Florida Startup

[ANV2006]

This is my first post on here, although I find myself regularly amused trolling this site. Really great stuff.

So my New Year's resolution is to start my own firm, which is a daunting task as many of you know. As a mechanical guy, I have the PE and a CGC license in Florida and should be able to bring plenty of work in from my existing contacts. Things at my current job are unstable and I feel like I'm working at McDonald's sometimes because of all the attrition. I could probably stay there for another few years but need a hedge against the company's ridiculous management and factors out of my control.

Anybody in the Florida Market (Dade, Broward, WPB) want to get in on a MEP firm that doesn't exist yet? Ha. Seriously though I think I'll moonlight as long as possible before jumping. If anybody finds themselves in a similar situation and would like to chat please message me and we'll see if we can figure something out!

Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[jmbelectrical]

Be extremely careful about moonlighting. In the MEP consulting industry, I am under the impression that everyone seems to know each other and news gets around *very* quickly. You could find yourself out of work and without a steady income before you're completely ready to launch your own consulting firm.

 

[Ron]

Moonlighting should only be done with full disclosure to your current employer. To do otherwise potentially violates ethical and legal requirements.

As for starting your business, if you have contacts and some will follow you when you leave without further solicitation, go for it. Your area is picking up nicely so you might as well ride the wave until it breaks!

 

[msquared48]

Ron:

Are you talking about the tsunami from the Canary Islands that is predicted to hit Florida?

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

[oldestguy]

As for being your own boss, it can be very difficult the first few years, requiring a savings account and also having possible clients that "like your work". I'd only do it where there is a good chance of succeeding and only after manly years in the field and with many "friends" out there. That's from experience.

 

[a2mfk]

Mike- That mountain is on the island of La Palma, my first wife's mother was from that island. I have seen a discovery channel special about that being an actual possibility because of the fault in the volcano that could fracture and cause a massive land slide on the west side of the island and send a mega tsunami screaming towards Florida and the east coast. There was a massive landslide in a bay in Alaska in 1958 that caused a wave to go up 1700 feet on the other side of the bay, so they know it can happen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_Lituya_Bay_megatsunami

Sorry , way off topic.

But ditto on Ron's comment about legal issues. Your employer's liability insurance carrier would likely have big problems with you moonlighting because of increased possible exposure, even if your work is not for that company. It doesn't make much common sense to me, but we are talking about attorneys here, so they can figure out a way to sue just about anyone.