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.
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