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your biggest challenge in business?


Guest OldGlory

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Guest OldGlory

Seems we all excel at different things and need work in certain areas. I have found that straddling the 9-5 and self employed fence is my biggest challenge since I am a single gal. How much can I bite off? What area will I be forced to compromise on if I'm put in a position to choose one or the other? It is an ongoing stuggle for me.

Where do you struggle in business? And how do you deal with the challenge?

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My biggest challenge is putting myself out there. I struggle with presenting myself to other businesses. Oh heck I know sitting in my house I am good enough so is my product but telling others that, is the hardest thing I have ever done.

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Old Glory, being a single gal myself I can so relate.  Working a full time job and trying to work in getting a business going has been a struggle.  Three years ago I was ready to launch and then became the caregiver to my uncle who lived down the road.  This included stopping before work and after work to take his meds, bring his meals, do his shopping, etc.  I put my business on hold.  When he passed away I thought MY TIME had come, but in that timespan  my mom has become him and once again I'm shopping for her groceries, taking her to appts, stopping by to make sure she eats.   I realize that if I put it on hold again it's likely never going to happen, so I struggle between my own selfishness (and necessity as this was to supplement retirement down the road) and the family demands of my time.  I know there should be no choice and I hope people don't think terribly of me, but oh my it's hard to let go of a dream.   I fear that if many years go by I will then become her.  I guess that's just how time marches on.   Right now I'm searching for a balance for all of it to happen and fall into place along with my job.  It might mean moving her in with me and after living alone for twenty years, that's going to be an adjustment as well. 

 

Oh my goodness, listen to me airing my pity party in public.  Sorry you guys, kind of down today about it all.  We all have our struggles and some are so much worse, I know that.   Thanks for listening.

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Old Glory, being a single gal myself I can so relate.  Working a full time job and trying to work in getting a business going has been a struggle.  Three years ago I was ready to launch and then became the caregiver to my uncle who lived down the road.  This included stopping before work and after work to take his meds, bring his meals, do his shopping, etc.  I put my business on hold.  When he passed away I thought MY TIME had come, but in that timespan  my mom has become him and once again I'm shopping for her groceries, taking her to appts, stopping by to make sure she eats.   I realize that if I put it on hold again it's likely never going to happen, so I struggle between my own selfishness (and necessity as this was to supplement retirement down the road) and the family demands of my time.  I know there should be no choice and I hope people don't think terribly of me, but oh my it's hard to let go of a dream.   I fear that if many years go by I will then become her.  I guess that's just how time marches on.   Right now I'm searching for a balance for all of it to happen and fall into place along with my job.  It might mean moving her in with me and after living alone for twenty years, that's going to be an adjustment as well. 

 

Oh my goodness, listen to me airing my pity party in public.  Sorry you guys, kind of down today about it all.  We all have our struggles and some are so much worse, I know that.   Thanks for listening.

It's ok, doglvr, I'm in the same boat. Although living with my mother is alot easier than doing it the other way. It is very hard living with her again, but has to be done. I hope you have a better relationship with yours than I do. I too realized I would end up the same way, unless I took this time to plan for my future. I'm working at getting my business started  & doing college online. i hope you are able to find your balance & get your dream underway!  Don't let go of it, just readjust & adapt! Anyway to become part-time instead of full-time? 

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I can so relate!  Except that my bigest challenge is my husband.  He is wonderful and I love him (here comes the but), but being married is hard.  I am 47 and had been singles for 25 years when we got married a year and a half ago.  I know it would be an adjustment, but I had no clue as to how much of an adjustment I was in for.  After the marriage I have learned that he did present himself as one thing and then after the marriage I have learned who he really is.  Not saying that he is horrible, but just that he is not exactly what I was expecting.  I am extremely independent and thought he was too.  I have learned that he requires a lot of my time and feels very neglected when I spend too much time away from him.  I am hoping that as we get more time under our belts this will level out a bit and we will be able to find a balance, but in the meantime I feel like we are having this constant tug-of-war, and I just don't have enough time to do what I want to do.

