ND! every morning on the radio there's an ad where an "amateur efficiency expert" is asked how to get more time for breakfast. His answer, simply, is "kilts." And every time I hear it I think of you.

I stopped asking for specific things I wanted from my family when I realized they were gonna buy anything else but that. I just gave them general ideas, like, a bathrobe. Whatever they gave me was almost certainly going to be cheap and useless. My family will happily buy presents at yard sales and brag to the recipient about how little they paid for it. I mean, sometimes you find great stuff secondhand, but some things should really be bought new, especially if they're presents. I don't want a used blender for Christmas.

My family is slowly drifting away from the "GiftMas" celebrations. A little urging from me got the ball rolling. My brother-in-law being unemployed again, for the better part of a year, is helping push it more. Gifts for the kid. That's about it. We are all grown ups.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind gifts. Just not a fan of "had to get you something, and got you this" mentality.

That's me. Not saying it has to be you. If you feel the need to give, and not sure what, donate to a charity that you both would agree to.

I am really not having a good time with this business paperwork. There is no reason this stuff should intimidate me, but I end up feeling like a total charlatan.

It isn't rational at all, my business is successful, and I've been growing through one of the worst economies in recent history and yet I just feel like I don't even know where to start on this type of stuff.

I see things like Business Proposal, Cash Flow Projection, Income and Cash Flow Statements and I just start to panic.

Sorry, I don't mean to dump this, and I know it's crazy talk.

ND, I know that at the library where I work we have a small business resource center with regular free classes and such, as well as lots of books about business plans. Maybe a class would increase your confidence? Another free support organization is SCORE: [link] For examp0le on their web site they have free templates for business proposals.

ND, I have the same reaction to filling out paperwork on my job. I've done it for fourteen years and I still hate it. I always just stare at it and feel completely lost. So, yeah...it's not just you.

I'm planning to take some classes. I've even thought about going to night school for an MBA. I'm working off some of the SCORE templates for the paperwork currently. The immediate issues is that I am meeting with the bank vice president tomorrow after lunch and have to look like I know what I'm doing.

I think the most frustrating thing is that I run a successful business and I clearly have good instincts for how to run a business, I just have zero training in it so things that I'm sure are totally reasonable and normal documents for a business end up being things that send me into a tail spin.

The fact that you are working from SCORE templates already suggests to me that you will do great with the bank VP. I am sure she routinely meets with people who are not already running a successful business and have terrible instincts. I teach grantwriting and about nonprofits, and I can tell right away which people have the basics but just lack formal training, and which people really have no clue. (Hint: the people with no clue tend to be more confident - they don't know enough to know they have no clue.)

Totally and completely what flea said!

It won't assuage your fear in the short run, ND, but I'm with flea that the banker will recognize a good prospect pretty much whatever you do.

My sense is that, anyone in that position is going to have worked with a lot of people and seen the best and the worst enough to know that you being a genius sound designer and competent person does not have to mean that you are great with technical paperwork.

If there are any issues with what you produce, the bank will surely advise you on what needs improvement. Seeing that you've grown during one of the worst economies in recent history will ensure their interest in providing the support you need.

Nilly, I didn't get an email from you. Did you get my email?