How Not to Start Your Own Business...The Real Truth Behind Small Business Woes

written by: Adrienne Diffin
There are many resources that are available to help you start your own small business. Those resources are there to support individuals who are already in the process of taking the leap. They may on occasion tell you the statistics of small business survival, but they are not there to convince you that starting your own business might be a bad idea. They are resources for support and encouragement.

Here are a few reasons you should not start your own small business (yet).

1. You do not have a solid business plan, set in place that is goal driven with milestones

2. You do not have enough $ to invest in yourself let alone others

3. You have not done research to determine your competitive market


4. You are unable to set aside time to pursue your dream now, while you currently have a JOB


5. You have not tested your success theory on a small-scale before diving in with both feet

6. You are not willing to re-invest in growing your small business

Don't be like me and start your small business by not having at least some of these things in place. Research, research, research, set your goals, and then use those resources to get the results you are looking for.  (HINT) The SBA and your local Chamber of Commerce is a good start.

 Know the Difference and Pursue Accordingly 

(consulting and company are different) 

• Consulting (singular) built on the idea of making enough money to support you and your family

• Company (plural) is goal-driven to support others (not just you anymore)

To build a company you must grow your profit beyond what it costs to take care of company expenses, your own expenses, and have money to spare to pay someone else.
Growth can be one of the most challenging aspects of any small business. It is easy to confuse consultant and company, but they come with a very different set of challenges. It may be essential at first to start out as a consultant depending on the type of business you are creating; service or product-driven. However, you should have a business plan that captures growth initiatives to reach the next level. If you don't you will find yourself stuck.
Keep in mind some people don't want the burdens of a company and are fine with being a consultant, just be sure that if you are providing a service, that you are aware of the difference and that you maintain goals to help you at either level. If reaching the "company" level is your goal then be sure to include a well thought out plan for taking the right next steps to build past yourself.

(how do you know it's time to start a company)

For myself, I began as a consultant. I was a bit of a pro in the areas of marketing/ communications and wanted to make companies look their best. Then one day, as I was burning the midnight oil and stressing over juggling multiple client deadlines, I realized I wasn't a company because at the current pace I was going my "company" would never be bigger than myself. It would never leave a legacy behind. It would simply fizzle and die without me at the helm running things. Also, I realized that without a strategy to grow bigger than myself there would be no-one to pass the gauntlet to and that I didn't have an exit strategy. Therefore, I would most likely work until I died, die from the stress of all the work, or both.

(how not to grow a company)
So here was my biggest mistake. I barely had my consulting business off the ground, and then I invested in building a company before I was ready. I took all the profit and then some from my consulting business and invested it in an office, with employees, to create a new product/ service line. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I had essentially two businesses (less time, less money, no additional resources to support the consulting business, and too much overhead for the consulting business to support). I was spread thin both financially and with no time to spare day or night. The burn out was very real, and both businesses were just mediocre. No profit was being made, all the money was being poured into infrastructure for a product/ service- line that wasn't taking off.

(lessons-learned)
Here is what I learned. When I started my consulting business I had existing clients in place. I had money in the bank from savings to carry me through the first few months of personal expenses. I used my existing network and resources to help me find a recurring source of income that would sustain me so that I could have a chance at success.

When I started my "company-project" there was no "spare" money in savings to be used to help sustain it while it was still in the "new phase." There were no existing buyers in place. The current industry was not "accepting" of the company-project and did not show any support which in-turn hurt business. This should have been researched and tested prior to the dive-in.

(what's next)
So the "company-project" failed and my consulting business almost went bust with it, but I'm still here. I still have something to offer to the world. I am a visionary. I am an entrepreneur. So, what's next for me is to go back to the drawing board. Failure is an objective concept. As long as you continue to learn from it then it becomes just a notch in the belt of mistakes. I recently went to a family cook-out, and was asked are you sad your company-project failed. I answered that I'm not sad, because I know what not to do the next time. That's already one step closer to success than the individuals who are still at the gate.

(the path to success)

1. Proper Planning and Use of Resources
2. Good Money Management Skills and Financial Awareness (be present and understand your financial standing--Your Credit is Important)
3. Solid Investments
4. Gradual Growth with a Phased Approach
5. A Bit of Luck

Not all of them are needed at once, but all of them are needed.

Depression...The Fight is Real and it is Daily

I have struggled with depression and feelings of self defeat/ self destruction on and off since I reached my teen years. These past few days, although they have been good days with a lot of little great moments have still been hard days for me emotionally. Inside I have felt like a train wreck. I have been through a gamut of self defeating emotions such as worthlessness, loneliness, deep sadness; the feeling that noone really cares if I exist or not and that life is pointless. I have coped with these types of feelings on/ off since I was a teen.

 

I have been told they are normal by some, I have seen therapists at the recommendations of others, I have tried various medications for depression as prescribed by a variety of doctors, and I have made life altering changes to my lifestyle in attempts to defeat these feelings of inadequacy and sadness.