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Guest OldGlory

Putting myself out there is a piece of cake for me. I've sold to the public for 30+ years in my 9-5 so I'm used to it. I love putting together packages for new clients, but I do worry myself over the details of what goes into the package. Once I'm happy with it, all is right with the world. Being turned down is even ok with me because I honestly feel they lost out on something special that was designed to make their business better. Their choice, their loss, and NEXT! I'm gracious enough to walk away with a smile, a handshake and 'thank you for your time'.

I have learned over the years, though, that the transition from the potential to be a client and actually being a client shouldn't be super involved or take a lot of time if you are organized at the beginning. Sort of - here's what I can do for you, here are the options, here are the prices. Do you have any questions for me? Then, always a follow up a few days later.

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Guest OldGlory

doglvr, can you get someone to help with your mom?  Don't let go of your dream! Keep working on it a little bit at a time. One day you'll get the chance to launch it and you want to be ready when the time comes.

I have so many friends, all women in their 50's, who are caring for parents. One friend who lives/works in Long Island, NY, with a mother in Myrtle Beach, SC, was having to fly down to check on her mom every few months. She hired people to shop for her mom, to check on her, and her mom had pretty bad dementia. She wouldn't answer the door when they came over because she was afraid they were taking her to a nursing home. She was keeping empty cat food tins in her refrigerator - the fridge was full of them, to the point that she had no room for her own food in the fridge. Her other behaviors were just as frightening. Caretaking for an elderly parent can be so time consuming. My prayers go out to you.

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Yes Sue Ellen, husbands are challenging at times (I'm sure they say the same thing.)   There is no way I could get married again after being single 25 years.  Oh my!  One thing I might suggest before more time goes by is voice your opinions and wants and needs now.  It's so much harder to try and change things later and then resentment has built up.  So many of my women friends are not fearful per say, but reluctant I guess is the more correct term because they don't want to rock the boat.  For several of them now though, not speaking up over time, their boat is sinking. 

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Old Glory, I think you probably understand quite well.  Thanks for all your encouraging words.  My motto has always been where there's a will there's a way, so it will get figured out in the end, I hope.

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My biggest issue is letting go. If i could outsource more i would have more time to work on new innovations. Let someone else print my labels, do the accounting, print promos, list on the web site, photograph product, and on and on and on....

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Guest OldGlory

Tall, I had to face that fear early last year when I turned over my larger wholesale account because I didn't have time to do it. I'm sure I was seen as a bit "controlling" by my apprentice, but I think she recognized that if it wasn't done to my standards I might loose the account forever. There were a few hurdles to get over in the beginning and probably I put in more time than I had planned, but eventually she took the reins and did a great job. She was grateful for the experience and income, and I was grateful to be able to have that business saved for the future.

If doing these 'lesser' chores is holding back your growth, you are only hurting yourself. I would recommend taking it one step at a time, one task at a time, and finding the smartest person you can find to do the job. And stay on top of it until he/she has it right. Good luck!

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Our biggest challenge in our business right now is growth. We have been doing this a long time. We are both older and want to retire....again. Growth is great but needs to be greater in order for our daughter and her husband to take it over. They live in another town about an hours drive from us. We set them up in a whse/factory where they make candles and scented products and transport to our whse twice a week, but they need very reliable employees at the store and the whse who will take care of things here. Finding good employees is a challenge. We need more growth for the profit to hire someone at a really good salary here, so that our daughter won't have the problems she will have trying to manage a business from afar.

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 Yes Doglvr - I am sure he would say that I am challenging too.  LOL.  He was single for 15 years before we married.  We are both the ones who didn't think we'd ever get married again - both of us had really bad experiences in our first marriages.  But we happened to meet at a mutual friend's house and we both knew immediately - it was really strange and shocked the poop out of us.  (It may have shocked our friends and families more.)

 

You are absolutely correct.  We have several marital issues that we are having to work through and are pretty much trying to tackle them a little at a time.  There is an old saying about how to eat an elephant - one bite at a time.  But I can definatley see that we have to be careful not to get stuck on one issue and allow the remaining issues to linger too long.

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My husband and the fact that he will not cut me loose from his business's .....how to get around it I have been trying to figure out for 5 years! Lol

My only hope is that things will level out and pick up enough to hire a experienced office manager so I can pop in here and there and really get to work setting off my candle business

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