I don't know where you are right now. Maybe you're exhausted. Maybe you're questioning everything. Maybe you're wondering if the sacrifices you're making will ever pay off. If that's you, keep reading. The truth is, you're going to lose sleep. You're going to second-guess yourself. You're going to make decisions that won't reveal whether they were right or wrong for months—or even years. That's what hard actually feels like. It's paying known costs for unknown rewards. It's walking without mile markers. It's wondering whether you're lost or exactly where you're supposed to be. But there's something powerful hidden in that reality: Most people won't do hard. They'll stop when it gets uncomfortable. They'll turn around when the outcome isn't guaranteed. They'll choose certainty over growth. And every time someone quits, the field gets a little less crowded. When we're younger, we often see difficulty as a warning sign. We think hard means we're doing something wrong. But eventually you realize hard isn't a warning. It's a filter. Every obstacle you overcome is one more person who decided not to continue. Every challenge you survive narrows the competition. You made it through this round. Keep going. And here's an important mindset shift: Stop thinking, "Why is this happening to me?" Start thinking, "Most people wouldn't even attempt this." Because they wouldn't. Another thing nobody tells you about the early stages of success is that your battles often feel unfair. You're fighting with limited resources, limited experience, and limited support. Meanwhile, someone further down the path has tools, systems, capital, connections, and years of hard-earned wisdom. From where you're standing, it looks like they have bigger problems. What you don't see is that your current battle may actually be the harder one. I remember looking at a bank account that had nothing left in it. Even when my husband and I were both working 50+ hours per week. I'm not sharing this because I wanted sympathy.

I spent almost $300 on Upwork trying to land a position and have received zero offers, so I am making the difficult decision to close down my business and sacrifice my health to get a job at a brick and mortar office. @Melissa Broughton I can't thank you enough for the canned responses you gave me.

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas & a Happy & safe New Years! Be sure to check the calendar for dates and times of Preferred Partner meetings and Office Hours.

Go ahead and introduce yourself! Tell us who you are and where you’re from.

Hi there! Welcome to the group. I truly believe bookkeeping is a skill anyone can use. Since 2016 I've had the pleasure of working directly with over 3000 bookkeepers, from ages 17 - 97. If they can do it so can you!