With Halloween fast approaching, I thought it would be a great time to talk about what scares us.

Money is a huge hot-button issue with me. My dad struggled with a layoff that ultimately led to him forming his own business when I was a preteen. But those lean years in between jobs had us all skittish, and I think some of that "the bottom might drop out" fear stayed with me much longer than it should have. I think this is why it’s taken me a while to make some rather serious business investments that have helped grow that business substantially this year.

It was pretty easy for me to invest in attending a writers’ conference in Chicago. That’s for "work," so it felt okay sending a lot of money toward a concrete "investment" in my career. However, this year I also decided to double the amount of hours I use for in-home child care (a "mother’s helper" arrangement) and I hired a monthly cleaning service. Where before I might have considered these things luxuries, the brainpower and time I’ve saved from not having to continually juggle work and kids or scrubbing that icky netherworld behind the toilet seat have proven invaluable.

I know it can seem scary to invest in our writing businesses, especially when we’re just starting out. If you’re not yet ready to make moves this substantial, what are some other risks you can take to grow your business? Maybe you can afford to hire a high school student one day per week so you can brainstorm or refine queries. Maybe you can study a dream market and work on targeting them with some killer queries. Perhaps it’s time you attended a conference or joined a professional writers’ organization. Sound off in the comment box and share how you’re conquering what scares you!

–Toni