While i appreciate your sentiments Redgum, there would be many semi professional sportsmen out there who would also disagree.
What i am doing is establing a part time business - all above board ABN, partnerhsip and declaring income etc, whilst working in a job which is casual and has been for 3 years. I think i have much more chance of success learning these little mistakes as a part timer than jumping in full blown and unprepared and going broke in 3 months.
The casual job i'm in requires me analysing balance sheets and profit & losses of businesses all over NSW to assess whether they qualify for governemnt assistance. I certainly have learnt alot from this job which i can apply to my business. In actual fact my wife has just changed jobs from fulltime to 3 days a week so as to concentrate more on the admin side of our business.

I think my chances of success as a full time photographer are better than 80%. I don't consider my self a prrofessional photographer and won't for several more years but i do consider myself i pretty good part time working photographer and have some really happy clients to prove it.

Hey Darren - For once i agree with you.....