New To Business?
New to business? Don’t lose your nerve!
I have been helping out one of my best friends with her new business venture in the UK. It is exciting, a bit out of the box and loaded with potential. We had a long chat via Skype about a job offer she had received. It was essentially what her business offered but she would be committed full time for at least six months. The question – what should she do?
Give up the chance to earn a full time wage for six months or hold her nerve and continue with the business?
She held her nerve…bravely…. Instead of being a full time employee she convinced them they should hire her company instead! No need to put all marketing efforts on hold, no need to turn away potential new clients, no need to stop doing all of the things she has been doing in the past six months to get her to where she is.
Small business is a big old adventure loaded with potential wrong turns and bad decisions everywhere. You will make some (maybe even lots) and you will want to give up. I know this because I have been there. Possibly the worst decision you can make is losing your nerve too quickly. You know what it is like, the bank account is empty, you no longer buy the fancy toilet paper, and your social life has all but disappeared. You find yourself taking a quick peek at Seek, just to see what kind of jobs are going… it’s a slippery slope from here my friends.
If you are in your first year or two of business I want you to print this blog out and stick it above your desk as a reminder to not lose your nerve until you have answered the questions below;
Question 1
Do you honestly do everything possible every single day to make your business?
Question 2
Do people know you exist? This does not mean googling your business name!
Question 3
Have you asked a professional (oh I happen to know some business coaches…) for advice?
Question 4
Do you ask someone every single day to buy your product or service?
Question 5
Do you honestly want this to work?
If you answered no to the above then you just need a good old fashion kick up the arse with the exception of question 5.
If you answered no to question 5 then it is best you nick off and get a job fast!
Melanie Miller
Small Fish Business Coaching Gold Coast
www.smallfish.com.au
Post has no comments.
Australia's $15m e-commerce king says "get a Business Coach"
Our friends at Reid-McGill sent us this article. It's good advice, we reckon (well, we would wouldn't we?)
Eddie Machaalani, of BigCommerce gives one great piece of advice of how his start-up rose to success. He lists many more, but of course we found this one the most important.
Quoted from Smh.com.au:
"3. Call a coach
Behind every successful athlete lies a good coach. A business owner can benefit equally from a coach, who need not be incredibly successful running a business or have the skills you do.
Instead, the coach should have good systems and processes to teach and help keep your emotional rollercoaster under control.
A good business coach is worth their weight in gold.
"
You can read the rest of the article here.
So, maybe it is time you really do think about picking up the phone?
Jon Dale
Small Fish Business Coaching Byron Bay
www.smallfish.com.au
Post has no comments.
Starting A Small Business? Read this First!
What do you mean you are leaving a full-time job to go into business? “ARE YOU NUTS?” If only I had a dollar for every time I had heard those inspiring bits of wisdom and encouragement, I would be at least a hundred bucks richer!
So why did I leave my employer, hand back my nice new fully maintained company car, fuel card, expense account, laptop, mobile phone, regular guaranteed income and sanity behind? Possibly people were not wrong when they suggested I was nuts?
The actual reason was that I could see the downturn of the economy and it’s impact on the company that employed me slowly unfolding. Those above were feeling the pressure. In turn, their stress was being unleashed on those below. Cuts were being made everywhere; staff were not being replaced and those who remained looked as disenchanted as I felt. More than 50% of my pay was made from bonuses. As those around me starting losing confidence and motivation they stopped performing. I could see that it would mark the end of bonuses for everyone, not just those under performing. Micromanagement kicked into full gear, all of a sudden I had to explain my every move. For someone who actually enjoys work and loves achieving goals, this was nothing short of degrading.
What was I really leaving behind? Stability? Nope… nothing about my position felt stable. A regular income? Yes, but not the income I agreed to when I signed the contracts. I knew that no amount of time and effort invested would allow that income to increase anytime soon. What a frustrating place to be stuck in. Do I miss my company car now? Not really. Do I miss my fuel card? Heck YES! I loved that little bit of plastic. Would I trade any of it for being self-employed? Absolutely not!
So you may be thinking that this is a blatant plug to join Small Fish Business Coaching as a Business Coach, it actually isn’t! It is a plug for small business. If companies were thriving and bonuses were flourishing I possibly would not have made this choice. For me it is about (not to be cheesy) “being the master of my own destiny”. In this economy nothing is certain, being employed for me was no less risky than being self-employed. How stable do you feel right now?
Melanie Miller
Small Fish Business Coaching Gold Coast
www.smallfish.com.au
Jon Dale 25-Jan-2012 01:45 PM
Me too, Melanie. I started Small Fish for many of the same reasons as you joined - disenchanted with corporate life and the lack of integrity, frustrated with my ability to earn of grow there and a desire to be more connected with my community instead
of running of to the city and a different world then running back (in rush hour) to my real life. I'm not sorry I did, though the price has been heavy, not least in uncertainty (of income, mostly). Business coaching is not for the faint hearted, either, is
it? For the brave only, just like any small business. If you're in business (you probably are if we send this to you), then I reckon you're brave (like me and Melanie).
Melanie Miller 25-Jan-2012 04:50 PM
Oh I have a plug for Franchises - at least we went through it together Jon! Safety in numbers! No going back, I love my self employed status too much.
