stumbled across the site and glad I did

[ryand83]

Hello all, I just stumbled across this site earlier this morning and figured I'd share a bit about myself.

My name is well, Ryan I am 30 years of age and I am currently attending Virginia College in Mobile, AL. for business administration. I am currently on my 2nd term which I was on the president's and perfect attendance list on my first term and currently looking like it will happen again.

My goal is to have the skills and mindset of a business person to use for a career while still maintaining my current values and beliefs. I would ultimately want to run my own hobby gaming shop and help my g/f operate her school that she will most likely take over in Hattiesburg, MS. when her old boss retires (via paperwork and business decisions).

We are currently working on a business plan in class so I will post what I have for my shop soon enough.

I think what really got me wanting to do this is a mixture of things. I've worked for Wally World, Ross dress for less, Pizza hut, Mcdonald's, Hardy's, and various other stores. While I enjoyed retail I was just never happy being the goto guy and not getting recognition or respect that I feel like I should have gotten, I know that's a bit selfish and egotistical but I did a lot for stores I worked for. My grandparents are another inspiration, they own and operate a fish ranch in Lacombe, LA. that I love to death they supply to a lot of various shops but because of the economy they've been hit pretty hard. As far as Economics go I used to be big into World of Warcraft and my favorite aspect of the game was none other than the auction house. For some reason that part of the game just stood out to me and I was really good at it. So for my decision on hobby gaming is simple, I've enjoyed it since I was a kid.

I was 17 when I dropped out of school after my parents split up, I got my GED in '09 and never thought of myself as college material. I finally decided it was time, maybe maturity kicked in and now I'm more motivated than I ever was.

Sorry about the long post, but if I even inspire one person I'm happy. :)

[vangogh]

Welcome to the forum Ryan.


I was just never happy being the goto guy and not getting recognition or respect that I feel like I should have gotten

I don't think that makes you selfish at all. I think it makes you an entrepreneur. Some people are fine working for others. There are certainly advantages to collecting a paycheck every week. For others it's not enough. Those people start businesses for themselves.

We're glad you stumbled across us. Looking forward to getting to know you and thanks for joining the community.

[ryand83]

Thanks Van, yeah I didn't mean it like I have a selfish state of mind. I meant that I just haven't felt like working for others is my thing...while being in the background and not having to worry about sales quotas and such is pretty nice I just haven't really felt challenged. To be frank, going back to school and dealing with life i.e trying to find work has been more challenging than any job I've held and I seem to do better when I'm actually challenged :)

[David Hunter]

Welcome, Ryan!

Looks like you have a broad range of knowledge. Rock on!!

[KristineS]

Ryan, I dropped out of college the first time and didn't end up getting my degrees until I was in my late 20's, early 30's. I found college a much more useful experience when I was older. Definitely got more out of it. Certainly knew more about what I wanted to do the second time around. Good for you that you've realized what you want and you're going for it.

[cbscreative]

Vangogh already said it, you have the makings of an entrepreneur. When you have that, workin for da man is a formula for misery. Welcome to a community of people who choose not to be miserable.

[RickGrantham]

I didn't finish my degree until I was 30. Nights and weekends after dropping out early on.

Welcome to the board.

Rick

[JohnF]

Glad to hear you're taking the plunge. Business plans are my bread and butter- looking forward to seeing yours.

[trunker]

Hey Ryan

I have a lot of the same feelings as you do. I did obtain an Associate’s degree after high school but wish I would have waited to go to school until I was 30.

I understand how you feel about not getting recognition or respect from your employers. I worked in the transportation industry as a truck driver, dispatcher and other logistics positions for about 10 years. Over these 10 years I was never happy, always skirting Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration laws, working 80 plus hours a week for people that really could care less about the quality of my work and how well I did my job. This is part of the reason transportation companies have a turnover rate of about 100 to 150 percent per year.

Glad to see you are making a change!

[vangogh]

I seem to do better when I'm actually challenged

I know how you feel. I've had a few jobs that weren't all that challenging. For a little while I could find ways to challenge myself, but it usually didn't last long. Working for yourself always comes with challenges, which makes it much more rewarding.

[ryand83]

Thanks for the responses guys, I have been wrapped up in school for past few days getting ready for my midterms. I posted a link to my business plan for my project that I eventually want to open in the business plan section. The financials still need to be done so they are in the original form but everyone seems to like my idea.

[ryand83]

Also I received an A on my first test, I was pretty shocked it was a low A but hey an A is an A lol

[vangogh]

Congrats on the A. Always better than a B. No need to apologize when you're away for a few days. We all get busy with other priorities.

I checked the thread where you posted the business plan. The link to it didn't seem to be working. I get a message from Google that I need to request permission to view it.

[Gabe]

Hey Ryan. Congrats, it sounds like things are going well.

To give your business a boost, consider starting a local gaming website for the area you plan to open your shop in with a blog and maybe even a forum. If you can become an authority and build up a following you'll open your doors to a primed customer base rather than to crickets. You could even start by using Meetup.com to organize and host some local meet ups. When the store opens, you can just start having the meet ups at the store.

It'll take time, but if you focus on it for the next couple of years you'll be in an excellent position by the time you open the shop. Not only that, but you'll get a better idea of what those on the community are interested in and you can gear that. Then again, if after a year you're not able to gather much interest, maybe you'll realize that the local market isn't sufficient to support it.

But on the other hand, maybe if you develop a large following you could do some sort of local crowd funding campaign to finance the opening of the business. Those who support it would get some sort of perk or privilege when the store opens. For example, that privilege could be 3 months free of membership, which means free drink refills and snacks or something for that period. Combine that with something like Foursquare where people can earn points for the time they spend at your store to make them want to spend more time there. There are a thousand things you can do, just get creative with it.

Best of luck!