Writing Brain and Math Brain

My Math Brain has been put to the test lately. At the same time I've been working on numbers, they are also conceptual and theoretical numbers. It's a strange combination for me to wrap my mind around. I'm used to dealing with numbers in the concrete form: one apple plus one apple equals two apples, until I eat both apples and then there are none.

But this is different. I have to imagine how many apples I might sell in January, versus how many I might sell in May, and then I have to build an entire business on that supposition, because then I have to make sure all of my costs of doing business (how much I am paying for those apples, how much I'm paying to keep the store open [rent, utilities, supplies, salaries, benefits], unforeseen costs like repairs and theft, etc.) are covered by the theoretical number of apples I'm selling.

Well, okay, not apples. Cheese and tea.

So anyway, these parts of my brain aren't the strongest parts, but they are getting a workout and are getting stronger. This is a good thing, because even though I will have a bookkeeper to help me through the workaday number thing, I still must have a better knowledge (than I do now) of what the numbers mean and should look like for a profitable business. I need to be able to open my books at any given moment and know if I'm doing well, or need to do better.

Some days, though, it's easier for me to still get work done on this biz plan, but use parts of my brain that are much stronger from use. That would be the writing part.

So I'm writing the descriptive sections now. And I will do little chunks of the projections in-between.

My goal is to get this entire thing done by Thursday. It's a crazy deadline, but not really. I've worked under much tougher deadlines, and had to complete far bigger projects. But this time I'm running entirely on self-discipline and that's not my strong suit. I'm not writing this for a professor or a boss or anyone but me.

And the people who might give me some money to make this thing happen.

Money seems to be a good motivator. I'll dangle dollar bills in front of my face instead of carrots.