Captain Commando, please listen to me for your own sake and for the sake of the people close to you. I understand I am an internet nobody, but it seems you are at least reading the threads, if not taking the advice given. I read up to about page 6, if I missed anything but felt I must post, if nothing more than to assist a fellow gamer. I understand you are in a stressful situation due to your father passing away, but business decisions are not made when stressed.
I believe you are making an unwise financial risk that could mean you lose everything.
As a futures trader, I never risk more than 10% of my income and rarely more than 2%. This allows me to take financial risks regularly. Some pay off, others do not. Assuming I risk 10% of my capital for each trade, there is a low statistical chance that I will lose 10 trades in a row.
This is a risk I am willing and able to take, because I am in a financial position where these options are available to me. Even if I lose the trading capital, I am in no danger of starving; my work and other financial interests will eventually replenish my ability to trade again.
You, on the other hand, are living in rooms rented by your mother and are assisted (financially I assume) by your brother. You effectively have little to no income in a city I assume to be very expensive. I'm not sure what food stamps are but basically I assume you are close to destitute.
I believe you are not in a position to take financial risks. Starting ANY new business is a financial risk, ask anyone - I'm sure there's a few on this board who have done so. You are outlaying capital that you simply won't be guaranteed to get back when you have limited abilities to spend money on food!
If you start your GMing position, its in its early stages you must expect that unseen errors or assumptions in your business plan will cause your first earnings to (at least) be less than your full earning potential. I've never opened a new business but you can be certain that new things are shaky.
You are operating under the assumption that you will have some clients. This is a risk you are taking. And if you get none? Then your original financial plan will have failed. You will have no profit and will have spent a lot. At this time, you are still struggling to bring food to the table.
Even if you do continue with your plan, your monthly profit seemed to be $19 dollars. Is that right, or did I misread the column? So in one year, assuming no unforeseen emergencies(!?), you make what, $227?
Assume, for the sake of your financial future, that your brothers assistance dries up and you can no longer live with your mother. Can you support your own lifestyle? I take it the answer is no.
This requires that you shelve this project until a later time when your finances can reasonably absorb the loss. Many of the posters in this thread have been needlessly sarcastic or deliberately hurtful, but they were attempting to assist you. Even the posters who supported you did so conditionally. Be wary!
As I know, you are also looking for jobs. Please practice restraint in interviews. There are many ways to tell people what they want to hear. You may work at Burger King, but if it lets you and your mother eat and save, then at a later, more financially wise point, you could begin to approach game stores.
If you are worried about qualifications, think of your skills. Talk to game stores! I'm certain they need knowledgable staff. You could definately sell yourself as someone who knows a lot about
4e, and can introduce others to the hobby for instance, if you don't want to work the deep fryer.
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