Buy or build... or both

[lumberjack_jeff]

I've been asked to help an out-of-the-area investor friend build houses in my area. Having built my own, and coming from a carpenter family, I don't doubt that we can get'r done, but contracting wasn't my first choice of entreprenurial ideas.

Those of you who run small businesses, how did you get started, did you buy an existing business (or a franchise) or did you start from scratch?

TIA

[Bonhomme Richard]

1. I started mine from scratch.......

in a field I have been a salesman in for 20 years. I had 80K in a profit sharing plan and used it to cover myself the first year.
Well, I've been in business over 5 years now and what I am currently doing has nothing to do with my background. I now build hydraulic filtration equipment for highly specialized customers and am now developing a system for the wind turbine industry.
All I can say is do it and stick with it.