Starting a Business (Maybe I will, Maybe I won't)

I met with a woman yesterday who recently started her own writing business. It's called Advantage Writing. She basically does the whole gamut when it comes to writing - resume writing, copy writing, indexing, and more.

I asked lots of questions and she told me how to start a business - log on to the City of Tucson website and pay the $45 fee. Then, license your business name in Phoenix - and kaboom - you're in business!

Many of my closest friends and family members know that I've considered starting a business many times in the past few years.

Business Idea #1
The one that came closest to actually reaching fruition was my idea for a scholarship consulting business. As a high school guidance counselor, I have ample experience in the area and I absolutely LOVE it.

BUT I'm not sure if that's "it" because I enjoy dispensing that information for free to motivated students and anxious parents in my life.

Business Idea #2
Then, there's writing of all kinds - my specialty and my passion. Writing is what I do - whether or not I'm getting paid for it. I don't know how to not write. I just do - I think about writing, I talk about writing, and I write - all day long.

BUT I'm not particularly fond of editing and proofreading. Yes, I'm good at it. I know the ins and outs of grammar. I know where to put the commas, which adjectives deliver the most pow, how to create a killer introduction. But there's something tedious and non-creative about going over someone else's work.

So, when it comes to writing, I think I'll stick to my own freelance writing - working on my book, sending queries to magazines, and enjoying the creative [Emphasis on create] process.

Other Ideas
Then, there are my other two ideas (that might actually go somewhere):
1. speaking at various conferences, retreats, school functions, and events.
2. planning events (think: conferences, expos, and retreats, NOT weddings)

Or Maybe I Won't Start a Business...
Or, I might throw all business ideas out the window and start up a non-profit instead. I grow weary of the business world.

Hence, my husband and I had the following conversation over dinner last night:

Scene: I had just returned from a business mixer at a swanky little golf club, complete with hors d'oeuvres and door prizes and 30-second elevator pitches.

Me: (Sigh) The business mixer was so...

Husband: Boring.

Me: Yes, and superficial. I wish we could come up with a way to make billions of dollars so that we could just go around and help lots of people...maybe start a non-profit...then, we wouldn't ever have to go to business mixers and networking nights.

Husband: We will.

Me: You know how I have crazy, hair-brained ideas every once in awhile and decide that I should go to medical school or enter corporate America or become a lawyer?

Husband: Yes.

Me: Remind me to not go the corporate America route.