Giving it all up and doing something else

popette

Has anyone jacked in their job to follow their dream and do something that they're really interested in?

My dream, one day far into the future, would be to move to France and open a B&B for cyclists - similar to veloventoux. I love cycling, I love cooking, I love pleasing people ,I love France - but would it be everything I expected or would I be disappointed and find myself hating things, which at the moment, I'm very passionate about?

Do you have a dream for the future or have you taken the plunge already? was it everything you expected?

Slow Downcp

I walked out of an FD job, just had enough.
Still working in finance now and FC for a much larger Plc - need to find a way out soon, the thought of the rest of my adult life doing this is enough to push me over the edge.
I started looking for a bike shop earlier in the year, but couldn't find anything at a sensible price - I guess I'll end up working as a self employed accountant so I can work two days a week, and have a five day weekend :-)

itboffin

That sounds perfect, I love the south of France, if I had the money i'd be there tomorrow, running a small B&B with just enough land for a few animals and a small vineyard.

TheGreatGatsby

I did for a year. Jacked in everything I'd worked for and went and ran a snowboard chalet in the alps for the winter then from there went over to Whistler and did the same thing but for mountain bikers.

will be doing it again soon as the money has recouped but this time to set up my own coffee/cake/bike shop.

Gats

McBain_v1

I love pleasing people

I'd be careful making statements like that, it could get you a reputation

STEFANOS4784

Sound great, dare to dream then live said dream, gotta be better than the current humdrum, that said business has picked right up today, biggest sales day of the month so far and some pretty sweet quotes, not exactly what i'd call fulfilling though :?

Me and a workmate have a few cunning plans and this time next year we'll be miwionares, 8) ...................hopefuly

synchronicity

I gave up a promising science research career to do what I do now... renting bikes in Spain... note that I never actually had a job to quit in the first place.

The money is not the same but I do have a better lifestyle in many respects. I don't like the financial insecurity of self-employment for one thing. That's a real bummer. I most like getting out there and meeting like-minded people who are passionate about the same thing. If I happen to see someone riding around on of my bikes it creates a big sense of job satisfaction for me.

It's true that some days I do take it all for granted but then I only have to remember the sh¡t bosses and work colleagues I've had in the past. That's usually spurs enough motivation for me to hang in there through the more difficult times.

I also am starting to refer to them [now and then] as "bloody bikes". :oops: The majority of my time is spent emailing people, cleaning & maintaining bikes, delivering them & website maintenance. I don't actually ride my bike all that much to be perfectly honest. I started out with the intention of doing guided road rides... I soon got over that idea... not enough demand for it + too physically demanding when I was doing it.

If you're passionate enough, DO IT! You only live once! Just know what you're getting yourself into first...

My biggest advice is to start with 3x more money than what you think. There's nothing to stop you looking around at potential spots on the internet & starting up your own website now (or 6 months before you intend to actually move if it's a very distant future plan). At least take a few weeks to think up the name and possibly even write the content of what you wish to provide. You can always send out a newsletter with the intention of starting in the next 12 months to keep people's interest (normally they'll be planning ahead anyway). The biggest hurdle is getting enough people to find you (assuming via your website) to create enough income. That's why I say you should/could start the ball rolling before you quit your current job.

SCR Pedro

Hey there,

In 2004, I turned my back on a promising financial career. I passed 2 professional exams, and was on my way to getting another. I developed an atitude problem and walked away from over 5 years of hard work.

A whole bunch of stuff has happened since and now I'm trying for minimum-wage retail jobs whilst waiting to start university next year.

My best advice is to research, research, research! If you have an idea of what you want to do, then learn every single last thing about it. I started a university course then realised it was a pile of crap. It could have easily been avoided, and I wouldn't be waiting for next a 2009 start.

I still believe I have made the right decision.

Pedro

pjh

"Life is what happens to you when you're busy doing other things" (So says Mr Lennon).

Go get your dreams .... you never regret what you did do in life .... only what you didn't do!

dbb

i moved to the UK from Australia for my 'gap' year. does it matter if i was 41 and my family came with me?

arrived right in the middle of the ashes series of 2005 - and i still love living here!
dbb

pugwashcp

Myslef and Mrs Pugwash have this conversation on a regular basis.

The front runners at the moment are a cycle friendly B&B in the Lake District (my home turf) North Wales (her home turf) or the Limousin region of France.

A cake stop cafe in Ruthin (lovely town and some cracking riding straight out the door)

A big country estate in Scotland with cycling (my passion) a tea room (wifeys domain) mountain boarding and kite surfing (sister-in-laws thing) fly fishing (father-in-laws obsession) handicrafts (mother-in-law) and a HUGE selection of whiskies to finish the day off with.

The Scotland thing is obviously dependant on the nice people at the Lottery letting me win. The others will be do-able once my wife has her 30 years in the police force under her belt and I hang up my welding torch.

vermooten

Bruce Lee wrote:

If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.

Slow Downcp

dbb wrote:

i moved to the UK from Australia for my 'gap' year. does it matter if i was 41 and my family came with me?

arrived right in the middle of the ashes series of 2005 - and i still love living here!
dbb

Funilly enough I've considered moving the other way!

