Yeah, I know - I’ve been neglecting my blog. I have not felt very inspired to write articles, and true to my own philosophy of not writing without something to say, I have focused my efforts elsewhere.

What I have been focusing on is starting my own business. This sounds like a risky endeavour to most, but actually I am hedging my bet by doing it part time with the blessing of my employer. I am fortunate to have an employer that said “no problem” when I asked whether it was ok to start my own business on the side - but I think that most employers will be willing to listen as long as your business is not in direct competition and you still will be able to put in the same working hours as you used to. So if you have a dream of starting your own business, do not take it for granted that you will need to resign from your job. If you are doing a good job for your employer, most employers will want to keep you on board, rather than force you to quit in order to pursue your dream.

Starting your own business is an intense education in personal development. Unless you are a veteran entrepreneur, you are effectively jumping into deep water hoping that you will learn to swim before going under. Almost nothing that you will learn as an employee will help you when starting a business. It is a whole different mindset that you will need to acquire. For me, it is the second time that I am starting my own business and that is probably why it feels more like activating a dormant mindset than acquiring it. Do not think that this mindset is something that you need to be born with, or something that can be learned in school - it is a mindset available to everybody with an open mind and a willingness to “learn by doing”.

It is no coincidence that many successful entrepreneurs have a history of failed businesses behind them, they needed those “failures” (think of them as educations) to learn the proper mindset. When I started my first business I learned so much that I had to close the business instead of continuing, as I knew that I needed time to contemplate all that I learned. Since closing that first business, I have spent most of my efforts educating myself in the areas that I found severely lacking in my education at the time. This time I hope that my mindset is close enough that my business will prosper, even in the face of problems. I know that I am much better prepared this time, and this gives me the confidence to redouble my efforts in order to make it work.

The 10th of October 2006 my business was born. I wanted a name for it that was different and at the same time symbolized my intent of delivering real value to people. You know that warm and fuzzy feeling you get when everything goes your way? That is the feeling I want my customers to feel when dealing with my business. I settled on “The Cuddly Bear Group” or just “Cuddly Bear” for short. When I mention it, most find it really strange - but really, a name such as “Google” is just as strange until you get used to it.

The first sign of my business having been born is the website (in danish) www.cuddlybear.dk, where I advertise my consulting services concerning internet technologies. My ambitiousness makes me envision much more than just a consulting business though, so watch this blog for more announcements of my plans materializing!

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