When I quit my day job and came home to work full time, the most common response I heard from my coworkers and friends was, "You're so lucky." As if I'd won the lottery. I've got news for you. Luck had nothing to do with it. I spent two years working 40+ hours per week and coming home every night to eat dinner in front of the computer so I could work some more. I funneled every spare dime into debts so we could reduce our expenses. We didn't go on vacation (too busy working), we didn't remodel the kitchen, we didn't buy a new car. Instead, we saved money so we could withstand the … [Read more...]

Want to know the scariest thing about being self-employed? Your bank account statement. When I had a job I knew that on the first and the fifteenth of every month I would get a check. More importantly, I knew exactly how much that check would be. I'd take it to the bank, put it in the checking account, my husband would log in to our online banking, pay all the bills, funnel some cash into the savings account, and we'd live quite nicely until the next paycheck. Now we face a whole new reality. There are no more regular paychecks. While I am lucky enough to have a few steady clients who … [Read more...]

On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving and three days before I had several large projects due, my dad suffered a stroke. My brother called at 8:00 am to let me know, and by 10:00 I had hurriedly emailed several clients to explain the situation, packed for several days, and was on the road. I'm happy to say that due to fast treatment and my dad's overall good health, he will likely make a full recovery. But it got me thinking about my business, and how I can be better prepared for family emergencies and other things that can make work the last thing on my mind. Financial … [Read more...]