WorriedDad
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- Oct 15, 2014
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I know this isn't a parenting forum, but I've noticed my son browsing this forum regularly for a couple years now and was hoping the veteran entrepreneurs here could give some insight into his (our) situation. I don't want to embarrass him, so I won't reveal his username.
My son is 25. He graduated from college with a degree in marketing two years ago after much prodding and bribery from me and his mother (he wanted to drop out and focus only on his "start-up"). Upon graduation, his internship turned into a full-time marketing position at a small start-up. That business failed a year and a half later, so he recently moved back home with us while he looked for another job in our city. The job search really didn't go as planned, so he is now working in a customer service role in a large corporation, and he despises it. He keeps telling us he wants to start his own business and quit the job, but my career has consisted of climbing a corporate ladder as an attorney (a mind-numbing life suck according to him), so my advice thus far has been to "find a better job before you get fired for your attitude." He doesn't want to find another job and only wants to start a company. We've argued back and forth for about 2 months about this, so I am assuming he wants our blessing to start this company.
His life savings consists of almost $35,000. He thinks this is enough to just quit his job and start a company without having a steady income. I don't know about all of the latest web start-up success stories, but all of the very successful entrepreneurs I personally know started their businesses after "paying their dues" in the corporate world for a while and saving much more than this. Should he quit his job and start this business (he hasn't even "picked an idea yet"), he will have to stay living with us. He tried starting an online business while in college, but it failed due to his lack of discipline and determination (and being too scared to pick up the phone and call businesses).
When asked what business he wants to start, he presented me with a list of about 30 business ideas, all of which have "Fastlane potential." Without a solid business plan and his lack of trying to find a better job first, part of me wants to kick his butt out of the house if he quits without finding another job. Don't get me wrong, some of his ideas are pretty decent, but his mother and I really want him to stay in the corporate world for at least 5 more years. Maybe it's because we're his parents, but he just doesn't seem ready to us. He's 25 and can do whatever the hell he pleases, but while he is living under our roof, what I say goes.
What would you do if you were his parents? Let him continue to live with us while he quits his job and follows his dreams of *hopefully* becoming a successful entrepreneur (or blowing through his life savings)? Or, kick his a$$ out and say, "have fun?" Let's put this up to a Fastlane vote.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
My son is 25. He graduated from college with a degree in marketing two years ago after much prodding and bribery from me and his mother (he wanted to drop out and focus only on his "start-up"). Upon graduation, his internship turned into a full-time marketing position at a small start-up. That business failed a year and a half later, so he recently moved back home with us while he looked for another job in our city. The job search really didn't go as planned, so he is now working in a customer service role in a large corporation, and he despises it. He keeps telling us he wants to start his own business and quit the job, but my career has consisted of climbing a corporate ladder as an attorney (a mind-numbing life suck according to him), so my advice thus far has been to "find a better job before you get fired for your attitude." He doesn't want to find another job and only wants to start a company. We've argued back and forth for about 2 months about this, so I am assuming he wants our blessing to start this company.
His life savings consists of almost $35,000. He thinks this is enough to just quit his job and start a company without having a steady income. I don't know about all of the latest web start-up success stories, but all of the very successful entrepreneurs I personally know started their businesses after "paying their dues" in the corporate world for a while and saving much more than this. Should he quit his job and start this business (he hasn't even "picked an idea yet"), he will have to stay living with us. He tried starting an online business while in college, but it failed due to his lack of discipline and determination (and being too scared to pick up the phone and call businesses).
When asked what business he wants to start, he presented me with a list of about 30 business ideas, all of which have "Fastlane potential." Without a solid business plan and his lack of trying to find a better job first, part of me wants to kick his butt out of the house if he quits without finding another job. Don't get me wrong, some of his ideas are pretty decent, but his mother and I really want him to stay in the corporate world for at least 5 more years. Maybe it's because we're his parents, but he just doesn't seem ready to us. He's 25 and can do whatever the hell he pleases, but while he is living under our roof, what I say goes.
What would you do if you were his parents? Let him continue to live with us while he quits his job and follows his dreams of *hopefully* becoming a successful entrepreneur (or blowing through his life savings)? Or, kick his a$$ out and say, "have fun?" Let's put this up to a Fastlane vote.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
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