A Business is Like...

Business is like a marriage, they say. You have to commit yourself to it if it has any chance of working out. Yes, there will be doubts and there will times when you will wonder, “What the heck was I thinking?” There will be times when you will want to dump the whole thing for anything that is easier than what you are going through at the moment.

Then, there will be times when it will seem like all the hard work was worth it. Times when the product turns out just how you visualized it; times when your customer will compliment you at just the right time; times when a customer comes in out of the blue and wants to buy up a quarter of your inventory. (No, this hasn’t happened to me yet, but there’s no reason it couldn’t happen…) When more money comes in than expected for that particular month or when several customers come to see you because they heard about what you do and they’re curious – that’s what makes the business worthwhile.

I’ve been committing myself to the business for the last couple of months, digging deeper, and learning what I can do to get myself more entrenched in the business of doing business. My personality dictates that I can do this though I need to find out which parts of my personality are best suited for which jobs. Once I am headed in the right direction, which I’m pretty sure I am, then I can know what to ask for and whom to ask when I need help.

I’m pretty independent and oftentimes a loner, but I’m also pretty good with making people feel like I’m interested in them. It’s not a ruse, I assure you. I am very interested in people, but I wasn’t always good at showing that. I’m also honest and dependable and very, very serious about quality – these are qualities I do not compromise on. These are the qualities I must use in my business to make it grow.

I am very thankful to the customers I have and am expending an effort I did not expend the first time around in this business to make sure they know that. I am watching what other people do in their businesses to show their appreciation to their customers – not on Christmas, when certain things are expected, and not just during Customer Appreciation week.

I am getting to understand that I am not necessarily losing money just because I give some things away for free to my customers. I am learning that giving some things away free builds my reputation as someone people would enjoy doing business with. And that’s good! That’s just what I want.

Just so you know, I’ve decided to become more committed to my writing as well. Therefore, you’ll begin seeing more than 2 posts here per month, effective immediately. I really can’t say just how many articles you’ll see here, but I expect to figure that out as I get acclimated to writing more often.