My name is Paul Huber. A few years ago I started “electricalfun.com”. The mission statement is: “A place for fun, learning, and exploration in the world of electricity and its technologies”. So far it’s been fun, scary, hard, and rewarding, and I’m still just getting started. It’s an adventure I’m happy to share!
What did you do for work in your last job?
I helped operate a family owned electrical contracting business. My father started the business in 1954 and I worked as a full-time electrician in the company from about 1982 on. Even before that, however, I was involved part-time since it was run out of our house. Some years later my father retired and I became president. A few years after that my sister came to work with me and it became a type of partnership arrangement.
When did you leave?
Technically in 2007. It was actually a gradual type of departure though. Because of the way I was involved in the operations there were still some ongoing matters that I needed to continue to help with.
Are you passionate about what you do?
Absolutely! I’ve always loved science and electrical technology. I enjoyed working with it in the contracting business and I have even more freedom to explore it now. I grew up watching scientists like Jacques Cousteau and Dr. Carl Sagan on TV. Their shows fascinated me and they were my heroes because they empowered people with knowledge and understanding of things. The work I’m doing now allows me to communicate with people like that by phone and e-mail, and at times it feels a little surrealistic – like more dream than reality. This Fall I’ll be taking that further with online video interviews and other video ideas. It’s impossible not to be passionate about that.
What pushed you to change jobs?
For the most part I enjoyed my previous occupation. The jobs we were contracted to do were always changing, I was always working with electricity, and there were constant engineering and logistic challenges to overcome – it was never boring.
The business problems of contracting, however, are constant and wear on you over time. I had been doing it for decades – literally – and the stress of that started to accumulate. The deciding point came when I noticed it affecting my health.
I was in my forties then and you become more aware of your mortality and questions of what you want to do with the rest of your life.
For a long time I had thought about starting something completely new, from a blank piece of paper. I liked the idea of being in a family business but I also wanted to do something that was completely my own idea. Although the health issues were actually minor, they were enough to be a catalyst for making that leap of faith. I knew that if I didn’t go for it then that I probably never would, and I didn’t want to live with those regrets later in life.
When you left your old job how did you feel?
There was some relief but there was also a little sadness. I tend to be nostalgic and I missed working with those people. It was a relatively small company and we were like a family. A dysfunctional one at times but a family nonetheless. 🙂
Have you gotten emotional support or do people wonder why you don’t have a real job?
Both. When I decided on starting a new career the idea of “electricalfun.com” immediately popped into my head. I sent an e-mail to my girlfriend right away asking her what she thought of the idea and she quickly responded back that she loved it. That was all the reassurance that I needed. I imagine she’s had worries and moments of doubt since then, but she never expressed any and has been 100% supportive all along. That’s crucial. I would have stuck with it anyway but it would have been tremendously more difficult without that support.
As far as doubters: there’s been some but not too many. Shortly into it my father told me that he really liked my site but questioned how I’d make a living with it. Some weeks later he was out and ran into a few business people that he respected. They told him that they’d seen my site and said that it could become worth a lot of money. He proudly shared the story with me and never doubted since then. Other people have asked questions or made comments that suggested doubt but I don’t pay much attention to that. What matters is that I have confidence in myself and what I’m doing.
Do you consider yourself financially stable?
The short, honest answer to that would still be no. I’ve been able to pay my bills but my definition of “financially stable” is pretty conservative and I don’t have the comfort margin that I’d like. Oddly, I think that’s a good thing because it keeps you on your toes. One of my favorite books is “Only the Paranoid Survive” by Andy Grove, Intel’s past CEO. He’s a brilliant man and he does a great job pointing out the benefits of being a little nervous and worried.
Comfort leads to complacency.
Do you have your own health insurance?
No. Fortunately I’m in good health right now and don’t need any care, but I know that’s risky and I plan on doing something about that in the next year.
How much time do you spend working and what do you spend that time doing?
Every day that’s a fresh question. I get up and start my workday about the same time as most people, but at this stage it’s still a mission more than a set of tasks. You could say the site and business model are still in a state of invention. My revenue comes from advertising and to build that I need to create something of increasing interest and value to my visitors. So the daily question is “what will make that happen,” and that’s what determines what I’ll work on that day. As far as how much time: it’s currently most of the day; that’s morning until night.
What have been the biggest challenges with your new business?
Coming up with the name – electricalfun.com – was easy. I loved electricity and I wanted my new business to be fun. The functional details of that were the hard part. I had to teach myself web development because I couldn’t afford to hire anybody, but beyond that, I didn’t even know what the site was going to be.
Yeah, it was a leap of faith for sure!
I started with a few simple articles about things that interested me but I quickly realized that competing for visitors among thousands/millions of other web sites was going to be a lot harder than I thought. I had some small financial assets to pay the bills with but that was burning away quickly and I knew I wouldn’t reach my revenue goal in time. There were a lot of gut-check moments where you have to stay mentally committed to the dream you’ve chosen.
I would say that having determination and perseverance are the biggest challenges for most new entrepreneurs, since they’re what overcome all the other problems you’ll have. Sometimes you can get lucky; things line up just right and success comes easy, but more often than not it will be harder and take longer than you thought, and you better be prepared and not quit. Some time ago I was listening to my clock radio in the morning and the host was interviewing a popular music star. He said; “You’ve really become quite an overnight sensation!” The musician responded; “Yeah, I’ve spent the last ten years becoming an overnight sensation.” That really stuck with me!
Glad you chose this path or do you wish you could go back in time?
I’m very glad and have no regrets whatsoever. That I can honestly say that seems a little strange actually. I think most people tend to second-guess their major decisions, and I have on a lot of mine, but not this one.
Check out Paul Huber’s website and be sure to check his site in a few months for videos!
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