That's an incredibly long string on the forum!!.. I've looked at your original question and a few of the responses. I left consulting myself and set up Top-Consultant.com, was able to move to the South of France for best part of a year, was able to move out of London and as you will have read have recently sold the business. Through all this I would say being able to hang your hat on something and say "that's what I created" is what gives real satisfaction. Having ceased to be a tiny cog in a big organisation and instead become a major contributor to a smaller business was a revelation. It's the sense of achievement that I loved, which I think in any company (be it a consultancy, bank, accounting firm, etc) you can't really begin to feel until you've got to near the top.<br><br>If you do contemplate going in the entrepreneurial direction, my main advice to people is that the majority of fast-growing and successful businesses actually do very ordinary things, just they do them that little bit better than the existing players. Often people are put off going it alone because they think they haven't had their "big idea". But very few people come up with the next Google or Skype. Most of the Sunday Times fast-track 100 firms are recruitment businesses, IT consultancies, etc. Regular businesses where the founders are just doing things that little bit better than their peers.<br><br>By pure coincidence, we'll shortly be releasing details of a conference we're running in January which is all about how to go it alone and make the transition from being a consultant to running your own business. Maybe I'll see Pete there?<br><br>Hope this helps and wish you every success with figuring out what to do next in your life. Tony
