Oh my ...

Has it really been a year since the last post? That's tragic and completely unforgivable!

Well, as it is probably pretty apparent, things didn't go exactly to plan the last go 'round. Life, as it often does, got in the way of itself. And I will be completely honest, fear overpowered ambition. Having a regular 9-5(ish) job and fairly consistent paycheck really doesn't provide much stimulation to change things up. And, let's face it, I have the attention span of a stoned newt. After the less than successful visit to my local SCORE center, I really felt the wheels spinning, not to mention my head. Forget worrying about putting the cart before the horse; I didn't know which was which.

Welcome to 2011. Fresh start. Do-over. And already making more progress than previously. Let's start with money. Money is always important.

I've begun shopping for financial institutions. Now, I love my credit union, but the nearest branch is 2500 miles away. So my first thought was to go with Chase which recently acquired Washington Mutual (I knew changing their name to WaMu was a bad idea). I have had accounts there in the past, and there is a branch in the same shopping center as the grocery store and a little Mexican restaurant my roommate and I are single-handedly attempting to keep in business, so that's convenient.

When I walked in last Friday afternoon, I was greeted by two associates in their version of "smart casual". Tim Gunn would not have approved, but that's besides the point. They were positively giddy at the prospect of setting me up with a business account, but when I mentioned that I did my personal banking with a credit union, they started booing. Actually booing! That's the first lesson of business school; don't make negative comments about your competitor. Okay, I am guessing, since I've never taken a business class, but if it isn't, it certainly should be.

My first reaction was to walk out that instant. To carelessly criticize my financial institution is to criticize my personal choice. But, I recognize that I tend to make rash decisions, so I sat down with a young man to discuss what his bank could do for me. The answer: Not much. But that didn't dissuade him and a colleague from trying to convince me to open an account with $500. I left with a handful of brochures and a bad taste in my mouth.

Today I visited a local credit union which happens to be on the same network as my financial institution in NC. In my ten-minute visit I got all of the info I needed to open an account, as well as details I was missing regarding applying for a business license, which is more than I can say for SCORE.

So, here we are. I've got the paperwork filled out and as of this moment, the launch date for Earthly Delights Chocolate is 2nd, April. Mark your calendars, boys and girls!