2 years ago DH lost his job (age 59) so he started a consulting business from home. He did many of the things you've already done--you sound really well-prepared. I asked him one of the most important things he learned and (other than not losing your job LOL) he feels it's to have a good tax attorney. You're prob aware of the deductions, losses, gains, etc.; we weren't. The other thing we have learned is to plan for the down times. Have "x" amount of money (we use 3 months) put back so when business is slow you don't max out credit cards and can still pay bills. Of course for us the down time is Nov thru Feb when businesses aren't scheduling new projects. I'm guessing the same is true for LA quilting-everyone wants their projects for Christmas and once they're done no one has any for you for a month or two. We also have trouble with slow payers--seems the larger the company the slower they pay. Again, it sounds like you've really done the research and educated yourself. The biggest thing is just going for it!