(a job), that would pay enough to make it worthwhile, was enjoyable, and satisfying to your values....would you do it if it meant inviting the most invasive and destructive elements of the federal government into your life, probably forevermore?

I'm taking 2009 off from all seriousness and major responsibility, and am kicking around various ideas for side-businesses. One of my ideas would be great fun (and satisfying too), but the business is tightly regulated by the feds. You need to apply for permits and get permission from various federal and local officials, all of whom are then looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life (seriously, they inspect your paperwork once a year), and the penalty for screwing up is fines and prison time.

Should I invest more energy in finding loopholes, ways around involving the feds, and hope that I'm smarter than they are? Or just chalk it up to a flight of fancy and say it's too risky? It's nothing I'm going to do soon, just a random idea I've been kicking around.

Here's hoping this will energize some discussion on the new forums. If I don't get any answers any time soon, I'll repost elsewhere.

Thanks in advance,

Adrian

If you really want to do something and you are willing to put the time and effort into it, I still think you should pursue it. However, as what you seem to be describing is a little more involved, doing plenty of background research on things and getting opinions and feedback from others who have done similar things would definitely be in order, particularly if government inspections may be part of the whole ordeal. Looking for loopholes may make starting off simpler, but can lead to more problems down the road. If what you intend to do is truly legit and you find the rules and regulations, even if somewhat restrictive, still acceptable, it is still probably a better bet to start off doing things by-the-book so there is no questions asked down the road. "They" fill find out sooner or later.

Sort of hard to give any other advice without more specifics, but then again, even with specifics, I'm not sure I'd be able to comment on such things. :p In the end, I figure, if you want to do it and you can do it and it doesn't involve maliciously hurting other people or things, I'm all for it!

There's not much I can say either, since we don't have any specifics (for good reason, I presume). What are the repercussions of ignoring the regulations? Is it illegal? Are the fines worse than accepting and making a mistake with the regulations?

I'm guessing this has to do with selling firearms or something. Regardless, we obviously can't offer specifics since you're more familiar with the biz than we are.

My only suggestion is to ask more local people. Either family members (who I'm guessing know the area better than we do) or friends in the industry who have dealt with the issues before.

Also, this forum *is* public.

I love how everyone rushes to think I'm jockeying for Nick Cage's job in Lord Of War. Really, I'm flattered.

The reality of the situation is somewhat more mundane. I'm wondering if I should start my own business in the spring, or fly under the radar some. Starting my own business means more freedom in terms of advertising and being public about what I'm doing, but it also paints a big red bullseye on my back in terms of things like business licenses, insurance, and taxes.

If I were to continue flying under the radar, nothing would change. I would continue with my current business, continue accepting cash from clients, and rely on word of mouth to spread the word about my services.

Just a matter of whether or not I want to stick my head out of my foxhole at this particular time.

Adrian

Oh. I guess your reputation precedes you.

In that case, I don't see what the big deal is. I haven't heard any horror stories of small business owners. And since corruption charges generally center on "intent" and not "carelessness," there wouldn't be much grounds to sue you if you did miss something.

Edit: psst, go back and read your first post. It didn't really distinguish between the problems of a business itself and the problem of what the business might deal with. And it is indeed more fun to speculate about the latter.