Currently...

In July, 2010 I launched http://www.thecornertheatre.com/">The Corner Theatre - an ethical streetwear fashion label creating pretty t-shirts within England and using green materials and printing processes to help reduce our impact on the environment.

As we are an online shop, the vast majority of my time at the moment is spent marketing and networking to try to drive shoppers to the site. So far, this has involved word-of-mouth advertising (via Twitter and Facebook in particular), running stalls at film/music events and badgering journalists and hot-lists to include us. I also write a blog on http://rollonfriday.com/">rollonfriday.com in exchange for free advertising which is good fun.

However, for me, the most interesting part of running The Corner Theatre is being able to create new and innovative designs and overseeing the production process from concept to assembly and printing. It is the most creative and satisfying thing that I have ever been able to do and a far cry from my previous existence as a lawyer.

Before I escaped...

Not too long ago I was a commercial litigator at a firm in London - I also dabbled in a little bit of Insolvency work. I sued.

It was that phase everyone goes through of experimenting in their youth except I managed to do it for 5 years (including training plus another 2 years at law school).

My moment of truth...

I'm not sure there was a specific moment - I had disliked law from the moment I started my training contract though I was never sure about what I wanted to do instead.

I suppose, it was a process of discovering the possibility of doing something on my own and, eventually, gathering up the courage to take that step. It came to a head during and shortly after my honeymoon when I realised that my job was making me so unhappy I needed to make a change.

Planning for it...

It was somewhat rushed in the end - an opportunity arose to leave law and I hastily took it. The Corner Theatre was, at that stage, a rag-tag collection of sketches and some bookmarked websites that looked vaguely helpful.

Out of law, I had the time to sit down and arrange my thoughts - calling on as many contacts as possible to get my website up and running as well as experimenting before I found the right collection of designs and materials.

That said I think I over-thought some aspects and over-looked others - it's all part of the learning process.

The worst and best bits...

Well, the negatives are the loneliness of working on your own, the worries of irregular income and the constant doubt that you're doing it all wrong. There's also the constant nag of know-it-alls who have never worked on anything outside of the City but inevitably know better than you.

However, experiencing something completely different by doing my own thing and taking a chance is exhilarating. There is a freedom to go along with the fear of the unknown and the knowledge and experience gathered from taking the risk is far greater than I had appreciated.

Best advice...

The best people to take advice from are other entrepreneurs. Everyone else won't understand what it's like. I'm not convinced that's wholly true, but it can be a little reassuring.

Useful resources and information...

Reading other success stories on Escape and similar websites are always encouraging, but industry specific stuff can be a little daunting. I found forums regarding independent fashion labels very helpful but otherwise it was whatever Google churned up or industry contacts.