Sole Proprieter or Just Unemployed?

Ugh. I've been working on this "Small Business" of mine for a while now. Sometimes it really feels like I'm running my own small design shop. Most times it feels like I'm merely trying to run my own small design shop, and lots of times it just feels like unemployment. I used to hear small biz owners say all the time how hard they worked, and I hate to admit that I never really believed them. How busy could they be? They are in charge of their own schedules! Now I realize that owning a small business means you do a ton of work for free. All the details that a traditional company would have a full staff to take care of, well, it's all on you. No health insurance, no HR department, no accountant. I mean, give it time, I may get there, but for now, I'm in charge of it all. And almost all of it I can't charge for. It's still exciting, and let's face it, it's the best of my slim options at the moment. I always dreamed I would own my own business some day, but in that dream I was making a living at it. Baby steps.

"Maybe It's Time for Plan C" - interesting NY Times article about how many other people have stumbled upon this same notion as me during the recession.

"The Waitressing Life: The Honor of a Second-Class Profession" - great point of view on a profession that franky I would make a lot more money at right now, and that I miss quite often (until I remember things like never having weekends). {via GalaDarling}

"Making Sense of Your Business Finances" - helpful advice about managing your small business finances.

And just for fun, a bunch of drool-worthy home offices: