A friend of mine is in trouble. There was a man and  a business involved. We all know it..... STD - Sexually Transmitted Debt! She fell in love, bought a business with her love and then the man runs off with someone else. My friend was left with a pile of debt including lawyers' bills  and a business slowly going to the wall.

The most troubling thing though was that she had never done a budget and hadn't so much as looked at her business finances. This meant that she was not able to make informed decisions about her true financial state. She had made investments such as a shop refit, floors and window upgrades and had lifted stock levels and tried new things to sell. The only problem with this was a lack of profit to support it. There was no research and certainly no financial plan. Now she wants to sell the shop but anyone looking through the books will know it.

This unfortunately is a true story and one I see played out time and time again. Many women stick their heads in the sand when it comes to finance. I too have been guilty of this. It is boring and doesn't necessarily support what we want to do. Out come the rose coloured glasses again and we just see what we want to see.

Well girls it is time to get serious about finance. Don't stick your head in the sand. Do a personal budget, see a financial planner, do a course and if in business a financial plan. Take control and nobody will be able to give you STD!