In search of freedom: Business is busy-ness

Today I'd like to discuss one of those "big question" type questions that the universe seems to shroud in mystery. How does one become independently wealthy? I'm not talking bajillionare wealthy, just enough to thwart reporting to "the man" five days per week. Enough to enjoy the company of your loved ones more than a few minutes a day.

Josh and I are working hard on this one. The key, according to the book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," is cash flow: passive income baby. You sit, money comes flying at you. We've thought about this a lot since we read the book in 2004 as we were planning our wedding and dreaming of future wealth.

Fast forward two years. We're now full swing into creating our first business and potential source of passive income: Honeyfund.com. It's a free honeymoon registry service that allows engaged couples to register for parts of their honeymoon instead of the typical "stuff." We got inspired when Josh built one for our wedding and it was a smashing success.

You can imagine this idea is gaining in popularity as more and more people are getting married in their late 20s and 30s and already have households full of toasters, irons, sheets, towels, dishes, etc. But not a lot of savings to take a two-week luxury vacation!

Here are some other bloggers talking about it:
http://sarawishing.blogspot.com/2006/01/well-so-far-so-good.html
http://ryanbj.blogspot.com/2006/01/im-in-houston.html
http://julieandbillswedding.blogspot.com/2006/02/registry-information.html

Anyway, whew this entrepreneur stuff is a lot of work! Between visiting City Hall for the business license, opening a new bank account, meeting with lawyers, and researching three industries (wedding, honeymoon, Internet advertising) I feel like I've already done enough to earn a six-figure salary and we haven't made a dime yet.

Are we better off working for the man? Going to our monochrome cubicles, doing our mundane jobs and collecting the cash? The nagging voice in my head says, "hell no!" We may be busy, but we're clicking our laptops side by side on the couch. We even get in the occasional game of footsy.