the rough and rewarding road of quitting your day job

The New York Times posted an article yesterday about the labor and love, but mostly labor that goes into starting your own business on Etsy. The story cites several examples of women who are not just making ends meet, but pulling in six figure sales. The caveat of pursuing such a dream? The Etsians interviewed all tell of physically demanding work, sleep sacrifices, and an abandoned personal life.
via New York Times

I know from meeting a few Ponoko users that some of you have been successful enough to pursue your craft full-time. Others may have struck off to start an independent business only to find that sales weren’t enough to keep the dream afloat. Whether you’re a professional maker or consider yourself a hobbyist, how difficult has it been to do what you love? What is your least favorite thing about being an independent maker—the designing, the making, the marketing, or something else? Is there anything that an online platform could provide that would enable you to more efficiently or successfully or even more happily run your business?