Well, I'm not sure where to start this answer. I'd say what others said that you don't seem ready yet to go professional. The way you said you know your cards ...sort of and that sometimes things seem flat...you do seem to need more practice.
Of course you do not have to do in person (face to face) readings to be a professional reader. I am one and I only read over the Internet. So that is a choice you'd have to make if you would want to do your work online or in person.
Then of course there are the legalities of registering your business and taxes.
As for my own story, I did not do anything to prepare myself to be a a professional reader, when it came to learning. I just loved Tarot and was fascinated by it. I read all I could, did tons of readings and journaling. But I had no idea I was going to become a professional reader at the time. I just did it because I adored it so much. In fact at first I had no intention of EVER reading for others. I just thought my cards were the greatest self-improvement tool of all time. Like a self-help book but personalized to your life. Personal growth has always been an important part of my life goal.
I read only for myself the first 6 months or so until an AT friend begged me to read for her. About 25 times too until I agreed. Then I started reading more and more for others. Years later I started getting everyone I read for telling me that I have to or must go professional. I was hearing that every time. Still I shrugged it off. Then my cards started telling me the same thing, that I was meant to be a professional reader. So I took it (just a bit) more seriously. I set up a web site to do readings from. But with my full time job I was mainly too tired to adveritise it much...and I kept putting it off. I guess because my reason for working to become a professional reader was coming from outside of myself, not from inside myself.
But during that time, I came to have a true desire to do this for myself. And it's been there and strong ever since. So it's only been a few months that I have been seriously working on this and I very much intend to make it my full time job. And of course then following my Tarot newsletter.
So it was kindof funny with me. It's not like I knew I wanted to be a professional reader. The universe just kept hinting at me over and over (prodding me and pushing me) until finally years later I took the ball and ran with it. LOL I do think now that it really is part of my life purpose to do this and that is why my life was so relentless in telling me in all kinds of ways that I needed to do this.
What I have done recently to advance my Tarot career is...when my company I was working for laid everyone off a few months ago...I took the time to work on my Tarot business (build my web site, take marketing courses, read all I could about running a business, and eventually about how to run a newsletter). But then I needed to go back to work and make some money. This time I thought to myself....what am I going to do if I get a full time job and I get more and more readings coming in? I can't keep taking the day off when I have readings to do as I'll get fired....So there had to be a better solution, and I just found mine last week.
I found a second part time job working at home. I am now working for myself (but with a team that teaches me how) and I can set my own hours. I decided to work 15 hours a week on that job and 15 hours on the Tarot business, advertising and all. And I need time to write the newsletter....I do believe I will be able to make the same money in 15 hours I was making in the 32 I was working before. And of course as more readings come in I am free to work less hours on the other job if I wish, until I can one day phase it out completely.
As of course I have no intention of putting an advertisement in this thread, if anyone wants to know more, just PM me.
I wish you all here all the best with your careers.
Babs