Starting Your Own Business

This picture is from a few years ago (yeah, right) and was one of the best Christmas presents I ever got. The red cardboard store front wasn’t on my Christmas list, but the deputy dog hat with the ears that moved up and down was.  It’s a good thing I still love hats today because I sure wear enough of them. But that’s just part of being your own boss. Accounting- hat on- check…marketing- new hat on check…putting out fires- firefighter hat on- check.

I am celebrating the 29th year of owing my own business.  I guess you can say it was meant to be and that store front was the first business I owned.  My shelves were stocked with stuff I found in our house. Dad’s hammer, my brothers work boots, a spatula from Mom’s kitchen and whatever else was sitting around that I may have found useless at such a young age. Not every sale was successful. I quickly learned that you shouldn’t sell what you don’t own.   I forgot to ask for permission and my parents ended up retrieving some of the items I sold which of course ate into my profits but you learn your lessons where and when you can.

Starting your own business takes up every waking moment (unless you’re 4) and can take years to get off of the ground and turn profitable.  You learn fast that you better really know your product and the market to sell to or you won’t make it. Make sure you have some funds to cover the start-up and down times and never ever believe that you are good enough because you can always be better.  Success in today’s world may not always be measured by huge profits but by in loving what you do.  And don’t forget to pay the vendors time on time or it may ruin your credit or in my case get you sent to your room.