I don't want to leave this area, and I foresee no university jobs for me. Academics is too much like a poorly paid, high-pressure business job these days. I want to start looking for other work, but I've been so submerged in the academic world, with academic friends and colleagues, that I don't know where to start. I feel dumb admitting this. I haven't seen any jobs advertised for which I seem qualified, but I know I have a lot of skills that would be valuable to the business world.
Academics tend to have a strong negative streak and are somewhat hung up on credentials.
You're going to put that behind you and put on your entrepreneur wings. Your Ph.D. is evidence of discipline and the ability to master a body of knowledge. In applying for jobs, you learn something about the job market and what's demanded and how the world works. The way to do it is to do it. Now's the time.