I started an internet business. I'm not making much money (I have hopes), but I feel as if I'm a slave to it. I choose my vacation spots according to how easy internet access will be. Will it get any better?

If you are talking of fibre-optic broadband connections, the government and opposition have both got broadband in their bribery bags, the opposition having referred to more fo than the government.
Whatever happens, f-o is going to take a few years and you will still have the more remote locations relying on ADSL, satellite etc. connections.

Even when you get to a reasonably sized town connected by f-o, you will find that ADSL for instance is usually limited to within 3-5 kilometres from nearest exchange/loop-box, all to do with the how much copper cabling your phone runs on.

If you are thinking wireless, forget it outside capital cities and some regional centres.

I have been in Vietnam the last couple of months and internet access is excellent! I really wonder what the Australian government is doing. Download speeds are generally slow and access is expensive.

I don't think politicians realise the importance of having cheap, fast internet access. Like many things in Australia the issue becomes politicized and neither party can agree on what to do often resulting in stalemate.

The economy is booming on the back of a resource boom. Australia should be reinvesting money back into education and technology now, so we will not be forever reliant on mining.

Kanga, good luck with the business!

I was in the US last year, and while internet cafes were few and expensive, wireless was available everywhere, it seemed. Sometimes I had to pay, but usually I could find a free place. All libraries in Florida, I was told, have free wireless. And two restaurant/bakery type places had it too. I even found free wireless in a McDonalds!

Here it's like the technical dark ages. By the time everything is settled, whatever works out will be out of date. Do you really think they are so out of touch that they don't realize that this stuff isn't even leading edge any more?

Maybe you are assuming that everywhere else will have less access than here, and as you can see by Mike's response, that isn't true at all. You can google to find out where there is free wifi access. Unless you are going to a small island or somewhere really remote, you shouldn't be limited in your destinations.

It will get better, because access is becoming easier every day. However, the need to stay on top of the business every day may not go away.

Every day, seven days a week, no break.

You sound like a friend of mine who does freelance writing and editing. He thought it would be really great, he'd take a lot of Mondays and Fridays off, lots of holidays, quit working at noon. What really happened is that if he doesn't have a lot of work, he has to try and get some, and if he does have a lot of work, deadlines rule his life. He's afraid to take two weeks to go on holiday because his few regular clients might hire a substitute and decide they like the new person better.

gday - That's it.

At least I only put in a few hours every day. After work.

Hhahahahahaha, I though it was only us who were slaves to our new business. We don't have holidays or even weekends. 20 hours a day in front of the computer, but we're hoping it will get better. I didn't start my own business to spend all my day and night dedicated to it.

Sorry I can give you any tips, only sympathize with you.

cheers,
Maria

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I think lots of people start their own businesses / quit work without realizing that most times there will be no set timetable working on your own. Or if there is one its like seven-eleven -> always open

That's why, imho, one should do for living what he/she loves to do on his own time anyways. That way it never feels like working.