not sure if this is in the right section, if it is not, please move.
OK, just a quick background to set the stage. After I got married, things took a nose dive financially (story for another post) - because of this, the following may sound like a cornucopia of confusion and a big mess. However, I believe nothing is hopeless to those willing to try, and have someone to point them in the right direction. So here goes (I am going to do this in reverse):
A couple years ago I had to leave my job due to excessive bill collectors, and judgments bearing down hard. I helped the wife a few years earlier with an independent job, that was working well, but she got burned out. So I took that as an opportunity to make a lateral move and quit a 15yr career for this self employed position. After all, it is a COD job and it is difficult to track those on a cash bases. Little did I know that it was also a very lucrative and recession proof one to boot and am doing about 30% - 45% better than my career job. Go figure.
So here is the issue. I cannot make this legal (i.e. tax ID, create accounts for some of the clients I have, while they like the COD, about less than 13% of them want an account and to be billed - gaining these accounts would skyrocket my income, and hiring some help, which I need on occasionaly). Doing so would be like peeking out of my hole and every bill collector in the world looking for me would start firing. don't get me wrong, I want to pay these off, but not at the expense of putting my self on the street. Sorry. That why I left my job, at a 50%+ garnish, I was netting less than $150 - $200 a week - and with my current bills that just did not work (1 step forward, and 5 steps back). I cashed out my 401 completely just to stay above water. So while now being self employed I am doing ok. things are level, but I could be doing better. Since I am simply keeping above water, bankruptcy is NOT an option as most want over $2,000 which we do not have at our disposal. Obviously which many financial advisers over look, that if someone has that kind of money in the first place to just toss, the would not be in this position to start with. Anyways, I will always be bugged about that. I dont want to do ti myself for fear of messing up and loosing the ONLY possesion we have, and that is a reliable car or some misc things at home. everything else hardly adds up to $1k - $2k at best since we sold it all for money.
So there it is in a nutshell. I am sure I am missing some things, but I am out of options - and I want to expand. After 5 years I have an excellent reputation with many of the major companies I deal with. And expansion would be an excellent move forward.

Thank you in advance for any advice

ps.
several of the judgments are just flat out wrongly placed (which is one of the reasons I have not paid a couple of those, but again, lack funds for a proper attorney)