Q1:Oh you crazy lady
Plenty of people would back you up on that statement.
you can ask me anything and at any time.
Thank-you!
However, there are some areas of my life I cannot be too forthcoming with as there were a few years (here and there) where my efforts could be interpreted as slightly nefarious (have a good laugh about this, I do on occasion).
I wasn't sure if I was being too personal by asking. I didn't want to intrude or put you in an awkward position.
Re your nefarious past....I suspected you were dangerous!
As for the rest of your response, part I...
I was raised by self-employed business owners - parents and grandparents but was never taught about the 'business' side of things. Customer service, hard work, markups, sourcing, office work, I'm your girl. But actual business details such as how to plan, project, set up books or find the right accountant, I don't know much about. Never saw my family do any of that stuff. They just rolled up their sleeves and got to work. I envy your level of knowledge and try to learn a little more everyday.
I agree with you on so many points....people leading newbies to believe in push-button instant profits with little to no investment, not having enough money to get our business off the ground, lack of knowledge to effectively problem solve. I have these issues myself but didn't know they were issues until I joined this forum and discovered information that I just knew was true. It was a disappointing moment to realize that everything I'd read or been told up to that point was a lie. Or at least, no longer applicable. By then it was too late, I had promised myself that I was going to try this and I had broken enough promises to myself over the years - not this one. At the moment, money is my biggest obstacle but damn it, I like CPA and want to make it work. So, I continue to plod along. I'm too stubborn to stop, I guess.
Still, I dearly wish that I already possessed your ability to clearly see a path to your goal and around/through/over your obstacles. I suppose that's having control of your business, as you mentioned, instead of the other way around.
Re some people's fear of failure, I think that there are people in the world who are also afraid of success. Are they aware of it? I don't know.
I hadn't considered how business has changed over the past decade or two, thanks for that. Nothing stands still, everything changes, I'd just never thought about that, nor did I connect or compare trends in the offline to the online. I find that interesting.
Continued on next post because I always write too much!
No, you don't. I poured myself a glass of wine, got comfortable and read. I thoroughly enjoyed both of your posts. In fact, I'm going to respond to Part II now.