but I am going to take the plunge! I've read everything in the FAQs and tutorials, but there is a lot to learn here. So, please, if I muck it up - be patient and just tell me how to improve it for the next time!!
First of all, I am 63 years old, and have been earning a living online since 1992. I started out selling websites to real estate agents in San Jose, Calif, before I really knew what email was! From there, I added payment processing services to our product portfolio, focusing mainly on ecommerce businesses, and in 1996, a friend called and asked if I could get a merchant account for a guy he knew that was opening an online casino in Panama. I thought it was the dumbest thing I had ever heard of, but by 2000, I was speaking at gaming conferences all over the world about processing for the online gaming industry.
LOL - you just never know where things will go, do you?
Over the last decade, I have been fortunate to work with some of the leading fintech developers in the payments industry, and love being on the 'cutting edge' of new payment solutions. The industry is always changing, never boring and I absolutely love what I do.
And the best part? I work from home, with my husband. We shared the same office for 15 years, with (almost) no bloodshed. Hey, we're human! My client base is global, and I spend most of the day on Skype working with businesses all over the globe, from nearly every vertical, while in my jammies and bunny slippers.
No, I am not kidding.
I left the proverbial corner office in downtown San Francisco decades ago, and while it has not always been easy, I've never regretted the decision.
I probably work longer hours than most people in the corporate world, but it's okay because it's my choice.
One of our side projects is Venture55.com, a free website dedicated to helping people of all ages start online businesses, especially second careers and post-retirement businesses. Too many of us today have seen our nest eggs wiped out or pension plans decimated in the past few years and we hope that we can come together to re-energize our futures.
As I said at the beginning of this self-intro, I am a newbie among you, but I spent the last two hours reading posts and I am very excited to join this wonderful, vibrant and challenging community.
Very much the Stranger in a Strange Land - but I look forward to becoming a very active and contributing member.