My two or maybe three cents...

Before Julie posted her last entry, we discussed how much we REALLY wanted to tell. We agreed that to fully understand and appreciate the impact of our most recent Great Good Fortune, you'd have to know where we were coming from. From outward appearances, I'm sure you would imagine that we were a successful little company, wouldn't you? In many ways, as Julie has said, we are. BUT, the financial struggles and personal sacrifices we have made, (and continue to make) would curl your toes!!! Working full-time on our business and retiring from nursing is my dream, but the truth is that the business barely supports Julie. We have fallen back on my income to fill in the financial gaps, on more occasions than I can count...cashflow issues are an ongoing NIGHTMARE! On most days I work at the store from 10-2:30, and on to the hospital for another 8 hours. In the meantime, Julie puts in an equal number of hours trying to keep the business running smoothly. This doesn't include our time away from the store, spent planning, doing paperwork, and web updates. Bottom line...lots of work for little money. This is NOT a business not for the faint of heart! Ask anyone who's trying to do it. We've held on by our fingernails, putting our time in until we hit the magical sales figure that makes it all work. We're constantly streamlining our operation, we've ramped up our marketing efforts and we're hoping that The Great Buck Howard is the key to making it all happen.