giving air to my thoughts

SCORE Atlanta is an arm of the Small Business Administration, teaming businessmen, counselors with people who want to get into business.

Last year I thought of contacting them. Not yet, I told my friends. I will wait until I've retired my first debt. I'm in no position to talk about my plans to buy a franchise. I'm not in a serious position to do anything.

Meanwhile, I research. I read the newspapers in Ft. Collins and Longmont. I should be reading the Loveland paper too, but I tend to run out of time before I get that far. I've read about Urban Renewal Areas in the cities to appraise each city's vision for the next 5-10 years. I've been getting business updates from each city for months now.

I've "driven" down Main street in Longmont and down College Avenue in Ft. Collins, using the street view feature in google maps. I contact realtors to find out how much I can expect to get for my house. I keep hitting my credit card, I send a little check each paycheck to a credit union in Colorado to establish history with them. I buy kitchen faucets and topsoil to upgrade the house and get the yard ready for renters or buyers.

It's a lot. I'm alone. I need help.

So today, I contacted a counselor from SCORE. He got back to me immediately. And I emailed him my story. I don't know yet what he'll tell me. But today I put some weight behind my ideas and I shared them with someone besides supportive friends. I have this feeling that telling him WILL help me. It feels like saying something out loud for the first time. The air listens and makes the plan real.

-Laura