sort of business you are hoping to start but always look at the competition and see what improvements you can make to make your business more attractive.



For example when I was made redundant I set up my own catering business but I did 6 months research and preparation to find out what was on offer and what extra I could offer. The time investment paid dividends and the business was very successful until I had to sell it. The competition was really fierce but I came out on top.



The credit crunch is adversely affecting businesses large and small and there is no telling when things will improve. In the meantime follow your dream, prepare business plans so that when things do improve or you find an investor you will be able to convince the banks/investor of its viability and earnings potential. Be prepared for disappointment and hard work. Keep your feet on the ground, don't keep your head in the clouds and don't lose sight of reality. Remember the more you put into something, the more you will get out of it.



I'm not quite sure what your question is but I hope I've given a little bit of good advice.



Good luck.

Answer 2

I remember holidays as a child in Sligo, fantastic place with gorgeous beaches..just wanted to wish you the best of luck with your dream, keep trying I am sure you will get there one day :)



I understand what you mean about "making it on your own", we are in a similar position to you, potential investors agree we have a great idea and we have spent some years working on it, but with the financial world the way it is we don't have much chance at the moment..but we won't give up and neither should you! Markets change and things will bounce back...and when they do they will want keen new starters like us, I hope!



Best of luck, and wave to the beaches for me!

Answer 3

Always follow your dream my friend, good luck