Tarot Card Reading: The Business, Part 3

So, this will be my last post to wrap up this series…
When I started to think of how to structure my business, I looked at some examples. Eventually, I decided to go with a single member Limited Liability Company or LLC. For some of the following reasons:

• Liability – My divination business and I are two separate entities. I have to make sure that there is a definite distinction. For example, I must have a separate bank account for the business. When signing documents, I have to specify that I am signing as a representative or executor on behalf of the business. Also, in terms of legalities, my personal assets are not on the table, only assets of the company.
  
   
  This was my biggest factor. In a worst case scenario, a client interprets my reading in such a way that gets him or her in trouble, so they decide to sue. I'm sure that there are "safeguards" when it comes to this business, such as disclaimers stating that the reading is for "entertainment purposes only". I just didn't want to take that chance.
  
   
• Ability to be a single-member corporation – I wanted the legal separation, but didn't want the 100% liability of a sole-proprietorship. In Washington State and other states, a single member can form a single-member LLC, unlike an "S" or subchapter S corporation or a traditional "C" corporation where there must be most than one to form… At least how I understood it.
  
   
• Pass-Through Taxation – In a traditional "C" corporation, the corporation will be taxed and the dividends or any earnings that the members are taxed also, in other words, I avoid double taxation. This can be accomplished with an "S", but once again, I would need partners. Something, I chose not to have.

There is one point though that is rather risky:

• LLC's DO NOT have legal precedent – LLC's are so new that there are no records, if at all, about them in litigation at the federal level. I'm sure that there have been at the state level, but I haven't done due diligence in that area. I figure that as long as I'm following the law to the letter I won't be the poster boy for such a precedent.

These are just a few points why I decided to incorporate as an LLC. Now, I'm just an example, and I don't recommend doing what I did, if you decided to get into the divination or metaphysical business. Consult with a Tax attorney for the state in which you plan on incorporating or starting your business.
Once I decided on the structure of my business, the next challenge was a name.
The name had to be catchy, but not already in use anywhere in the State of Washington or in U.S., to be sure. It had to "mean" something, at least to me. And, it had to be "open". In other words, it wasn't restricting. For example, I know of a business in the Philippines known as Shoemart. Well, according to what I've heard is that the company started selling shoes, now they sell more and is a department store chain in the islands. I had juggled in my head several names, some weird, some plain eventually a stroke of luck came along and pointed me towards the name I should use.
Sometime in late May I visited my mother regarding a small "sari-sari" or miscellaneous mart that her friend was opening up in Bremerton, call "Jean's Kitchenette". Afterward, we went to the local Clearwater Casino, run by the Native American Suquamish tribe on the Kitsap peninsula. At first I figured that I would just walk around and look at the games, or follow my mother around. Whenever I went gambling, I always lost the money that I put in. I know better than to "chase" the money, especially when it comes to the video machines. So, usually, I'd play and then stop once the money I intended to spend was used up. She always said that I brought her "good luck". Mother and I went separate ways; she off to some $0.05 video machine; me, to the cafeteria. At the cafeteria, a particular machine caught my eye. It was called "Gift from the Gods". It had a Greek mythological theme about it and played like many of the video machines. The more "credits" you bet, the more chances you may line up the various icons in the game and "increase" your chances.
I always found it funny how the $0.05 or $0.02, machines are advertised in the casino. You see how much each credit is about the area in which they reside. When you play them, you soon realize that if you bet the maximum, that $0.05 or $0.02 is multiplied several times. You really only spend X amount if you bet one credit.
"Gift of the Gods" caught my eye. I proceeded to the ticket machine. I inserted about $30.00 worth and began to play. After playing for about 15 minutes, I won big. At the time I didn't know how much I won. All I saw was that I had won over 100,000 credits. I figured that I must have been $100.00, or so. The entire time I kept imagining the annoying dinging sound made when a credit was added to my card. I kept imagining that it sped up or lasted a long, long time. I kept thanking the machine and trying to "influence" the machine using my mind. I monitored my thought so well that when I won a large number of credits, I made sure that I said to myself "I believe it!" instead of the "I don't believe it!" I kept thinking and welcoming more credits. I made a "deal" with the machine that I would reach 150,000 credits and I would stop. I reached the "agreed" number of credits and decided to "renegotiate". When that happened, I lost a bunch of credits. I "apologized" and soon I was back up to the agreed number.
Mother and I agreed to stay only an hour. When that time came along, I printed out my ticket and was pleasantly surprised to have won over $300.00! I went to the cashiers' booth and cashed out.
It all made sense to me. I had in the back of my mind a Greek word that meant "fortunate". It had a "Y" in the name. According to what I've read or heard, names with "K", "Q", "X", "Y" or "Z" was more appealing, so I went with naming my company Eutyches Enterprises, LLC.

