The Labyrinth of Business Choices

"Life is funny." Ha, if you think life is funny you should try business ownership. Sometimes it seems as if every decision you make to better your business ends up at a dead end. At times, you can see the wall ahead and others, you take a long winding journey before you face another wall. I must admit, the choices that lead to the U-Turns of entrepreneurship stem from a few things:

1. Research - there was not an effective amount of research done prior to making the decision that was made.
2. Arrogance - thinking you do not need any help, that you built this on your own and you can run it on your own.
3. Selfishness - either not hiring someone to do a job that yes you CAN do, but it takes you so long to do it because you have to learn the effective way to do it
4. Mismanagement - putting all of your eggs in the wrong basket. Yes, you have $1000 for marketing your landscape business; so you decide to get a HOT website built... um, you cut grass.
5. Faithless - everyone else believes that you will succeed, but you question yourself.
6. Instant Gratification - because things are not happening as fast as you want it to, you think that you made a wrong choice in business ownership and make irrational choices.

If you haven't read or watched 'The Secret" I implore you to do so. A lot of people complained that it took God out of the formula, but I disagree. It all comes back to "Cogito, ergo sum" Latin for "I think, therefore I am." If you have faith (from a Biblical perspective or not), you know that you will reach your reward even if you don't know how. This is the best approach in business ownership. You know your product or service (if not, that is the first error); your prices/fees are competitive; and you know your marketing demographic. Once you align these particular items, everything else will come together.

"With great achievement comes greater sacrifice." (That is a COLE-oquialism) There are going to be road blocks in business, some greater than others. Stay determined and persevere by making the adjustments that each situation requires and keep moving forward. Once you focus on your reward and place your ducks in a row, it will be easier for you to find your way through the labyrinth of business and you will find your 'cheese' (metaphorically and literally speaking).