Debbie LaChusa

I just returned from 4 days in Las Vegas. I did not go there to gamble. It's Spring Break and my 16-year-old daughter Brianna was playing in a fast-pitch softball tournament. So I packed her, my son and grandma in the car (hubby had to stay home and work) and we headed to sin city for a week of R&R and cheering on the Wolf Pack softball team. It was a great week ... the team placed third out of 32 teams and Brianna even hit a home run AND a grand slam in ONE game! You should have seen me jumping up and down and cheering! Yes, I am a very proud mom! :-)

Even though we had a great time, Las Vegas is not one of my favorite places. I'm not a gambler or a smoker and Vegas has too much of both for my taste. But as I walked through the casinos looking at all the people dropping coins into the slot machines hoping to win big, it made me realize those people are probably not all that different from me. I'm pouring my time, money and energy into another machine ... a machine I hope will someday pay big. That machine is my PC and the Internet. I don't look at what I do as gambling because I'm educating myself and following proven practices. And I'm happy to say I love what I do, so it's fun for me - it doesn't feel like work.

Some people might call me a gambler. I guess starting your own business is a bit of a gamble. There's no guarantee it will succeed. But I for one can't imagine going through life any other way. I love the excitement, the challenges, the unexpected ups and downs that being an entrepreneur provides. How about you?