Tarot Card Reading: The Business, Part 3

 

Around the time that DM and I were interviewing, I was looking into the business structures that were available. They were:

• Sole Proprietorship
• General Partnership
• Limited Partnership
• S Corporation
• C Corporation
• Limited Liability Company

The above a just a few of the business structures available.

 

Sole Proprietorship

As a sole proprietorship, I would be the product. I was responsible for everything. Not only was I the reader, but I was the accountant, the receptionist, the janitor, etc. I had many hats to wear. But, I didn't have to listen to anyone else, or wait for someone else's approval before I did anything. Sounds great!

Most small business start out this way because it is relatively inexpensive to get started in Washington State. All you need to do is file for a Master Business Application, wait for it in the mail and you're in business. Depending on where you live you may also need to obtain permits for your locality. Christine Jette, the author of Professional Tarot, mentions this in her book, but does not get into detail about it. Nor does she get into detail about the other business structures. But, I just wanted to keep researching...

What I found is that in a sole proprietorship not only are you responsible for the myriad of things, but you also become directly responsible for any law suits that may be filed against you. For example, let's say you invite a client to your home for a reading on a Winter's day. You didn't shovel the snow from the path leading to the house and it has become icy. You client walks out of her car toward your front door. She slips and falls breaking her hip. (Let's assume that she's an elderly woman.) She decides to sue and now everything that you own maybe on the table. Yes, everything, because you and the business are the same. If she wins, you, your business and possibly your possessions, even the house you live in, can be placed on the altar of the judiciary system.

In addition, when it some to taxes, the business is basically an extension of you. Any earnings you get will be taxed, just like your regular job.

Also, if you have creditors nipping at your heels, they are nipping at your heals. Once again, under the law you and the business are view as one and the same. If you business gets into bad debt, as a result you get into bad debt.

Really, you're just saying that you have a license to sell products or services and that's it.

I decided against being a sole proprietor. Just on the grounds of litigation. Even if I were to have all the most water-proof disclaimers and releases, there are always loop holes. And, crafty lawyers will find them.

 

Partnerships (General and Limited)

This time around, I disregarded the idea of starting out as a partnership of any kind. I was going this alone. Although, when I was considering starting with XB and YP, this structure sounded good.

In a general partnership, two or more people bring in themselves. But, like the sole proprietor, the law makes no distinction between you and your partner(s) and the business. You have to really trust the people that you are in business with because if they run the company to the ground, you go down with it.

In a limited partnership, one or more of the partners is silent. In other words, they just have a stake in the business, but don't make the decisions. Essentially, one or more of the partners can do whatever they want with your money. And, like the a general partnership and sole proprietorship, if you get sued or have bad debt, the law doesn't see the dividing line: what is the business and what is you.

Know When to Run: My Experience with a Scam

The New Age industry is like any industry - you find great people and great service who genuinely want to help you, and there are those who tell you that your situation is not so good and want you to pay them to removed the spell, vex or curse that's impeding your happiness. Unfortunately, notoriety of outfits such as "Psychic Surgeons" and the infamous Miss Cleo, just don't make us who work in this industry look any better. I don't ever think that the media has run a story involving how psychics help police solve cold cases.

Today, I want to focus on how I was had by a true charlatan…

There were several things that I should have taken into account that the woman was not genuine. These lessons I want to pass on to you.

I had always driven by a big neon sign on one of the major roads in north Seattle that advertised a psychic and palm reader. But, I never had the curiosity to investigate, nor did I ever bother to look into the business. 

Looking back, I now know why…

When I contacted the business, I was in bad shape mentally. I had just broken up and I was not working. I needed some guidance. I drove by that same sign and decided to give them a call. The lady on the phone gave me a different address than what I expect. She had me drive down to an different address than what I had gotten the number from.

