Thinking of starting a small business IT consulting

[Webhead]

I guess I'll just have to see how it all goes. Going forward I need to make money so I can live. So the choice becomes, start my own business? Or get a job? I plan to work on both. If I can go make money doing IT consultation gigs, then great. Or if I can find a full-time job that doesn't suck, even better. And if the IT consultation business turns into a full time thing bringing in enough money to live on,... then that would be the best.

It's all difficult. Things were pretty good with the last job. It lasted 12 years, I had tons of flexibility and the pay was enough to eat and pay the rent and see a movie here and there and buy a new iPhone. So all in all I'd say I had it pretty good for a long time. Now I have to roll up my sleeves and get out there into the real world and find my way.

[CeeBee]

So the choice becomes, start my own business? Or get a job? I plan to work on both. If I can go make money doing IT consultation gigs, then great.

Question is do you already have some steady customers that you could use for recommendations? What are you *really skilled* in and how does it relate to the services you plan to offer and actual needs of potential customers in your area??
Personally I'm more or less in the same boat with 74AD - I have a day job I love and which brings good money and benefits... but I wouldn't pass a weekend work offer *if and only if* it would guarantee that I don't become their go-to person during my work hours - which seems to be the case with most small businesses.
On the other side I've announced all my private (non-business) customers that I no longer provide services quite some time ago - too much trouble and scheduling with my wife to pick up the kids to go to someone's house and clean some spyware (Staples and Best Buy offer the service for a price not worth competing with).
I still do custom websites now and then but even there is hard to compete, there are companies subcontracting in India or who knows where, and I would have to charge $20/h to be competitive and give away half in taxes...