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In this section are a sampling of my published articles and links to media appearances.
Why Did You Go Into Business?
by Deborah A. Bailey
So many people are going into business these days. For many of us, starting and running a business isn't something that comes naturally. In school we're guided in choosing careers, not starting businesses.
Running a business involves a lot of moving parts - marketing, sales, financials - there's a lot to learn. If this is new to you, it will take more than a few business classes in order to come up to speed. Going from one world into another will take commitment, focus and passion. Maybe you can work for years for someone else and be detached from the results, you can't do that in your own business.
So, once you decide to make the leap into business ownership, you had better know why you're doing it. Without a vision for what you want to accomplish, it will be next to impossible to attain success.
When I started out I had no idea what it meant to have a business. Other than reading some books and taking a few classes, I had no training. All I knew was that I did not want to work in a corporate environment anymore. After years of feeling frustrated and limited by bureaucracy, I wanted more freedom.
Unfortunately I had no real financial goals (other than to support myself) and no idea what was required to create and maintain an income. Realizing that I had to come up to speed quickly, I joined business groups and looked to mentors and gurus for advice. What I found was that everyone who says they're an authority in business is not one. But when you don't know any better, there's no way to know who is legitimate and who is full of hot air.
Along the way I made lots of mistakes, including allowing myself to get sidetracked from my original vision. Instead I chased after any system that promised me big money with little risk. Inevitably I found myself just as frustrated as I'd been in corporate, and I considered abandoning my dreams. Maybe I really wasn't cut out to be in business after all. I'd tried every "quick and easy" system and done all of the mindset work - what had I done wrong?
Have you had a similar experience right now? If so, don't lose heart. I've been fortunate to interview over 100 business owners on my radio show, "Women Entrepreneurs - the Secrets of Success." What I've learned is that there isn't just one way to business success. In fact, having great success today does not guarantee it will be there next week, next month or next year. You're constantly learning and growing. So, if you're feeling like you've lost the original purpose of your business, I've got a few suggestions for how you can reconnect with your vision and your passion.
1. Systems are good but they're not perfect. Use them, but feel free to tweak and adjust them to fit your needs and desires. If your business idea does not neatly fit into the latest "quick and easy" system, it doesn't mean that you're doing something wrong. It's all too easy to get stuck in a loop where you keep trying to make something work that probably won't work for you no matter how many times you keep doing it.
2. Learn to trust yourself. What is your definition of success? I've been drawn into group-think about what a successful business looks like. What is your idea? Is it making six figures? Is it seven figures? Do you dream of having a staff of workers or just a couple of VA's? Will you feel like a success if you regularly go on exotic vacations? Would you feel successful if you worked only five hours a week? Or does it mean having 20,000 followers on Twitter?
There as many definitions of success as there are businesses. How will you know if your business is successful? Are you there already and you don't realize it? If you've already defined success what success means to you, you'll be less likely to be sidetracked by other people's definitions.
3. Get used to feeling uncomfortable. If you are doing something you've never done (which is something business owners deal with everyday) then you will feel uncomfortable at times. Feeling unsure does not mean you are wrong, so don't assume that your discomfort is a sign that you're not on the right path.
4. If you don't feel confident about your business right now, is it a mindset issue or a lack of knowledge? If it's mindset, you may need to work on your confidence and your beliefs around what's possible for you. If it's knowledge, find out where the weak points are. Are you unsure about selling? Do you wish you knew more about marketing? Get some business training so that you can build your knowledge, or (if you can) hire experts to help you in those areas.
Being true to yourself is extremely important. You can't control what people believe or choose to believe, but if you are saying one thing and believing another, you will work against yourself.
Copyright © 2009 Deborah A. Bailey
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Deborah A. Bailey is a writer, career expert, entrepreneur, author of "Think Like an Entrepreneur: Transform Your Career and Take Charge of Your Life" and host of "Women Entrepreneurs - The Secrets of Success," an Internet radio talk show. For more information about her book and workshops visit her website at www.dbaileycoach.com.
Articles & Blog Posts
For more insights into career changes, check out the posts I've added here on my coaching blog.
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