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Owning a Small Business Can Be Like Living Alone On An Island

Guest post by: Pete Brand

Article Overview: Can you remember when you decided to start your business? I am sure you felt the same nervous excitement I did! I remember when I first told my plans to my Mom. She said, "That sounds exciting Pete, but wouldn't you rather get a job with a big company so you can work hard and have a pension some day?" My response was, "No Mom, I don't want to be in a position where I know exactly what my paycheck is going to be each week." I wanted to know I had the ability to build something that would produce a large income, and perhaps one day I would build it to a point where I could sell it for enough money that I could retire to an island somewhere and drink pina coladas in the sun every day.

Owning a Small Business Can Be Like Living Alone On An Island

Can you remember when you decided to start your business? I am sure you felt the same nervous excitement I did! I remember when I first told my plans to my Mom. She said, "That sounds exciting Pete, but wouldn't you rather get a job with a big company so you can work hard and have a pension some day?"

My response was, "No Mom, I don't want to be in a position where I know exactly what my paycheck is going to be each week." I wanted to know I had the ability to build something that would produce a large income, and perhaps one day I would build it to a point where I could sell it for enough money that I could retire to an island somewhere and drink pina coladas in the sun every day.

That was it. I made up my mind to hang up my shingle and get started.

Wow was I in for a surprise!

I guess in my mind I expected the phones to ring with prospective customers and the checks would roll on in. I didn't know anything about sales processes, marketing plans, advertising, taxes, benefits, accounting, human resources, or cash flow.

The first few weeks passed by in a flash and the excitement, although still there, started to turn into anxiety. Not only weren't my phones ringing and checks rolling in, but I began to feel extremely vulnerable because I didn't know what to do or who to talk to so I could learn.

I felt as if I was living on a deserted island with minimal survival skills.

I'm sure you've felt the same way at times in your business.

Most companies who provide the services and guidance you need as a small business owner are focused on working with the largest companies in the marketplace. This leaves the majority of the small business segment under served, and due to this lack of attention, you are forced to find solutions on your own.

How the heck are you supposed to research and find these answers when you are busy trying to get clients and keep the doors open?!?! There are only so many hours in the day!

About a year ago I decided to start a mastermind group and focus on finding ways to increase the success rate of small businesses. I believe the demise of so many large corporations and entire industries, is going to cause a huge influx of new small business owners and the majority of these people will have little to no knowledge of what it takes to build a successful company.

In case you aren't aware ... the definition of a mastermind group is ...

"The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony ... No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible, intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind."

Pretty intense huh?

Well, I began seeking out successful small business people who also believed in the power of mastermind groups and off we went!

We have been working hard over the past several months identifying areas of pain for small business owners and identifying experts in those areas who are capable and willing to provide information and guidance in these areas.

One of the most important characteristics we were looking for in these people was their willingness to provide extremely valuable information for free. These people needed to be TRULY interested in helping fellow small business owners and not simply looking out for their own best interest.

Well all the hard work has paid off and we are extremely excited to share the results with you!

You've probably seen the buzz on Twitter and Facebook regarding the launch of this project, and you won't have to wait much longer to check it out for yourself.

The exact date and time is still to be determined, but I wanted to let you know it is coming and you won't be disappointed!

You can help me out in a big way by leaving a comment letting us know any areas you'd like to have help with, or if you have an area of expertise which you feel would be valuable to other small business owners.

Have an excellent day and fear not ... help is on the way!

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Article Tags: enough money, freedom, job, owning a small business, small business, success, success with small business



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