When I entered, I spoke with her and told her the truth of the situation she said that she could help. She began with a Tarot reading, but she told me that she didn't read the cards like other readers.

1. When your adviser tells you at the beginning of a Tarot reading that she doesn't read them according to convention…
   Now, I knew the cards and that many readers read the cards differently. But, she was really, really off. She basically proceeded to tell me what I had already told her and that the cause of all my suffering was because of a curse.
   
2. When your adviser tells you that you have a curse placed upon you by people who envy you (psychic attack)…
   She gave me bath salts and oil to "cleanse" my body and spirit. She also instructed me to "cleanse" my apartment with consecrated water. But, to genuinely lift the curse, she could remove it or at least alleviate it for a fee.
   
   
3. When your advisory tells you that she can remove the curse for a fee…
   At the time I was willing to try anything, so I agreed.
   
   
4. When your adviser tells you to buy "items" that would help her provide some assistance…
   She then gave me a list and explained what she was going to do with all the items. She told me to bring them to the next session. They were: Laundry Detergent, Paper Towels and Spray Pre-Wash Treatment?! What the hell? She's not going to lift the curse of help me, she's going to do some laundry. I left after maybe paying her an additional $100 to remove the spell.
   
   Days before the next session, I went and bought all the items for about $70 total. I went to the next session, but things didn't seem like they were getting better. So, she said that she needed to do more meditation and prayer and more contacting the "angels" regarding my situation. She also mentioned that for more money she would try another spell or meditation because the curse was just so strong. Her next list of items were silk scarves of a particular color that corresponded to the chakras of the body. She didn't want the scarves themselves, but gift certificates from Nordstrom's! According to her, they would be expensive…
   
   
   
5. When your adviser tells you to buy more expensive items so she can lift the curse…
   That was the last straw. I had heard of such things. I thought that the laundry stuff was actually for my situation, while, in fact, it was for hers: dirty laundry. I decided to never see her again.

I had read or watched similar stories where many people were scammed out of a lot of money, by preying on the false hopes and fears of their "clients" (read: "victims"). They just kept telling them what they wanted to know and that more needed to be done, more needed to be done. I think that one charlatan scammed thousands of dollars from one victim. Now, I was one of them… The only person to blame was… me.

I fell for it. I was the one who sought for her "help". I was the one who kept returning. I was the one who went to the local Fred Meyers to buy all this stuff and with my unemployment money! I got mad at myself. I was truly ashamed and never spoke about it for several years. It is only now that I have decided to bring my story out into the light.

This woman knew that I had limited funds. But, instead of letting me leave with something simple or with real advice, she gave me false hopes and her f**king LAUNDRY LIST! She gave me a "reason" for me to return, for more of the same BS. Nope… no scruples, scruple less.

I victimized myself through this woman.

On the day that I was scheduled to meet with B, I called because I finally got around to recognizing that I was being had. I wanted to cancel and never schedule another session with her. When she answered the phone she was having dinner and she had forgotten about the appointment. I never called her again, nor did she call me. Obviously, she forgot about her "customer"/"victim".

In the end, I believe that I had spent too much on "advice" and miscellaneous items. I know of some who were scammed out of much, much more.

I let the idea of "false" hope to take over. Many of the things that she claimed to do for me, I could have easily done for myself and it would have been so much more powerful. Also, keeping mind of certain spiritual ethics would have stop me from going forward with some of the things that I wanted to see happen. But, it's all water under the bridge, and my lesson I would like to pass on to you.

So, here it is to the reader, look out for the above signs. And, for those who choose to go into business, beware of such unethical conduct. Please, please pay attention to what your adviser wants you to do. A good reader will show you how you can help yourself; a charlatan will have you pay them to do it. And, to keep you coming back, they will tell you that it's not getting better and that you need to continue to use their services.

To this day, I'm surprised that she is still in business. I'm sure that eventually Dharma will catch up to her considering all the Karma that has come about.

