Small
Business, Big Problems
If
you are a small business owner,
you probably spend a lot of time
worrying. It’s perfectly understandable,
too. If you’re the Big Boss,
you find yourself in the position
of trying to be all things to all
people, and that’s a lot to
be concerned about. Everyone wants
an answer from you—employees,
vendors, clients, contractors, customers,
and your family.
High
employee turnover and the difficulty
of finding reliable workers is one
of the major problems reported by
small business owners. Even when
you use pre-hiring drug tests and
background checks, there always
seem to be problem employees, malcontents
who like to make “the company”
out to be greedy and unfair, and
of course you’re the main villain
in the scenario.
Meanwhile,
although you may be painted as the
bad guy or gal, you’re actually
worrying about how much of a raise
you can afford to give employees
while you continue to obey all the
workplace regulations of the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration
and other government bureaucracies,
make sure you aren’t discriminating
against anyone who might sue you,
and try to work out the biggest
bugaboo of all—health insurance.
Then
there are worker’s compensation,
unemployment compensation, and liability
insurance—to say nothing of
payroll tax reports, W-2s, 1099s,
performance reports, and all the
other forms associated with employing
and paying people. Even though you
delegate a lot of these responsibilities
to others, you’re the one who
makes the final call and takes the
big fall if someone doesn’t
do their job.
Of
course, you need to leave some time
to think about the economic aspects
of your business. Are you targeting
the right market with the correct
strategies? Are you keeping up with
changing market conditions? Are
your prices in line? Too high? Too
low? How can you compete with the
big-box stores? You’ve got
to read reports that track your
sales, measure your profit margins,
detail your inventory, explain your
net profit, and list your expenses.
What about those cash flow problems?
Are you going to be able to make
the payroll and pay yourself this
week? Has that loan been approved?
If
you’ve got a business with
trucks on the road or other equipment,
you’ve got maintenance, safety,
and insurance headaches to deal
with. Office equipment is another
source of frustration. Sure, it’s
great that everything is done by
computer these days—but what
a mess it is when the person inputting
the data messes up or forgets to
backup important files. And speaking
of computers, has your web site
been updated lately? How about your
virus protection?
The
list of troubles to be faced daily
goes on and on. Vendors want to
be paid. Dissatisfied customers
want refunds. Contractors don’t
meet deadlines. The computer crashes.
As
we said, small business owners have
a lot of worries. Spreading themselves
too thin inevitably leads to stress,
and in return stress can lead to
depression, anxiety, heart problems,
and difficulties in personal relationships.
Spouses and children may complain,
“You’re married to the
business,” or “You’re
never home, and when you are you’re
so distracted they can’t get
through to you anyway because your
mind is still at the office.”
Vacations? Forget it. The small
business owner is always “on
call” even if a short vacation
can be managed.
The
truth is, a lot of small business
owners wished they had never gone
into business at all. But what would
they do if they sold out? After
all, they’re business people.
They love the idea of being part
of the business world, associating
with other business owners, and
simply being part of the amazing
free enterprise system. But being
your own boss is supposed to be
a dream-come-true, not a daily round
of hassles.
Is
it Time to Re-evaluate?
If
you’re a frustrated small business
owner and you feel trapped by many
of these problems, you may be looking
for a new enterprise that will not
be so taxing—a way to create
a stable income that still leaves
you time for the very people you’ve
been working so hard for: yourself
and your family. You’ve already
proven that you can succeed—and
if only it weren’t for all
those annoyances bogging you down,
you can only imagine how much more
successful you’d be.
There
is an alternative to a bricks-and-mortar
business that robs your energy and
enthusiasm. According to a September,
2006, report by the U.S. Census
Bureau, about 49% of small businesses
today are home-based, and the number
is expected to continue rising.
Why is a home-based business so
appealing to so many? To begin with,
most of the aggravations associated
with storefront businesses just
aren’t there. Feelings of freedom
and peace reign in a comfortable
home office environment. There is
time to spend with family.
As
a home-based entrepreneur, you will
still be part of a viable business
community of like-minded individuals
who will be happy to network with
you and who won’t expect you
to be their caretaker. This frees
you up to devote your time to accumulating
wealth for yourself and your family,
the people who matter most to you.
It
costs nothing to investigate this
burgeoning business concept. Simply
fill in the web form to receive
free, no-obligation information
on how a home-based business can
give you a whole new outlook on
your business life.
