Back many moons ago when I lived in Portland I actually use to work on my cars regularly...I know it is a shock (especially with the snail pace of my Cutlass build). Anyway had a best friend that I worked with and on weekends we worked on cars, hit the junk yards, shows basically anything that had cars we were there. We had always talked about opening up a shop and doing custom work. He was a good mechanic and I was a good idea guy when it came to building something unique.
Anyway 10 years later or so I am in Oregon (east side of the state) and he is now in Florida and has been for several years. So I get this message from him saying that he has decided to go for it and he is going to open the shop 
.
He was actually wondering if I would want to move to Florida to partner up with him and see what we could do. It is then I had my "if only" moment. If this had been a 6 months ago before the baby was expected my wife would be all for it. If it was still in the PNW and not on the complete opposite side of the country I could see making it a much easier move but man. As we got started I would have to find another job to help pay the bills until the shop got established. I would actually have to break out my creative side again and start working on designs and getting them down on paper. I would have to convince my wife that moving across the country when we are expecting our first child and ALL of our family is back here is a good idea...
Like; if only my dad would have grabbed a few Porsche's and Gull wing Benz's that were advertised in the back of the 1970 Road & Track magazines?
Do it
a dream, or reality, which one would you chase?
-J0N
Today at work is really making this harder...getting nothing but shiny happy people pissing me off.
FWIW, when my kid was 6 months old, I had the opportunity to move to Florida and partner with my grandfather's chrome shop. He now does all of the chroming and emblem casting for the Ecklers empire. Sigh.
Go for it!!
I am looking at jobs down that way so I can justify the move and have money coming in while things get started. Tonight kinda has me done with where I am.
In reply to rebelgtp:
If you are looking at any where near Titusville, I can totally hook you up with a chrome shop...
Hell man I am looking basically anywhere down there just so we can be in the same state to try and get things rolling.
3 years ago I had a chance to buy a running, driving '71 911 T for $6500. It had good power, sounded great and was fun to drive. 
I have too many "what ifs" to even try to remember.
I can seriously get you in. Titusville is a nice area and very cheap. You like to polish, right?
Javelin wrote:
I can seriously get you in. Titusville is a nice area and very cheap. You like to polish, right?
Actually it is one of those things that kinda gets me to zen out lol...
Javelin wrote:
In reply to rebelgtp:
If you are looking at any where near Titusville, I can totally hook you up with a chrome shop...
GRM discount for rechroming things?
Go for it. You could get fired from your shiny happy people job and end up in a bad situation anyway. At least if the business with your friend fails, you tried. Even if it ends badly it will have been a better ride.
What if I waited to go to college instead of going right out of high school? What if I had managed to finish? What if I had actually followed my passions in school instead of going after money and a job? What if I hadn't moved to Alaska? What if I had moved here earlier? What if I had made more money in my summer job and left after getting here instead of staying and ending up with a wife and a house and happy as a clam?
Didn't have a wife, nor a baby on the way, but the best thing I ever did was move across the country for a new job and new life. Whats the worst that can happen?
Do you have health insurance for wife and baby through your job? Can you afford it without having it through work? That's really all that matters imo... It's Florida, family will come and visit. Especially when its wet and grey in Oregon and you're sitting in the sunshine.
Is the opportunity still something you want? 10 years is a long time for a dream to come true, are you sure it's still what you want? Are you and your friend still on the same page in respects to the business? Do you guys have a solid business plan, or just a bunch of general ideas?
Will you regret doing it, or will you regret not doing it? Rarely do you regret taking an opportunity.