A while back while talking to my cousin, she consulted with a spiritual adviser  At the end of the reading, he asked her if he could "help" remove the "blocks" in her life… for a fee, of course. Luckily, my cousin was much smarter than I, and declined the "offer". I did a reading for her, and now she is re-inspired to pursue hobbies/dreams of hers, helping children and drawing. Hopefully, when she has time we can work on a non-profit Tarot deck.

Eventually, I found a very credible woman who worked with me and my finances because she was truly and willing to help me. She's inspired me to be the same. Thank you, Maria.

To my readers LOVE, LIGHT and LUCK.
-- Eutyches

Tarot Card Reading: The Business, Part 2

At a party a few months ago, I met up with a fellow diviner.

It all began when we were all sitting at my friends Jason and Peter's dining table. We started talking about what we were doing, or planning on doing with our lives. My fellow diviner, Denise, mentioned a few projects that she had in mind… and she mentioned that she was thinking about taking her Rune reading pro.

At that moment, the old thought came back, "Is this a sign that I should start working on getting a Tarot business up and running?" I had done a lot of research. I, with my former partners, called around for what divinatory services that others offered, how much they charged, etc. But, all that information was just sitting there… somewhere. "Maybe, I should dig it all up?" I asked myself later.

I mentioned to Denise at the party that I knew of a book that dealt with that particular subject. Although Professional Tarot (ISBN: 0-7387-0217-X) by Christine Jette is specific to Tarot card reading, its insights and brilliance would easily apply to Denise's Runes. I have not seen a similar book to date, that relates to the subject and covers it so well.

Denise and I talked a little bit more about her plans and the book before she left that evening.

About 2 months passed and another friend, Jorge, came by to introduce me to another business… I was thinking, "Is this some kind of hint from above?" Once again, it sparked the two-year old ambition of Tarot reading at a professional level.

I knew how to read the cards. I had been reading ever since I "found" the cards way back when I was in middle school. I didn't always read them; I read them on occasion for fun or to help a friend or relative out. I had always picked up a book at the local Barnes and Noble and thumbed through the pages to find more insights into the cards and how to read them. I knew that I had learned much during some of the free readings that I gave when my partners and I were trying out the waters. I had given strangers readings and they were always pleased and grateful for the reading. I knew that I had tact and that I didn't sound "dumb" to the client. But, what I didn't know yet was how it felt to have someone come to me for spiritual advice… and pay for it.

I contacted Denise and we talked about how things were going in general and especially how she was progressing with her business. She was in the process of waiting for the book I mention, but we had a lot more to talk about.

There I was again, doing research making calls to readers in the area and asking about the same information: How much do you charge? How long is your session? Etc. I also sent out emails to readers in the area, stating that I was doing research since I was in the process of starting a similar business. Sadly, I was only able to get any relevant information from two out of the 10 that I called or emailed in the Seattle area.

According to Christine Jette, when you ask around for help and advice from other readers in the area, tell them the truth. If they help you, then the least you can do to say thanks is to keep them on a list of referrals. To both of those who were kind enough to help me, I pledged to refer a potential customer to them if they wanted a reading that I could not provide. For example, if a client came to me asking about astrology, I would give her information about local astrologers. As a way of saying thanks, I hope that anyone who reads this and is interested in a reading contact Psychic Eyes and Music and Christopher's Lamp in the Seattle area. Tell them that you read about them on my blog.

Thank you ladies! I love the both of you for helping me with the information that I was looking for. Thank you again!

For those who never replied or cut the message that I was leaving on their answering machine, I won't mention them. I don't want such energy associated with my business. And, so regarding them, I'm done.

Now, I do want to especially thank, the owner of Psychic Eyes and Music, Maria. She passed on to me information about an event at a local casino. (I do wish I could mention which casino, but I just don't want to get in trouble with them.) The event paid rather well and they were interviewing. I immediately let Denise know and for the several days before the interview we practiced on each other and with friends. During the interview, Denise and I were interviewed together, but by two ladies. Long story short, Denise and I will be at the event! Thank you, Maria!

The interview marked a beginning for me and for Denis. We both felt, acknowledged as metaphysical professionals. We will be included in their directory of professionals should the casino have a future event with a similar theme.

That'll be all for now. To all my readers, LOVE, LIGHT and LUCK.

-- Eutyches

(c) 2012 Joseph S. Maza

Tarot Card Reading: The Business, Part 1

I've been using Tarot Cards for 20 or so years. Just lately, I've decided to go professional. The idea of going professional started about two years ago.

