Great site. I have a couple of comments on this piece and on the site in general:

(a) Some people’s TEC are hard to sell. I am a teacher, and sure I’d love to start a business, but what can I do with my ability to teach 2 + 2?

(b) Your site talks about looking for ideas. You are blessed with a creative mind, but not all of us are that creative. Sure, we can see ideas in the newspaper afterwards and say, why didn’t I think of that? But to come up with the ideas in the first place is hard, and I don’t know if it’s something you can develop. If you have a way to increase creativity and originality, please share it.

Keep up the great site! It’s a fun and enjoyable read.

I wrote the previous comment. I’m sorry that I didn’t use my name. I noticed your post of responding to posts with names only after I left it.

Good questions. First, you’re right… not everyone’s particular TEC is suited for selling directly. However, it usually goes hand in hand. If your TEC is such that CAN be sold directly, you’re more likely to be the type of person suited to be on your own. I guess a better way of saying it is if you have a passion to teach children, then you’re most likely not going to have a desire to “have a business of your own” because that’s just not “you.”

With that said, if you’re NOT teaching because you love to teach, but just because that’s where you found yourself and it pays the bills, you need to look at what it is you WANT to do, assess your TEC in that area, build it up if necessary by interning, volunteering, taking classes, reading on your onw… etc. Then move towards selling it directly to the public and transition away from the safe paycheck.

Your second thought about how not everyone can come up with ideas. I tend to think not everyone WANTS to come up with ideas. If you want to, and you apply yourself daily to thinking in a different way like I’ve stated on my blog over and over, you’ll come up with things.

It takes practice just like anything else. Here’s a project for you… next time you come across or even glance at something that interests you in the slightest bit, don’t just admire it and wonder how you can own it, or wear it, or do whatever it is you do with it. Think about how you can make money with it. I don’t care what it is. ALWAYS think in terms of what you can do differently or from a different angle that will allow you to make money with a particular concept, product, service, thing.

If all else fails, read dansherman.com and perhaps you’ll get something you can use.