We all know there are 52 weeks in a year and 40 working hours in a week. Therefore, we can bill 2080 hours per year, right. Wrong. Too often this is trap that many new service businesses fall into.

The first step in calculating your billable hours is to define a realistic working year. If you were employed elsewhere, you would expect or want at least two weeks vacation time, one week sick time, one week personal time and paid holidays. So, where does that leave us - 52 weeks minus four weeks leaves 48 weeks minus about 10 paid holidays, or a total of approximately 46 weeks per year.

OK, you say, that means I can still bill for 46 weeks times 40 hours per week or 1840 hours per year. If I charge $25 per hour that comes to $46,000. Not bad, that is more than I was making on my previous job. Wrong.

"Dear Chuck & Sue,

Can you recommend a business that will help me earn $10,000 to $20,000 each month. I need to start earning this type of money as quickly as possible.

Sincerely,

I want To Be A Millionaire By Next Tuesday"

We kid you not. We get e-mails like this everyday. They are types we call shoulda, coulda, and woulda.

If you are a Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda, then this article is really going to tick you off. I hope it makes you angry, very angry.

Angry enough to change your ways or at least stop you from wasting your time and everybody else's.

Those that get angry see themselves all too well in this piece. They don't like being challenged. They are people who will never do anything. They will never change.

You know who you are. You're person who goes to discussion boards and asks "Does Carleton Sheets work in _____". Go ahead, fill in blank. Name a city or state. You can, of course, fill in any other name or business in place of Carleton.

You're usually answered by those of us who have been around block as follows, "No, Sheets doesn't work, you do".

Not liking that answer, you move to another group and ask same question. Getting a similar response. And so on, and so on, etc.

You're type of person who is afraid to spend a $100 - $200 to better yourself, your financial situation, your family's situation.

You're afraid to take a risk. You need a iron clad guarantee that whatever you do will make you money. Preferably by next Tuesday.

You're type of person who gives great lip service to concept of it takes work. But you're unwilling to put forth any effort.

You're afraid you may fail. IT, whatever your particular IT is, will not work for you.

You'd rather continue to moan and groan about your job, your life, your finances, your ______. Go ahead, fill in blank again. I can't begin to come up with all things you find to complain about.

Are you getting a good look at yourself in mirror. I hope so. I hope by now your spitting nails. If you're not, then you are probably hopeless.

If you're not spitting nails, then you should skip rest of this article.

Why?

Because I am going to let you in on some secrets that can change you from a shoulda, coulda, woulda to an I should, I could, I would and I did person.

First, let's dispel a myth. There is no legitimate get rich quick method, short of lottery that I know about.