FSR_XC

Slow Downcp wrote:

I walked out of an FD job, just had enough.
Still working in finance now and FC for a much larger Plc - need to find a way out soon, the thought of the rest of my adult life doing this is enough to push me over the edge.
I started looking for a bike shop earlier in the year, but couldn't find anything at a sensible price - I guess I'll end up working as a self employed accountant so I can work two days a week, and have a five day weekend :-)

Shame

I have a nice FD job available in sunny Cornwall. 8)

dbb

Hey - cool

it's the bikeradar job notice board!

meagain

Never really had a dream - other than not to have to work (and I did manage to retire at 52, so not too bad!). Certainly have none now.
BUT if you have, popette, and if it impacts adversely on no one else - then do it! What I do know is that life ain't a rehearsal. We pass this way but once and other such cliches are entirely accurate!
I regret lots in my life and I sure as hell can't go back and change things.

Slow Downcp

FSR_XC wrote:

Slow Downcp wrote:

I walked out of an FD job, just had enough.
Still working in finance now and FC for a much larger Plc - need to find a way out soon, the thought of the rest of my adult life doing this is enough to push me over the edge.
I started looking for a bike shop earlier in the year, but couldn't find anything at a sensible price - I guess I'll end up working as a self employed accountant so I can work two days a week, and have a five day weekend :-)

Shame

I have a nice FD job available in sunny Cornwall. 8)

I'll send you my CV

CHRISNOIR

I quit a dull , low-paid job in an office to go to Uni for three years. Now I have a dull, slightly-better paid job in an office.

Hope this helps...

FSR_XC

Slow Downcp wrote:

I'll send you my CV

Probably doesn't pay as much as you'd want, but . . . . . mark(at)ac1recruitment(dot)co(dot)uk

scherrit

Erm, yes....

Twice:

First left sales rep job to go trucking (long distance overland in Southern Africa) as a owner operator.

Then 2 years ago, quit the city where I was a project manager in a private client firm to start The Bike Whisperer. We fit, fix and coach. Quality of life- excellent, income- barely above the breadline!

I'd urge almost anyone to give it a go....
Good luck,
Scherrit.
www.thebikewhisperer.co.uk

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mhuk

Two phrases spring to mind (one a quote from an Orbital song I think, quoting the Butthole Surfers):

"It is better to regret what you have done rather than what you haven't done."

and the oft touted:

"Better a bad day at the beach/ on the board/ on the bike than a good day at the office".

Slow Downcp

FSR_XC wrote:

Slow Downcp wrote:

I'll send you my CV

Probably doesn't pay as much as you'd want, but . . . . . mark(at)ac1recruitment(dot)co(dot)uk

I didn't think you were serious :shock:

I'm sorely tempted to send my details, but live in the Midlands at the moment. If the housing market wasn't so flat it wouldn't be an issue, but I expect selling my house here would take some time

I do like Cornwall though :?

FSR_XC

Just to really upset you, I have another FD vacancy coming up in March.

Slow Downcp

FSR_XC wrote:

Just to really upset you, I have another FD vacancy coming up in March.

March may be a possibility - I'll do some digging first on house prices here and there though.

I assume the previous one you were talking about was the one in Penzance? If it wasn't for family commitments, I'd apply - looks like a good role, where I could get stuck in and sort problems rather than just crunch numbers

heavymental

TheGreatGatsby wrote:

will be doing it again soon as the money has recouped but this time to set up my own coffee/cake/bike shop.

Gats

Hope you're doing this in a better place now mate.

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12596800

le_grimpeur

Hey Popette,

We had a long term plan to up sticks and move to France, then work situations changed and we accelerated the move. We had done the research, areas to live cost of housing etc etc, so we were able to get our butts in gear reasonably quickly.

We have no regrets about the move, though there have been many problems. The main one being the red tape in setting up a business.

If this is a dream you have, I'd suggest doing it sooner so you have more years to enjoy yourselves. Advice? Research, research, research. The health situation has changed in France this year, so anyone new moving to France does not automatically qualify for state healthcare. Happy to give more advice, or relay our experiences. OK, one more thing. We have become friendly with the guys that run the Chambre d'hote where we first stayed. Their English clients have dried up, and its their ability to speak French that has ensured a reasonable stream of French clients.

AMRcycling

popette wrote:

Has anyone jacked in their job to follow their dream and do something that they're really interested in?

Yes... a couple of times.
Regreats? Some.
Will I do it again? Yes!

popette

Good to hear that I'm not alone in this dreaming and that some of you have actually turned the dream into a reality.
If it were just me, I would do it in a second. However, I have four children - three of them under 6 - and I wouldn't have a clue how I would manage it all while they were so young. I'm going to wait and do the research that you advise and then hopefully one day I'll be writing to you all from the South of France - I think I'm years off though.

le_grimpeur

Not having kids it would be a fair accusation to say that I don't know what I'm talking about, but talking to some of the English out here, they remark that the younger their children are, the better they have adapted. Just witnessing a bunch of French and English kids arguing over playstation proves the point of maleability of younger minds. And whilst it is heartbreaking to see a lone english child crying in the playground on the first day, that is soon forgotten by the start of the next term. Realistically, children 13+ have more issues in relocating, but that's only the two families I know who have 13+ year olds.

Generally, living out here is better than UK, less stressy, more polite, better mentality - we talk (badly) to more of our neighbours than in the UK, and people don't smoke on buses!!

Should we not communicate further on this issue, I'd say make sure you have enough to live on - even if you do decide to start a business, as 25% of brits go back within the first year!

On the health side, I am aware through your previous Etape posts, that you were unable to do it in 08. So it is worth considering a move whilst you are healthy, and the healthcare in France is impressive. I've heard it said that Doctors over proscribe drugs, and it may well be that French citizens are hypochondriacs as a result of that, but I have found it better to have that (Doctor's) attitude, rather than the English experience of continual delays.