Life as a business owner: Day 3

2/3/11: 

I am actually tired tonight. I haven’t been tired till like 3 AM the last few nights. I think I am letting my brain relax a bit today. I was actually able to sit and watch 20 minutes of Ellen, 5 minutes of Oprah, and like 15 minutes of American Idol tonight without doing anything else! That is a big step for me…well, I did pluck my eyebrows for one of those, but that doesn’t really count. Anyway, I set up my play list on groove shark tonight—what a great invention-- and it has kept my sanity in check. On my playlist tonight, Florence and the Machine (I actually like this weird chic), Ingrid Michaelson, one song of Citizen Cope (Drummer Kick), and Joe Purdy for my really down and out moments. My boyfriend calls Purdy’s songs “Bridge Jumpers,” like it’s considered good music if you want to kill yourself while listening to it. You can see my range of emotions in just my playlist. It is quite a hodgepodge. Anyway, today, I had to get my credit score info, so we can see if there is any chance in hell that any bank or credit card will loan us money. I have been putting this moment off for a few months. I used to have a great credit score until I started a business, took out a loan we couldn’t afford, charged cards we should have never charged, and then only got paid $25,000.00 income for the whole year. Just to be clear, this was money well spent on things we actually needed for the business. We weren’t being irresponsibly at all, but nonetheless, starting a business is costly and we realized that very quickly. I used to be able to pay my credit cards off every month, but those days have been gone for awhile. Anyway, after paying 15.99 for a monthly credit report and all of the bells and whistles through Wells Fargo, I found out that between the 3 agencies, I have ONE discrepancy and it has to do with my bank loan and I don’t even think it’s all my fault. Yes, it’s the bank’s fault. I have decided.

Lesson from today: Don’t be afraid to check your credit score. Most people at some point have had a low score and there are many resources--books and websites to teach you how to increase your score. There is a lot of support out there and it is better to just find out what you are up against and deal with it. Don’t live in the dark regarding money or you will never find your way back out to light again. I also realized today that it is worth it to spend $12.99 a month through a reputable agency and track your spending and credit score. You can stay on top of your financial situation, and you deserve that. Uh oh…I sound like an ad right now. It’s true though. That is advice wish I would have heard earlier. I would have been more aware and made wiser choices.