Jeff - You’ve already earned enough attention that your new microISV has an excellent chance of success - but things are different over here than working in a good company like Vertigo. A couple of resources worth mentioning:
Pam Slim’s Escape from Cubical Nation blog for lots of really good advice - particularly about the human side of going from over there to over here and Business of Software - lots of very knowledgeable people, low noise.
Good luck dude, it’ll be awesome! Your blog keeps my sanity when things are dark and brooding and the only option I have is to turn to page 10, knowing full well that there’s an endless pit behind a trap door. BTW, I was more of a fan of the Steve Jackson series. Still love them and still think they were the best programming model on paper to date. Keep the blog flowing and the content growing and you will be ready someday little grasshopper.
I wonder what CYOA books could tell us about child psychology. I too was one of those kids who couldn’t turn the page without holding a finger in to turn back – sometimes in a few places at once in case they tried to do me in without realizing it!
while I know what you were going through to reach this decision, don’t fret about it. Job safety is mostly an illusion. The bottom line is, you simply put your life and financial security in the hands of your employer.
But economy constantly changes, and companies that do well today may be gone next year, and working at that company, while appearing to be “the safe bet” for that year longer, basically leaves you stranded.
If you have the opportunity to take responsibility for your own financial backing, then go for it without hesitation. Be your own boss, and look to find a second or third pillar of income over time, so if one breaks away, you can still survive on the others. You usually don’t have even the option to start with that when you are in a regular employment.
Build, thrive, and expand. And don’t forget to enjoy life along the way.
I read The cave of time, who killed Harlowe Thrombew, and one you haven’t listed that I think was called “the supercomputer”, this one was great… oh, and one with whales I don’t recall the name…