In an early post on this blog, I established a 5-year plan for taking my computer consulting business from a wistful idea to a part-time side-business and finally into a full time career.  After those 5 years, I could leave the workforce with enough experience and financial cushion to be confident with a successful transition to small business ownership.  I admit this was a leisurely time frame, but there was no rush.  I had a stable, well-paying job that I could leverage to make my dreams a reality.

Fast forward to today, and things aren’t so certain.  With the economy  in recovery mode, most companies are still laying off, and my employer has recently tossed around the idea of outsourcing a good majority of the in-house IT staff.  With the possibility of unemployment looming, I decided to buckle down and realistically figure out what kind of business traffic I would need if I do happen to get kicked to the curb before I’m ready.  How many billable hours will I need to log in order continue the lifestyle I currently enjoy, and pay my bills? How does that translate into actual customers?

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