An Open Window

I appreciate everyone's kindness last week when I spilled my guts about Andrew losing his job. Besides the nearly 100 comments and dozens of private emails I got there were those who mailed gifts and someone even sent me their blogging paycheck to be used towards a new camera (I won't give more details for fear of embarrassing the thoughtful givers) but the point is, there are a lot of very kind people out there.

And us? Well we've reached a few decisions.

We looked at our options and figured Andrew had a couple things he could do. He could look for another corporate job like the one he had. Not bad, nice hours but to be blunt it's terribly dangerous. They tend to use you up and spit you out and the last thing we need is to go through this cycle again in another five years.

He could go back to a law firm and do the typical attorney thing but then he never particularly liked being a slave to that billable hour and the thought of being back at the bottom of the ladder as if the last dozen years were nothing seemed depressing and pointless.

Which left the final and perhaps scariest option. He's always wanted to own his own business, has always been the kind of person who wanted the freedom to implement his own unique ideas and has always been more businessman than attorney so we chose Door C, "Start up Your Own Business."

I know it sounds rather crazy to lose your job, face life without a paycheck and then decide to invest money in starting up something completely unproven but after discussing it thoroughly we both felt quite firmly and solidly that this would be the best thing. Of course those of you who have been in this position know what I suspect--that though this may prove the most satisfying, creative and lucrative in the end, it's going to be very hard and time consuming to say nothing of scary.

So I have mixed feelings about it all. I'm quite sure it'll be the right thing for us and I think things will be okay in the end but it's going to mean quite a tightening of the belt around here to get us through this one to three year period (dare I say five??)

Of course a little tightening never hurt anyone (well, almost anyone) and it'll be good for us. I'm not that attached to "things" and "stuff" to resent the lack but I am very nervous about the unknown because I am a huge planner and organizer and stepping into the darkness is what I tend to fear the most.

As I said, it'll be good for us. Right?

So I'd like, with a large drumroll, to introduce you to our new baby . . . Vellum LLC.

My husband's work is in corporate law--contracts, leases, things like that, but at his last job he was also responsible for creating and setting up a corporate compliance and ethics program (yea, let those jokes roll in about hiring an attorney to be in charge of your ethics program) which, if I may say so, was amazing. Now he's setting up Vellum to do this on a contractual basis for others.

It's already been a blessing in one big way--it's given him something to work for. While he's been putting out the resumes and applications this past week he also set to work renting office space, incorporating and setting up the business. He even set up the Vellum website for his compliance and ethics consulting. which is not only a feeling of accomplishment but a sign of some concrete progress.

So now it's Monday morning and he's actually "going to the office" where the real test starts. As I say, I'll keep you posted.

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