Small Business,
Big Problems
If
you are a small business owner, you probably spend
a lot of time worrying. Its perfectly understandable,
too. If youre the Big Boss, you find yourself
in the position of trying to be all things to all
people, and thats a lot to be concerned about.
Everyone wants an answer from youemployees,
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 youre the main villain
in the scenario.
Meanwhile,
although you may be painted as the bad guy or gal,
youre 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
arent discriminating against anyone who might
sue you, and try to work out the biggest bugaboo
of allhealth insurance.
Then
there are workers compensation, unemployment
compensation, and liability insuranceto 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, youre
the one who makes the final call and takes the big
fall if someone doesnt 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? Youve
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
youve got a business with trucks on the road
or other equipment, youve got maintenance,
safety, and insurance headaches to deal with. Office
equipment is another source of frustration. Sure,
its great that everything is done by computer
these daysbut 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 dont 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,
Youre married to the business,
or Youre never home, and when you are
youre so distracted they cant 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, theyre
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
youre 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 taxinga way to create a stable income
that still leaves you time for the very people youve
been working so hard for: yourself and your family.
Youve already proven that you can succeedand
if only it werent for all those annoyances
bogging you down, you can only imagine how much
more successful youd 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 arent
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 wont
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.