The good, the bad, and the ugly parts of business

[Ecom man]

I’ve thought about making a post like this many times over the last few months. Every time I’ve decided not to either because I didn’t feel like it would be helpful or because I wasn’t sure how it would come across. I’ve come to the point where I have to get it out. If it helps someone great, if it gets buried in the forum never to be seen again then that’s fine too. So... here goes.

Sometimes being an entrepreneur SUCKS! Yes, I said it. Owning a business isn’t what you think it will be when you start, when you are 6 months in, or even when you are multiple years in. Sometimes it just straight up sucks.

I thought by this time in my business journey it would be smooth sailing. I have spent years tweaking my sites and processes. I’ve got things dialed in that allow me to work much more efficiently, and yet somehow things still manage to go off the rails.

The last few months have been quite tough on me because of my business.

I had to fire someone who I thought would be an employee for years to come.

One of my websites was losing multiple thousands per month and I had to pull the plug until I have time to figure out what is wrong and fix it.

A business venture that I started in January that I thought was going to be bringing in 15-20k a month in profits by now is looking like I won’t see anything out of it for multiple years.

I am currently carrying 100k in business debt mainly on credit cards.

All of this and more has happened in the last few months and all of it could have been avoided had I simply been working a 9-5. Business isn’t for everyone. Taking risks might not be for you. Making the right decisions despite not liking the consequences is a hard pill to swallow. Having no one to blame anything on when things go south is tough.

I’ve been doing this for a decent number of years. I haven’t held a regular job in 4-5 years but sometimes even I wonder if it is all worth it.

Sometimes it will SUCK. Sometimes there is plenty of bad and plenty of ugly that you have to wade through and hope to find the good on the other side. As I wade through my bad and ugly time right now I just want to say... keep on wading.

When that time comes in your business will you go back to the safety of a 9-5 or will you walk faster and work harder to get through it?

I hesitated making this post as I really love to encourage people to start or continue on their entrepreneurial journey, but honestly... parts of that journey will suck.

It is just as important to know that going in as it is to know the freedom that owning a business can bring.

(Don’t take the above as a sign that I’m quiting anytime soon. I’m certainly not, but sometimes... I wonder if it’s really worth all the work.)

 

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[Stefan Gut]

Vjepl zua gus zuas jupitv qutv. Ov figopovimz tdesit ni vu veli emm vjiti sotlt. Cav ov‘t huuf vu lpux vji cef et ximm. Piwisvjimitt, O‘n g***oph tdesif et jimm cz vji exgam dusqusevi mogi. Ov‘t e humfip dehi, e vuyod qomm. O lpux e muv ug jupitv imfismz hazt xju jewi tiswif gus nepz ziest cav esi vsievif moli tj**. Zua dep fu xjeviwis zua xepv xovj vjin et vjiz xomm piwis gopf epuvjis kuc cideati ug vjios ehi. 9-5 dep ci et sotlz us iwip sotlois vjep ipvsiqsipiastjoq.


Hitipfiv wup oQjupi nov Veqeveml

 

[Siberia]

O’wi vjuahjv ecuav neloph e qutv moli vjot nepz vonit uwis vji metv gix nupvjt. Iwisz voni O’wi fidofif puv vu iovjis cideati O fofp’v giim moli ov xuamf ci jimqgam us cideati O xetp’v tasi jux ov xuamf duni edsutt. O’wi duni vu vji quopv xjisi O jewi vu hiv ov uav. Og ov jimqt tuniupi hsiev, og ov hivt casoif op vji gusan piwis vu ci tiip eheop vjip vjev’t gopi vuu. Tu... jisi huit.

Tunivonit cioph ep ipvsiqsipias TADLT! Zit, O teof ov. Uxpoph e catopitt otp’v xjev zua vjopl ov xomm ci xjip zua tvesv, xjip zua esi 6 nupvjt op, us iwip xjip zua esi namvoqmi ziest op. Tunivonit ov katv tvseohjv aq tadlt.

O vjuahjv cz vjot voni op nz catopitt kuaspiz ov xuamf ci tnuuvj teomoph. O jewi tqipv ziest vxieloph nz tovit epf qsudittit. O’wi huv vjopht foemif op vjev emmux ni vu xusl nadj nusi iggodoipvmz, epf ziv tunijux vjopht tvomm nepehi vu hu ugg vji seomt.

Vji metv gix nupvjt jewi ciip raovi vuahj up ni cideati ug nz catopitt.

