Entrepreneurship for the Meek and Faint of Heart

I've noticed since I joined gather that many people are looking for alternatives to the 9 to 5 routine, whether it's telecommuting, flex time, supplementing their usual income or becoming entrepreneurs. When I lost my job in January of this year, I was terrified. For about two days. Then it dawned on me that I was finally out of excuses for not starting my own business.
    Most people of my age and era have had a multitude, if diverse, variety of jobs. Mine included actress, writer, property manager, legal assistant and morning show radio host, among others. For years, while holding down the "day job" that paid the bills for my family, I also did voice work for television and radio commercials. I live in a fairly small market, so doing voice work for a living didn't even seem like a possibility.
    As I said, once I was out of excuses, I began toying with the idea of becoming a full time professional voice talent. Little by little, (as I filed my reports for unemployment benefits, a first for me in 20+ years of working) I investigated what it would take to make a success of a business.
    My mentor, a producer who had his own production company that used my voice from time to time, was the first to encourage me. "You've got the talent, " Jimmy told me, "Just use what you know. Start out small and use inexpensive or free opportunities everywhere you find them. Once you've got your own set up, I'll be happy to throw you the smaller jobs that I really don't have time to do."
    He gave me great advice for setting up a studio and told me stories of the inexpensive materials and products he had used to get started in the business. His enthusiasm, coupled with my husband's unconditional support, is what drove me on. "I have to at least say I tried," I told myself.
    So, I found a website online that was a clearing house for professional voice actors. And their services would offer me several components that I needed -- a professional website, the opportunity to reach a worldwide audience of clients, a listing of prospects who were actively seeking talents, and a secure payment system that guaranteed both talent and client were happy with produced work and payment.
    Now, I had to find a way to produce the product. For that, I needed a studio and a way to edit raw product. The studio part was not difficult, as friends allowed me to use their studios until I had my own. The editing could be done through my own computer with shareware and later a paid version of a very inexpensive audio editing program that I found online that would do everything I needed. So far, I had spent $100.
    In order to build my own studio so I could work at any time a client needed me and provide a faster turnaround on projects, I would still need to set up my own studio. I had room in my house and used my radio booth experience to make the space workable. For the remainder of the equipment, about $500 worth, I was definitely going to need financing.
    I spent hours online researching the Small Business Administration, grants from foundations and organizations and how bank loans for small businesses were done. A lot of my time was spent applying for grants and joining organizations for entrepreneurs.
    Gather has been a great source of support and information, as well as articles for entrepreneurs at Associated Content, Womensnet.net and IdeaCafe.
    One of the grants I applied for was a Small Business Grant on IdeaCafe. I learned later that for this application period, there were 700+ businesses that applied. I was shocked and surprised to receive an email last month congratulating me on becoming one of about 100 semi-finalists.
    Closer to my goal than ever before, I also received my first international contract for voice work from a client in New Zealand. Finally, I was on my way!
    The congratulatory email told me that the finalists for the grant would be determined by the marketing each business did by a certain date. On that date, each semi-finalist was supposed to email the judges and let them know what they had done to get their business message out there.
    My daughters refer to me affectionately (at least I hope they mean it affectionately) as a "technotard". I think this is mainly because I have forced them to explain every aspect of social networking to me. I took a free online class at iVillage for marketing and another one for marketing by using keywords.
    Several days after I had nervously submitted my marketing details, I received another congratulatory email, this time telling me that I was one of only 30 finalists.
    Sufffice to say, I nearly cried. But there was no time for that, because the last step was to get other members of the site, my customers, family and friends to stop by the site and vote for my business. I don't know that I've ever worked so hard in my life!
    I will find out this Tuesday, the 24th, if I accomplished what I set out to do and have the funding to complete my business so it is "free standing" and competitive. Meanwhile, I picked up another client last week, so I know I'm on the right track.
    Please keep your fingers crossed for me! If you have a chance to go by the site and vote, I'd really appreciate it. Stop by IdeaCafe at http://www.businessownersideacafe.com/small_business_grants/finalists.php?grant_id=8. Register and vote and think good thoughts for me and I'll let you know how it comes out on Tuesday. It's Sandre' Moore, Silk Voice Studio. Thanks.
    So, if you've been thinking about starting a business of your own, here are the things I've learned so far:
    >Start with an idea you're passionate about, drawing on a skill you have
    >Do the research before you sign up for any "get rich quick" programs
    >Realize that rather than working less, you will be working much more, at least in the beginning
    >Find a mentor in your line of business and ask them how they got started
    >Keep moving forward. It's slow and frustrating in the beginning and your passion for what you are
       doing and what you want to accomplish for yourself and your family will have to carry you through
    >Be willing to take the risk. Sometimes, you have to believe in yourself and your goals and get rid of
       all doubt in order to make it work.
    Thanks, those of you who've already lent me your support. I'll be happy to "pass it on", so if you have any questions, just ping!