 

 

Still, they manage to haunt me from time to time and because I've faced them for so many years I am now able to recognize that they are the symptom of what society has labeled "depression" but recognizing the problem doesn't take the pain away and it doesn't make it stop. It only helps me to make it to the next day because I can tell myself "this too shall pass", "it is only temporary", and "i am loved" having survived these feelings before.

 

The hardest part of my depression is that it is SCARY and it seems as if I am ALONE in it. I don't talk about it out of fear of being ridiculed, misunderstood and/ or rejected, or dismissed as attention seeking. I am afraid my feelings will simply be dismissed as pointless and silly. I am afraid that those who I have felt close to will take it personally and wonder if it is something they did wrong and feel pushed away. I am afraid of being seen as weak or mentally ill. I AM AFRAID and these fears eat at me, they feed off each other until they are too strong to bare, they consume me and that is why I am reaching out about my depression. Because it is scary and it is consuming, and sometimes there is no one to turn to. It CAN BE misunderstood and dismissed.

 

 

I'm writing this because I BELIEVE in overcoming my fears and I don't want to be afraid anymore. I don't want others to feel they have to suffer in silence. I urge those who are new to these feelings to hold on and to look deeper inside for the strength to make it to the next day. I urge those who suffer the way I have to seek the strength to talk about their depression. I BELIEVE that talking about it can not only help those of us who have depression to release the pain that is inside, but it can also help others to better understand the nature of depression and that it can affect anyone without warning. I BELIEVE in a better tomorrow and I will hold on (regardless of my inner demons that tell me no one cares and that I am alone) so that I can live. I choose the fight, but it is real and it is daily. It is painful and it is haunting. I never know when I will face another episode/ attack that leaves me wondering if I will fail the fight today. So I am writing this with HOPE and I pray for myself and others that have suffered these thoughts that we find peace in our minds and the strength to choose the fight.

 

 

 

 

Would Your Kids Survive the Apocalypse

With all the hype on the Walking Dead and other post apocalyptic types of movies I often wonder...would my kids actually survive the apocalypse.

 I'd like to think that like Katniss Everdeen of Hunger Games my 7th grade daughter would hunt for her own food and fight like a tribal warrior for her survival. We even bought the kids real bow and arrows for Christmas one year to try and prepare them for survival mode if the need ever occurred. Deep down though, I know that my big ideas of preparation and survival don't amount to much in the scheme of things. We're talking bio warfare/ zombies, changing polar zones with wintery conditions that compare to the Ice Age, or holes in the Ozone layer that are depleting our oxygen levels, nuclear war, even drought and famine, or worse yet (the plague). Any of these things could spell doom for humanity as we know it, but would it end everything and would those that live have been the strong or would they be the chosen few? I often wonder what my kids would do without the "instant life": instant internet, instant conversation, instant food, instant energy. These are no longer conveniences, but rather a normal way of life. I think of Avatar and the Indians and how without those who had the knowledge of the land and how to live off of it without them and that knowledge one would be in the darkest of situations.

 

These are the rational fears in the back of my mind. That I can't protect them no matter how much I would like to. But, I choose above all to have hope. I will buy them bows and arrows, ground them from technology on occasion to give them a taste of life without it, keep them in sports so that they will stay fast and flexible, feed them so that they will stay healthy and strong, and provide them shelter. Above all I will show them love, because no matter this life, the post apocalyptic life, or in the afterlife love is something they can hold onto. Love will give them hope. Love will help them to find their faith. It's okay that with everyday we step out into a scary world of the unknowns, because with faith we will land together onto something more.

 

 

 

 



Tired of Overly Boiled Eggs, Here's the Fix

I've seen several posts recently about boiled eggs and how to make them. Here are some of the ways others have explained the boiling egg process:

1. Let water boil, add eggs, turn off heat and let sit covered 13 minutes.
2. Add eggs to warm water and let boil 10 minutes then return to cold water.
Plus, there is this debate on whether or not to add eggs to cold water or warm water; or even to add to boiled water. It's easiest to go with the middle road here in my opinion and add to warm water.

3. Here's how I do it and I get perfect eggs Every time:
Add eggs to warm water, add some sprinkles of salt and bring water to a boil.
Continue to boil eggs for 3 minutes = runny yolk
 5 minutes to get soft yolk or 6 minutes for fully solid yolk.
Empty eggs into cold water and peel; refrigerate and eat when chilled.

It's really simple.
Lastly, if the egg spins on a table and continues to spin it's fully boiled. You can also often tell that the egg is lighter weight. These are simple little ways of being able to tell the egg is fully cooked.

