I hope you don't mind my stepping in here. I know we've jousted a little, but it's an interesting problem. I suspect you're asking ENTJs for 'business nouse' they may posess, which is a good start.
Going into business doing something you love is also dangerous, as you might well come to hate it. To use an example a few of us might understand, go to your local gaming store and see how miserable most of the staff are. These are people who used to love gaming but didn't make the connection between a passion for a hobby and the miseries of a business. It's a risky proposition that may well see you living in a cave reading by gas lamp, and that doesn't even take into just how much time you'll spend on the whole thing.
Next it would be advisable to consider market penetration of whatever you're offering. If you're the only PC guy within 50 kilometers (or 31.07 miles) and a number of locals have computers, then you have a captive market. If you're just another guy on Main Street with a screwdriver and a motherboard however, things get a little tougher, especially when the other guy brings his cousins in from somewhere else to do the work for free. This can work both ways, as sometimes you might be encouraged to over-stretch yourself, and if you don't handle things like that VERY carefully, you'll discover crushing lows after dizzying highs.
There are, however, some bright spots. Politicians of all stripes love 'small business' as it shows the can-do [insert appropriate national] spirit, and how 'their land' and 'their government' allows anyone who wants to to prosper. Federal, state and local governments are all known to support business development (heck, if they do it China, they'll do it almost anywhere), and canny bureaucrats can sniff a good opportunity out. Here in Australia it's impossible not to get considered for some kind of assistance in starting a business, and grants of all kinds exist. I can't say they exist over there, but I wouldn't discount it. Technical colleges here are screaming out, offering their expertise in these sorts of fields, but most of what is offered can be gleaned from forums and books.
It's a big step, starting one's own business, and certainly not one I think I'd consider. However, with a lot of planning and considering contigencies, it can most certainly be undertaken. My advice would be a good dose of introspection, an awful lot of planning, and if you're partial to that sort of thing, a prayer or two.
Failing that, there are always jobs out there. Sure, some might be Montana or *ugh* involve people, but even in a struggling economy an enterprising individual can find a way to get by. Look at a situation, then turn it on it's head. Decide what you're willing to do, what's worth the risk and what you'd just walk away from.
I now make way for people far better-qualified than I to talk.
There are plenty of jobs out there that pay a lot of money, but too often we INTJs might find them morally dubious. (We do have a moral code - I'll kill the right person for the right fee, but I'll be damned if I ever go into Sales again).
I'm not quite sure I understand the reports system, but it sounds like you're stuck in the lower branches of a management tree. I don't envy you at all. I'll take shift work and ocassional drunken vomit thanks.
It's a fact of life that most people you'll manage will be far below your standards for yourself, even though they're otherwise acceptable. Acknowledge that you should only worry about underlings if they're under-performing (whatever that means) and state up front you expect them to do their jobs. Most people aren't going to astound you with their potential, but they might surprise you if let them.
In my brief interactions with you I've little doubt as to your abilities. Not all INTJs follow the same path (despite rampant tales to the contrary) and I know for a fact several INTJs on this board aren't lab-based scientist, and some run their own (to varying degrees) successful businesses.
Hmmm... The crux of the case. I'll run with your suggested idea for the moment, then see what comes up at the end. Firstly, somewhere in the order of one in two small businesses fail, usually within the first two years. All too often people believe they can make a living out of something and they don't fully take matters into account. I have a friend who has some kind of art distribution syndicate ( I find it hard to focus as she's all too often over the place), who is struggling by, but requires a lot of separation. I was disturbed to find she'd done little planning when she went into it, especially given her partner is an ENTJ. It takes a food deal of planning, but you're an INTJ, right. Right? If you've planned for every contingency, you've just started.
Going into business doing something you love is also dangerous, as you might well come to hate it. To use an example a few of us might understand, go to your local gaming store and see how miserable most of the staff are. These are people who used to love gaming but didn't make the connection between a passion for a hobby and the miseries of a business. It's a risky proposition that may well see you living in a cave reading by gas lamp, and that doesn't even take into just how much time you'll spend on the whole thing.
Next it would be advisable to consider market penetration of whatever you're offering. If you're the only PC guy within 50 kilometers (or 31.07 miles) and a number of locals have computers, then you have a captive market. If you're just another guy on Main Street with a screwdriver and a motherboard however, things get a little tougher, especially when the other guy brings his cousins in from somewhere else to do the work for free. This can work both ways, as sometimes you might be encouraged to over-stretch yourself, and if you don't handle things like that VERY carefully, you'll discover crushing lows after dizzying highs.
There are, however, some bright spots. Politicians of all stripes love 'small business' as it shows the can-do [insert appropriate national] spirit, and how 'their land' and 'their government' allows anyone who wants to to prosper. Federal, state and local governments are all known to support business development (heck, if they do it China, they'll do it almost anywhere), and canny bureaucrats can sniff a good opportunity out. Here in Australia it's impossible not to get considered for some kind of assistance in starting a business, and grants of all kinds exist. I can't say they exist over there, but I wouldn't discount it. Technical colleges here are screaming out, offering their expertise in these sorts of fields, but most of what is offered can be gleaned from forums and books.
It's a big step, starting one's own business, and certainly not one I think I'd consider. However, with a lot of planning and considering contigencies, it can most certainly be undertaken. My advice would be a good dose of introspection, an awful lot of planning, and if you're partial to that sort of thing, a prayer or two.
Failing that, there are always jobs out there. Sure, some might be Montana or *ugh* involve people, but even in a struggling economy an enterprising individual can find a way to get by. Look at a situation, then turn it on it's head. Decide what you're willing to do, what's worth the risk and what you'd just walk away from.
I now make way for people far better-qualified than I to talk.
