Who's started his own business?

[Gedanken]

Just thought I'd toss this one to the learned crowd here.

Some of you might know that I'm qualified as an organisational psychologist, and that I've recently decided that in the long term, it's best that I go into business for myself.

What I've found since I made that decision is that I've stepped into an entirely new world. In particular, what my training prepared me for was to take an assignment and carry it out as efficiently as possible. However, that's incredibly simple compared to business because you don't have to define the assignment or find the business in the first place - all you have to do is carry it out when it's placed in front of you.

I have to admit that I'm really feeling like a fish out of water here. I've spent all these years developing myself into a damned good employee, but it's a whole new ballgame now when I'm the one having to work out the big picture. On top of that, both my parents were civil servants, so I grew up thinking that I had to go to work, put in the hours and collect my paycheque, period.

I'd like to ask all the guys who've gone into business for yourselves about your experiences. What did you have to learn along the way? How did you learn to work out the right thing to do? Is there some Zen secret to having the right mindset for business?