The time has come to say goodbye...

...to my full-time job. I've known it was coming for more than a year now. I was told in December ('05) that I needed to start looking for something because our budget was shrinking. Jobs like mine are hard to come by in Oblivion and I haven't had any success in finding a new one.

On the other hand, I have always wanted to be in business for myself full-time. I have had my t-shirt business since 2001 and feel fairly confident that with the addition of some new products, I could be quite successful. So, that's what I'm doing. I have made an investment into some new equipment that will allow me to add a huge number of new items (coffee mugs, license plates, cookie jars, socks, more styles of bags, etc.) plus, it will improve the quality of my t-shirts as well! I'm going to begin building a new retail website and also start focusing more on wholesale sales.

We went to Chicago this past weekend for a little pre-Valentine's Day getaway. We went shopping in Boystown (the predominately Gay neighborhood in Chicago) and walked into Beatnix - a very cool thrift/trendy store. Low and behold, they were selling stickers, pins and patches with my licensed artwork on them! I about fell over and couldn't believe it. Not sure why I was so shocked, because I get a royalty check every quarter for the sales, I just wasn't expecting it I suppose. A store I love was selling my products! It was a surreal feeling. But, DUH!! it got me thinking that I should be the one selling my stuff to the masses, not other companies!!!!

So, I can't believe I am finally going to take the leap of faith! But, I figure if I don't try, I will never know. Plus, I will have a few months of unemployment benefits to supplement my income in the meantime. I'm kinda scared, but also very excited. Friday is my last day....