I Got A Job! Seriously. And I learned Something Along the Way.

With our decision not to raise financing until we got a product out there, times are are tough for me financially. I officially went into credit card debt last week - which I guess is a requirement for any legit, non trust fund/wealthy individual. So I'm ok with it. My parents aren't, but what can I do? In order to pick up some cash for spending money and to pay down my debt, I've recently joined Kaplan to tutor students for the GMAT. I've also been helping out people with their business school applications/essay writing, which is something I wish I had taken advantage of when I applied to business school. At the time, I didn't really know enough about the process to write excellent essays - and getting some help would have been ideal. I didn't even know that this sort of service was offered. I do now, after the fact. Finding clients on Craiglist hasn't been that sweet. Generally they're more interested in looking for a good deal than paying for what you get. Since I have it in me to help other people, I had been accepting less than market price. Fortunately, that's changing. In any event, the tutoring should be an interesting experience. Definitely good practice presenting to people - which will be handy when we're pitching our business. It's also part time and incredibly flexible, so that helps too.

One of the benefits of being a broke ass entrepreneur is the lesson I've learned in saving money. I've never been very conscious of my financial situation. I've always made a decent enough salary to live comfortable and spend stupidly. I'd always pay for things even with friends and never really cared if they got me back (unless it was totally ridiculously obvious that someone was a leech). Boy have times changed. I even look for coupons in the Sunday paper. My parents will probably be shocked to hear that since they knew all about my frivolous spending habits. I never even kept track of any money. Well, I'm much more diligent these days and it will pay dividends long after I start earning a paycheck again. I might even be able to save some money!