struggling but fun

Lately, I've been reconsidering my latest career move. Working for myself is great, but juggling all of these web-based revenue streams isn't as much fun as I thought it would be, particularly during the months when I'm struggling to pay the bills. There seem to be soooooo many opportunities to make a buck by cheating someone, but I have this silly little thing called a conscience that prevents me from participating. And sometimes I say to myself, "hey, if I'm going to be struggling, why not do something more fun, like be a struggling musician or artist?"

Of course, the web is full of people who are more than happy to share the secrets of their wealth with you...for a small fee. Maybe they're selling an ebook, or promise the "secret" to ultimate wealth and power for free...just for signing up to their email list. Yeah, sure. In most cases, they're simply projecting an image of success, and are earning their living by promising to show others how to do the same. It's MLM at its finest.

There were a number of more traditional businesses that I would have been interested in a long time ago, but many of them have become obsolete (like record stores). Being in a small town limits my opportunities to investigate franchise opportunities, since the town either doesn't have the numbers to support the business, or they would prefer to patronize the local mom-and-pop's. And I can't blame them - I'm the same way. I'd much rather shop at the local family-owned grocery store than the Wal-Mart up the street...even if it costs me a little more.

Admittedly, I do like the few things that I am doing that are more-or-less passive sources of income. Who wouldn't? Maybe I just need to spend more of my time developing more web ventures in that vein.