Since deciding to jump on the "dot.com" wagon and redefine my company as an Internet-driven staffing company, I've done nothing but think about how to pull this off without going out of business or needing a divorce lawyer.

I've never done anything this insane since I started StaffWriters. Launching the company was pretty simple compared with the enormous task of converting it to a digital-only business and providing every service we provide now, only better and electronically. There's a simple formula — it has to work, or we're dead.

This process is literally consuming me. I think about different scenarios constantly throughout the day and in fits of insomnia at night. I won't rest until I'm comfortable with the new strategy. Last week, we got a great boost: a write-up in an influential e-zine that covers the online staffing industry. It was a great feeling, to know that our existing site, even before the planned changes, has been well-received. It gives us fuel to move forward.

There are several things that need to click before we replace our so-called brick-and-mortar operation. One of those things is passion — which I have an overload of. The other is money — the great enabler — which I have very little of.

Several months ago, I secured a small line of credit from my local bank, a six-month ordeal that I chronicled in these columns. It was a grand victory to finally get the line. You won't be surprised to hear that I've just about exhausted it. It doesn't take long to use up $50,000. My monthly payroll alone is close to that.

This time, I need real money, the kind venture capitalists carry around just in case they meet a 17-year-old with a business plan. I'm not 17 anymore, so I know this is going to take more than good looks to pull off. I need a very convincing business outline and a doctor's note saying that I'll survive the ramp-up.

I started this process by converting notes from two airport cafeteria napkins to my office computer. So far, the napkin plan looks stronger to me than the formal one I'm putting together. There really is nothing like a burst of creative energy, a Bic pen, and a napkin. Somehow, they seem to work better than sitting in front of a screen trying to explain your vision in the dry business-plan format.

This plan needs to include an overview of my current business, an examination of the online staffing business as it exists today, my vision for the new model, the management team behind the vision, financials, and a timetable for rollout.

As I put together my business plan, I keep one eye on the Net. The game is moving so fast that it's almost impossible to keep up. By the time I've penned a scenario for a new model, I find another online recruiter with a very similar idea.

Meanwhile, our traditional business is growing. We have had more orders for writers and editors than ever before, and we plan to add staff to meet the demand. Still, I'm convinced that I have to reshape this company to survive. But we're in it to stay. We're the bacon side of bacon and eggs. The chicken was involved, but the pig was truly committed.

George Giokas is the president and CEO of StaffWriters Plus, a specialty agency that places writers in temporary and permanent positions with corporate and other employers. It also provides editorial consulting work. His database includes 2,500 writers and editors specializing in more than 60 categories. His Web site is located at www.staffwriters.com, and you can E-mail him at george@staffwriters.com.