Sometimes You Just Love Something

Myself, I have worked at the same small business for the past 7 years. I have one boss, and he opened the place the same year I was born. I've never had a corporate job. I watch shows like the office and I cringe. That's not really how it is out there... is it?

Some of my friends work(ed) for a technology company called ATS. ATS did contracting work for a company in Tacoma called ****, at least I think that's how it's spelled. I don't know all of the details, but I do know what I saw, what it did to the ATS employees. They dreaded going to work, some refused to work under that contract. Some employees quit, some employees were fired. What stood out the most, however was how beat down all of them were. It was a hostile work environment, one where **** management felt it was appropriate to yell at ATS employees and recommend to ATS management that they fire some of their employees.

Who is to blame? Was ATS really that bad? Why is ATS having to pursue legal action in order to get paid by ****? Is it appropriate to yell in any work environment? What I'm trying to get at is: being in the corporate world can be just as scary and risky as being an entrepreneur. It doesn't matter who was to blame in the previous example, at least not to me, what matters is that that is not a situation I would want to be in.

Back to my job of 7 years. My boss was a tall scrawny bicycle nut who went to Evergreen to be a teacher. Himself and a friend decided to open a bikeshop together. They barely survived in small storefronts best described as a hole in the wall. Neither knew anything about business, in fact a lot of money fell through the cracks. They got their s*** together eventually, my boss bought the other half of the business, and learned a bit about business. Now the business is quite successful.

I have effectively lead you all over the place, but I promise it was for a reason. No matter what path you choose there will be risk. Pursue your dreams. You might not get there, but other opportunities will present themselves. Be an entrepreneur if you like, there's a good chance you'll fail sometimes in life, no matter what you do.