Is It Worth It?

I used to blog on the old Yahoo 360 site a few years ago - then that closed and everyone seemed to
move over to Facebook ... not quite the same thing.

As you have probably worked out from my blog title, I am a 40+ female. I have been married since 1985 (my second marriage) and have four grown up children, six beautiful grandaughters, two dogs, one senile cat and assorted goldfish!

I have been trying to start my own business for quite some time, something always got in the way. Usually lack of start up cash, but a lot of time it was having the time. I was a single parent of four small children for years, all my money was (quite) rightly spent on them, as was my spare time.

On the weekends that my little darlings spent with their father  did sometimes get to attend some sci fi conventions and memorabilia shows. I had been collecting autographs since the age of about eleven. I started by writing to my favorite stars asking for a signed photograph, then graduated to actually getting to meet my idols at football grounds, theatres and memorabilia shows. As time went on, I got to know quite a lot of memorabilia dealers and even show organisers. I helped out on stalls while dealers queued for autographs and helped set up and break down at the beginning and end of shows.
Thats when I started to think that I could be a dealer too ... maybe one day have my own little shop! Well, I thought that was all a pipe dream, but then one thing led to another and I found myself signing on at the job centre, having endless interviews about why I couldnt find a job ... even though I had been looking and the jobs I could do were going to the young 20 somethings! Of course the subject of re-training came up. That's when I thought, hang on - why not bite the bullet and ask about the New Enterprise Allowance Scheme?

I thought my adviser would tell me not to be silly, that I was too old or too stupid to have my own business, but she didnt! We spoke about it, she was surprised at my knowledge of the subject and asked me to do some more research ... this I did.
I cant be put forward for the scheme until I have been on Jobseekers Allowance for a certain amount of time. But she is willing to put me forward foor the scheme. I have dome masses of research, have found an indoor market in my local shopping centre that would be perfect for me to start off in and I am struggling through writing the first draft of my buisiness plan.

Now the panic has set in, I know what I am doing, but how can I convince bigwigs in the Chamber of Commerce that I do? Surely I cant do this? Am I too old to follow this dream? The more time goes on, the more panicked and unsure I feel. I can sell, I have suppliers willing to give me stock on sale or return. I have chosen a great location, spoken to the market manager who thinks a memorabilia stall sounds great. There is no competition for miles around. But ... this is just me! Am I good enough?

My adviser told me if I didnt go for this I would regret it, and always wonder what might have been. I agree with her. But if they reject my business plan and turn me down for the scheme, I wont be able to afford to start off - and, well, wont that be them officially telling me how stupid and useless I am?
Is it worth it???