Stress In Business: Like Peanut Butter and Jelly
Stress in business is like peanut butter and jelly, the ultimate Yin to the Yang. To have one day in business without stress, whether an employee or owner, is like spotting Bigfoot. I've had the opportunity of being an employee and an owner, I look forward to sharing with you some of my stressful experiences more from the business owner's perspective.
Stress In BusinessAfter dabbling in the business part time during the day while unloading freight trucks for a large retailer on the overnight shift, I had finally made my decision to pursue my landscaping passion full time in 2005. At that time, my wife and I were living in New England. I remember walking out my employer's door on my last evening of work and being greeted by a snowstorm. |
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I had just signed my life away on a new truck purchase for my business and immediately questioned what I had just gotten myself into. And so began my stress in business!!
My knee jerk reaction of anxiety was quickly greeted by a counter attack of exhilaration - an acceptance of personal responsibility and a fervent hope for my future and my wife's.
It
was truly up to me and no one else, self-determination became my focus.
In terms of financing my venture, it came from personal credit cards. I
knew this was only the beginning of my stress in business, but I knew
only one direction: Forward.
It
wasn't until I became a self-employed business owner when I truly
appreciated the value of a dollar. As an employee, I put in my time and
collected a paycheck, but not once did I ever think about how that money
came to be. I just figured my employer had the funds and wrote me a
check at the end of the week.
Becoming a business owner introduced me to the concept of "profit." Profits are the funds which are left over (we hope) after paying for overhead such as licensing, insurance, materials, machines, fuel, maintenance, advertising, accounting & taxes. Stress in business is tied to profits.
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Without profits, there are no paychecks. I learned very quickly to factor in these costs when pricing my services so that I would earn profits and make a living. Most of my stress in business has come from dealing with potential clients who do not understand the concept of profits. I've lost count of the times where people feel that my prices were too high because I was charging more than the cost of materials!! I challenge anyone out there with the following question: "Do you work for free?" Neither do business owners! Please visit the Know Stress Zone again as I delve into other topics related to stress in business. I look forward to your return visit. I wish you much prosperity.
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