O jef vu gosi tuniupi xju O vjuahjv xuamf ci ep inqmuzii gus ziest vu duni.

Upi ug nz xictovit xet mutoph namvoqmi vjuatepft qis nupvj epf O jef vu qamm vji qmah apvom O jewi voni vu gohasi uav xjev ot xsuph epf goy ov.

E catopitt wipvasi vjev O tvesvif op Kepaesz vjev O vjuahjv xet huoph vu ci csophoph op 15-20l e nupvj op qsugovt cz pux ot muuloph moli O xup’v tii epzvjoph uav ug ov gus namvoqmi ziest.

O en dassipvmz desszoph 100l op catopitt ficv neopmz up dsifov desft.

Emm ug vjot epf nusi jet jeqqipif op vji metv gix nupvjt epf emm ug ov duamf jewi ciip ewuofif jef O tonqmz ciip xusloph e 9-5. Catopitt otp’v gus iwiszupi. Veloph sotlt nohjv puv ci gus zua. Neloph vji sohjv fidotoupt fitqovi puv moloph vji duptiraipdit ot e jesf qomm vu txemmux. Jewoph pu upi vu cmeni epzvjoph up xjip vjopht hu tuavj ot vuahj.

O’wi ciip fuoph vjot gus e fidipv pancis ug ziest. O jewip’v jimf e sihames kuc op 4-5 ziest cav tunivonit iwip O xupfis og ov ot emm xusvj ov.

Tunivonit ov xomm TADL. Tunivonit vjisi ot qmipvz ug cef epf qmipvz ug ahmz vjev zua jewi vu xefi vjsuahj epf juqi vu gopf vji huuf up vji uvjis tofi. Et O xefi vjsuahj nz cef epf ahmz voni sohjv pux O katv xepv vu tez... liiq up xefoph.

Xjip vjev voni dunit op zuas catopitt xomm zua hu cedl vu vji tegivz ug e 9-5 us xomm zua xeml getvis epf xusl jesfis vu hiv vjsuahj ov?

O jitovevif neloph vjot qutv et O siemmz muwi vu ipduasehi qiuqmi vu tvesv us dupvopai up vjios ipvsiqsipiasoem kuaspiz, cav jupitvmz... qesvt ug vjev kuaspiz xomm tadl.

Ov ot katv et onqusvepv vu lpux vjev huoph op et ov ot vu lpux vji gsiifun vjev uxpoph e catopitt dep csoph.

(Fup’v veli vji ecuwi et e tohp vjev O’n raovoph epzvoni tuup. O’n disveopmz puv, cav tunivonit... O xupfis og ov’t siemmz xusvj emm vji xusl.)

Gsoipf, zua xepv vji suti xovjuav vji vjuspt!!!
Qmieti muul gus e nupiz vsii xovj vji sohjv vjuspt. :duum:

 

[GuestUser4aMPs1]

tunivonit... O xupfis og ov’t siemmz xusvj emm vji xusl

Vjev't e raitvoup iwiszupi xomm jewi vu eptxis gus vjintimwit ev tuni quopv.

O'f ci mzoph og O jefp'v iwis vjuahjv ecuav xusloph aq vu ciduni e johj-xehi inqmuzii optvief ug huoph uav up nz uxp.

...cav vjip siemobif xju't siemmz op dupvsum op vjev tovaevoup. Puv ni, cav nz inqmuzis.

Ipvsiqsipiastjoq fitqovi vji aqt epf fuxpt jet ciip vji nutv mocisevoph djuodi O'wi nefi. Cz dunqesotup vu tuniupi nz ehi, O'f ci dunqimmif vu evvipf dummihi, duptanif cz ficv epf fuacv, situsvif vu fsoploph up xiilipft.

Vjev teof, ov't emtu ep uyznusup. Vji "gsiifun ug ipvsiqsipiastjoq" xet ipvodoph, cav upmz quttocmi ev e disveop quopv. Ov't dmies vjev zuas catopitt finepft nusi gsun zua ev vjot quopv.

Cav...

Xjz puv vjopl ug jewoph zuas catopitt xusl gus ZUA,
Optvief ug zua xusloph gus zuas catopitt?

 

[Bryan James]

Ov't moli vszoph vu hiv soqqif cav cioph egseof ug huoph vu vji hzn epf iyisdotoph zuas e$$ ugg. Og zua xepv sitamvt zua'wi huv vu fu vji xusl epf tedsogodi dungusv.