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I need some help with Understanding
I know I'm 11 but I have a business. And Many people say it's too stressful and stuff. Which it is but I need people to realize I'm sticking with my decision to keep the business.
And as you can understand employee are hard to find.
And tips to help me come across professional
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Hey! Saw a few of your posts re. operating a business. Yeah, it is stressful. You'll never have that "clock-in...work your hours...clock-out then go home and forget about it" experience which is what 'work' is to many people. Promotion is not optional, especially in a service industry. Consider it essential. The customer has to know you're there. A potential customer looking for their first experience will also go to one with a higher profile. You could be brilliant, but if nobody knows you're there...they won't come to you. Look after your existing 'customer-base' to make sure THEY don't even go looking elsewhere. They automatically come back to YOU. Resolve disputes quickly. Accept that sometimes you'll have to take a hit (resolving the dispute means you hardly break-even on that transaction, maybe take a loss) in order to maintain their custom and avoid possibly losing some 'word of mouth' reputation you've built-up. Your reputation is PRICELESS. Actually, if it gets about that you've resolved a complaint fast and to the customers complete satisfaction then it can ADD to your reputation. Day-to-day though you should try to build a workflow which minimises cock-ups, disputes and complaints from arising at all. Compete on quality, not just cost. Looks tempting to under-cut the opposition to 'get more work'. But aggressive discounting eventually devalues your service or product, and long-term that's no good to you at all. If your promoting activity gets more work than you can handle act quick to get assistance. Don't promise things you haven't a hope of fulfilling to the required standard and in the agreed time, or there WILL be customer disputes. Lots of them. Regarding staff, unless you're a complete 'one man band' of a business, you will have employees. Problems with employees can often become a bigger headache than your service/product itself, business infrastructure and objectives, and the customers. Just the way it is I'm afraid. The lazy worker might respond well to encoragement and responsisbilty? Try it before you dismiss their services? There's a 'carrot-and-stick' issue in workforce management. It's like, Do you get the mule to work harder by rewarding it with carrots when it does? Or beating it with a stick when it does NOT? Choose wisely...you have to use the right approach on the right person. Hope there's a few thoughts in here about the perils and stresses of your own business and being professional. The rewards if you make a going concern of it can be very pleasent indeed, so it's not all bad news. Finally, if you want to come across as serious to people whose support you need a well presented Business Plan is a good asset. There are lots of templates out there to get you started. Look at 'small business plan' or it'll look terrifying. (I'm assuming you're not planning to operate your own airline or something just yet!) If you're looking for financial input you've got to be totally realistic about what share of the market you can reasonably be expected to achieve and what it's worth a year. It's called a Projection. If you haven't really done one, try it. A lot of people don't and they get in trouble. They lose their own money, and they're unlikley to have attracted any other investors! Whatever you sell it's got to earn more than it costs to put out there, and as soon as possible. Good Luck! X
ps. Few practical tips. Selling online? Have something built in to your website where potential customers can contact you with any questions. You'll be a bit of an 'unknown quantity' at first, they often like to speak before they hand over the cash. If you can get some feedback functionality ( after-sale, customers give you a rating, and perhaps write a short review or comments) that's great. People seem to like this. Obviously you DO answer pre-sale questions, truthfully. Not delete them unread, or answer with fibs! Could existing retailers show and/or distribute your stuff? Like, if you made jewellery would any local private beauty salons be prepared to join in for a percentage of whatever they sell? I'm afraid it's no good approaching 'big name' stores here, the store manager will not be allowed to do anything like this even if he/she thought they would sell well. They do not have the authority to agree to it (the companies have strict supplier contracts). Small stores can do exactly what the owner wants. Even just a printed advertisement of your services in a window is raising your public profile.
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