Why Women Can't Remember to Turn the Lights Out

In Season One, Episode One of the Walking Dead Shane and Rick have an earnest discussion about women and their inability to turn the lights out. Well in our defense ladies, here are some of the most common reasons the lights are still on.
1. Women are multi-taskers moving quickly from one room to the next to do laundry or make dinner for the man and kids. In this case, women just simply don't need the added inconvenience of turning on/ off a switch. It's just an extra chore.
2. Women are distracted because of their kids. "Mom, I need my shorts washed; Mom I'm hungry what's for dinner; Mom, I have a science project due tomorrow and I need poster board." These questions typically don't get popped on dad, he's generally too busy playing Black Ops with his buddies via virtual reality or cleaning his guns so that he can pretend to be just like Rick and Shane.
3. The woman may also have too many things on her mind to remember the little things like turning off the lights; see 1 and 2 above for proof. Even our dearest Sheriff Rick admits to occasionally forgetting to turn the lights off.

4. Need I stress more that households often include kids, kids, kids. The woman turns one light off, only to have a child come behind her and flip the switch back on. It's like a 6th sense or something to know that the lights were off so that must be the room they need to venture into next.
5. Men, they always come home late. Some women, could just be considerate and not want their man to have to trip over the dog as he walks in the door. Yes...electricity is burning and wasting energy and $, but not having that light on could mean a trip to the ER for a broken ankle or busted face from the fall. After the day the woman has had with taking care of the house, your laundry, your dinner, and possibly the kids or her work the last thing she needs is to take her whimpering, wounded man to the hospital.
Dear comic character Shane from Walking Dead, it's a shame that so many men modeled themselves after you from the TV series because you were like a kid yourself; always complaining about the Woman and her role in the house and never seeing the motives and yes "logic" behind her actions. Personally, I believe you had it coming in the end when you received not one, but two holes in the head. Look who's lights are out now.

This woman is done with her rant (equal in comparison to that of the Walking Dead show clip below) and now will randomly walk through the house turning on all the lights one by one just for the hell of it, because she can.

Create a Family To Do List from Fairy Tales

This family activity was so creative I just had to share. This is something family and friends alike will enjoy and it is for all ages. All it takes is a spark of initiative and creativity. Start by brainstorming use a large poster or a dry erase board and think together about all the best fairy tales you've read, movies you've watched along the way, and other magical moments you may have had in life and wonder at what it would have been like to have done some of the things that you loved about those magical moments. VOILA, you will almost instantly have ideas flowing for your to-do list. 

Why create a to do list from fairy tales you may ask. Well, I'd reply that why not. The world needs a little bit more magic in it and this will be sure to add a magic moment to your afternoon. Then, be sure to Facebook your ideas just because it's fun to share.

Here is our most recent To Do List created on a whim by me, my daughters, and my best friend/ sister in the whole world. Based on my personal experience this is a MUST DO activity. My kids loved it so much and it was nice to see the smiles spread. A special thank you to my sister Courtney for coming up with the idea.

 

CLUE 2013 FREE Manor Beach Score Sheets for Print

Like many Walmart shoppers I was thrilled to find the Classic CLUE game recently at Walmart on sale for only $8.00, only to be disappointed upon my return home that there weren't score sheet cards in the box. This meant there was no way for my family to keep track of our guesses during the game. This is exactly what happens when Walmart goes for the cheapest product, but not a quality product, the pieces are missing or broken, or the product just plain sucks. Betting on the fact that the score sheet pad probably wasn't included in any of the $8.00 boxes at Walmart I got creative and improvised.

1st, I surfed the net on .ebay, Amazon, and google to try and find the pre-printed pads on sale. Afterall, we all eventually run out of score cards anyway right so it seemed only natural there would be pre-printed score card pads available just like a pre-printed post it, but the answer to this question is NO. They do not sell re-fill score pads anywhere. So, this meant I would have to create it myself.

Let me tell you now that typing and formatting a front to back score sheet wasn't an easy task. There is a lot of information to fit onto a small amount of space and the tables have to be formatted just right. Also, each CLUE game is unique in itself. There are various versions of the board with different rooms, different weapons; even the characters look different on different versions. On the 2013 manor - beach version there are two boards in one, so this meant I would have to create 2 score cards in one. Each side came with different rooms or places that the murder could have taken place. One of the cool things about creating my own score card template for CLUE was that I could make the score cards a little larger for older players like myself to be able to see the options a little better.

I've done all the hard work pre-formatting and getting it just right for you. All you have to do is print the front/ flip the paper and print the back. Depending on your print settings there may be a little extra white space at the bottom of one side but it lines up quit nicely. I printed several of these at home and made my own little pre-printed notebook at home for guests to play from. I'm sure you can have Kinkos or another printing service print it for you to if preferred. I used resume paper because it is a bit of a higher quality and feels good to hold in hand.

 So here is what you've been waiting for right...the template. I hope all Fellow Clue Lovers everywhere ENJOY! A link to the .pdf is here, just print/ cut/ and use.