I met Yvette through my other friend Tina. Tina worked at a local casino in the Seattle/Shoreline area. It was there that she met Yvette. After getting to know each other, they found that they shared a common interest in Spirituality and other New Age topics. Yvette had started to dabble in using the Tarot and told Tina about it.

Tina and I didn't know each other that well at the time, eventually the same topic of Tarot cards came up and I started to teach Tina how to read the cards. Tina introduced me to Yvette and soon a "partnership" of sorts started to form.

Yvette had the idea of opening up a business. Tina and I thought that it would be a great idea as well. We found the book Professional Tarot by Christine Jette and began reading. All the while, I started to take a look into the legalities and other formalities of establishing a business in Washington State.

I was between contracts for my usual job in my career, so we met almost every day to discuss ideas about how to advertise, how to conduct business and how to read for customers. We got together a stack of note cards to write one and just started to brainstorm. After the brainstorm session ended, we organized the cards into several piles, such as "Business Conduct", "Advertising", "During Readings" and "Wish List". We can up with a lot of ideas and many of them were just brilliant. We started to put things down on paper, regardless of Yvette's protests.

I wanted to put it down in writing on how to conduct "our" business so that we would be on the same page and to prevent any misunderstandings amongst the business' members. Yvette protested that we didn't "need" to, or that it was just a formality. It was a good thing, however, that I wanted to put things down in writing before we applied for business licenses or corporation status. Certain issues came to light that I didn't agree with.

To begin, the way that I imagined the way profits were to be divided would be uneven. As each of us started to create a list of clients, our clients would be most comfortable with one of us as an advisor. Because, we had our own client lists, that member should receive a majority of the profit made from a particular reading. My reasoning was this would encourage some friendly competition amongst us and it would drive up sales. For example, the reader would receive 70% percent of the fee collected from the reading; the other 30% would go to advertising, taxes and other expenses that we could share. Yvette thought that such a set up would be "unfair".

What she had in mind was similar, but it differed in how the profits would be split. Yvette imagined that the fees would be split three ways. Each member would get one third of the profits. Her only reason what that she thought that it would be "greedy" for only one person to receive the fees for the reading. But, underneath that statement, she was jealous that Tina and I could read much better than her, not only in terms of knowing the cards, but how we interpreted them for the client. We had a tactful approach especially when it came to any negative cards that would show up in the reading. Her approach was rather brusque and, at times, insensitive. Another, reason why her way would not be feasible is that any one of the members could sick back and receive money, regardless of the amount of work they put in since it was always split three ways. It is because of this possibly scenario that Tina was more agreeable to the idea than Yvette.

Another issue that came up was where we would conduct business. Per Christine Jette, she suggests meeting the client in a quiet but public place, instead of renting office space. Or, find a psychologist or psychiatrist who would be willing to lease their office space by the hour. I was fine with that, and also the idea that if we were to go to the client's house, at least two of us would go, never just one of us. Yvette had other ideas for that. In Yvette's mind, we would work for her boyfriend in his pool/billiards hall.

Hello… we're self-employed!

In essence, she missed the point of being self-employed or running our own business. You might work for someone else but as an independent contractor, not as an employee.

Yet, another issue was how Yvette conducted herself. She constantly was looking in the book. She didn't project the feeling of confidence; she was always saying things such as "I don't know…" or "I guess…" She didn't handle negative issues well. For example, she did a reading for a woman who worked at a local casino. She saw some separation or that her husband would leave her. All the while she was acting like it wasn't important; she wasn't sensitive to how the woman felt. She'd say "Oooo, he's going to leave you…" or something rather insensitive. Later on, word got around and the woman's husband committed suicide. I thought then on, that she would need to shape up, or I would not want to do business with her. She, herself, was a liability.

Eventually, issues, such as how profits were used and how the definition of "self-employed" was applied, split the team apart, not to mention certain other factors regarding Yvette in the personal arena.

So, the idea of starting a business with the Tarot Cards, faded away until very recently a friend of mind started me thinking, yet again…

To all my readers, LOVE, LIGHT and LUCK.

-- Eutyches

(c) Joseph S. Maza