Awesome article with great information, meleciaathome! I also took it upon myself to start my own business in 2018 :)
On your last point you mention getting out of debt... I would say, it depends on what you are going to use your debt for. If your debt has only been used to purchase commodities, then yes, get out! But if you learn how to use debt to your advantage i.e buying assets that generate an income for you, then debt can be good!
Debt is what helped me buy assets that have now been paid for, and continue to generate an income for me. I know it's not always possible for everyone to find such assets, but what has worked for me is Bitcoin mining assets :) Just thought I'd share