Where do you move when the possibilities are endless?

Ask for no guarantees; ask for no security, there never was such an animal. And if there were, it would be related to the great sloth which hangs upside down in a tree all day every day, sleeping its life away.  -Henry de Bracton

2008 is half a month away, and I am well aware that this coming year is going to bring many changes.  In June I will graduate from college, at some point I’ll probably start and end a relationship, I’ll go to two fraternity brothers weddings (so far), I will begin a career, and most importantly, I will leave the safe haven of Columbus, Ohio.

Moving is what’s been on my mind most recently.  I have NO idea where I am going when I leave C-Bus, but I’m starting to get a few ideas.  The first thing I need to do is decide what will determine my location.  I know that it’s not going to be a significant other, because I’m not in a relationship right now, and past experience has taught me that I will not stay somewhere because of someone I am seeing.    I do think about my family.  I’m very close with my mother and father, but they still live in Connecticut.  I know that I don’t want to be home, and they have always encouraged me to experience new things and go new places.

So what’s left if there is no girlfriend and no reason for me to go back to my family?  The biggest thing in my life outside of those two facets is my (soon to be) job.  The good news is I think I know what I am going to be doing, and I’m excited about it.  However, it’s a start-up and we all know start-ups are less than stable situations.  The company I plan to work for is called Brazen Careerist.  The company was started in part by my brother, Ryan Healy, and a good friend, Ryan Paugh, the founders of Employee Evolution. 

Right now they’re living in Madison Wisconsin, which is where I am today, interning for them, and getting to understand their business.  They have decided though, that they will not be living here for long, and I actually have a small say in where they should move.  So we have been talking about that a lot recently. I realized a few key points that we need to assess before making the move.  And in fact, these are some very basic points that every start up company needs to consider before deciding on a location.

1)    Cost of living- it’s a start up company, so budgeting is necessary.

2)   Location- we need to live somewhere that makes the rest of the country accessible whether by air or by road.

3)   Comfort- Living somewhere that you find yourself uncomfortable in is a distraction and very de-motivating.

4)   Network- it is very important to build or have a network no matter where you are living, so looking at networking opportunities is crucial in deciding where to live.

Of course there are other considerations like good weather, sports, and friends, but those are things that I know I can live without, or adapt to based on location.  When it comes down to it, no matter what I want, there has to be a compromise, and the decision has to be a joint one because once we make the move we’re all in it together.

Right now we’re thinking maybe Chicago, maybe Boston.  But when you’re working for an internet start-up you’re not bound by location.  The possibilities are endless.  And that’s a pretty cool feeling if you ask me.

So, any suggestions?