I have been the factory owner.  I expect to be the factory owner again.  You see, I am a serial entrepreneur.  My dad was a serial entrepreneur, my brothers are both entrepreneurs and my sister has at times been self employed.  Although my dad was an American citizen, we were all born and grew up in a third world country.  Perhaps it is that upbringing that inculcated a sense of self-reliance, a stubborn independence to ‘go it alone’.

My first “job” was sneaking out of the yard with my younger brother and walking the neighborhood offering to rake leaves, wash cars and mow lawns.  I think I was eight when I got my first yard cleaning job from one of the neighbors, without assistance from my parents.

I didn’t graduate school.  It wasn’t that I was stupid, I just found school boring and was not motivated.  After a stint working oil drilling, I decided I needed to go to college so I went and took an adult education course in English, History and Sociology.

I then went to work in a retail store, actually one of the world’s largest electronic retailers at the time.  Anyone who has ever worked retail knows it is seldom a 9:00 – 5:00 job, if ever. Lunch is on the fly…or at least it was for me.  Inventory was unpaid weekends, paperwork was unpaid ‘after closing’ and, if you survived more than three months, you considered yourself extremely fortunate as turnover was extremely high.

I did not mind the challenges, in fact, I thrived on them.  I wasn’t looking for the comfort and security of a union job, not that that is so terrible, it just isn’t me.

I wanted, and I haven chosen, to live my life the way I have and continue to do so.  I did not complain back then, and I am not complaining now, it’s been a great ride.  I have always preferred the risk reward ratios inherent in entrepreneurship, the hope, the possibility, of making it big.

At the same time, I recognize that there are people that are very uncomfortable in the entrepreneurial role, uncomfortable with the inherent risks.  I have a tremendous amount of respect for my friends that have held down the same job for 10, 20 and 30 years, it just isn’t me.  What I do resent, is that should I be successful, I get penalized.

And so this is my story about being a factory owner.  I will tell this story over a few weeks so please come back.  Next week I’ll talk about my first business experience.