Living The Dream
A business is a dream that an individual has where he/she can utilize their God given talent to support themselves. It always starts with high hopes and great expectations. The ideas are written on paper and the journey begins. The perfect location is scouted, and the lease gets signed. Shiny new equipment is next and the color scheme for the establishment is decided. Opening day arrives so full of hopes and dreams of prosperity and happiness. That is the American dream right?
Moving forward, you quickly realize that this beautiful dream business becomes the very thing that will destroy you! No one ever tells you of the many sleepless nights, missed family functions, extreme anxiety and the financial turmoil that goes along with the beautiful dream! As the business owner your personal life starts to decline as the business volume grows. It’s been said that the better the business is doing the more in shambles the personal life will be! I can testify that it is the truth!
The most important thing about going into business is never go into business with a “family member”! This will never and I repeat never end well! The quote “Too many chiefs and not enough Indians” comes to mind. You go into the business as equal partners but ultimately there will be the one that uses the phrase “how long am I going to let you use me?” and “I will shut this motherfucker down” on repeat every day! You are giving 100% of what you have to give, and it is never enough! Until that day arrives when the mounting tensions are boiling over and someone is looking for any reason to bail out when one arrives that has absolutely nothing to do with the business and all hell breaks loose along with a window pane! Trusts are broken along with relationships! Is the business worth it? Absolutely not!
As the business grows things seem to stabilize and you think the business is flourishing when the outside influences begin. There are so many factors that insert themselves into a business. Of course, the quality of the service you provide is top on the list but even that can be sabotaged. The most top quality and beautifully designed piece can be tarnished by words alone! Is this fair to the business? Is it fair that individuals who have never utilized the services of said business spout on about things they know nothing about? My answer is absolutely not! However, this happens to great businesses daily! Beyond the scrutiny of the customers you rely upon and their word-of-mouth advertisement there is the competition.
What do you do when the competitor purchases a building two blocks down the street from the location that you have been in for a few years? You sit in disbelief is what happens! You wonder how people could be so inconsiderate and prepare for the worst! Personally, I would never encroach upon another established business doing the same type of work but that cannot be said for others! True talent is what I had to offer my clients, but the extra fluff and one style designs evidently strike the fancy of some!
Of course, the pettiness and one-sided lies that another business owner spreads around can also play a role in a business. When you keep to yourself after years of trying to coexist unsuccessfully and hear the other business owner tell a client “That’s the one I was telling you about”, you quickly realize that these individuals are out for one thing! Moral of this part is be very careful what type of business you move in next to! It truly will make or break the business!
Outside services can also make or break you! In business you will enlist the help of other professionals to keep your business running on track. Sometimes life will come in and throw curve balls into business. For instance, the illness or death of a parent. During this time, you quickly learn who will be there to help support you and who will not! You will learn that it is no one else’s responsibility to make sure your business needs are being kept up while your world is falling apart! As a result of being preoccupied, certain important things fall through the cracks! A courtesy call could have saved the business from financial ruin but again that was my responsibility to make sure things were done but it was simply too much, something had to give!
I suppose that everyone who takes the time to fully read this blog realizes that this is my goodbye blog! I could go on about the business that I have loved so much for the past 6 years but I won’t. I have carried the weight of my business and will continue to do so even though it no longer exists! I have created florals for over 30 years of my life! I am very talented but I am also very tired! It has been my pleasure sharing my talent with all of those who have entrusted me with accentuating their events with gorgeous arrangements. I no longer have the desire or drive to be in this game though! The floral industry has changed drastically over the past 30 years and I fear we are a dying industry!
I’ll leave you with this…
Taking the leap of faith to follow your dreams is a wonderful thing if you are fully prepared and dedicated to doing so! It will require everything you have and steal every bit of available time from you! You will have moments of great achievement and pride as well as experiencing the lowest of lows! Owning a business is not for the weak, especially if you don’t like rollercoasters!
Brandi