I like to think of starting a home business in terms of starting a marriage. A man searches for his "soul mate" by doing his research. He talks to woman after woman until he finds the one that he feels is worth investing his time and money in. This is just like finding that product or service you feel is worth investing time and money in.
Now, once the man has found his "soul mate," what does he do? He doesn't just sit around waiting for another man to come and take his discovery away! He goes out, invests his money in the perfect ring, and asks the woman to be his lifelong partner. In much the same way, those who find an amazing business opportunity should not just sit around waiting for someone else to come and take the idea, product, or service from them. If you sit around long enough, the market will become saturated with it and you'll haven't the slitest chance of making your business come out on top. So, once you find your "soul mate," grab hold and don't let go!
It's time to plan the wedding now. What do we need? That's right, money! We ask our family and friends for any help they can give to prepare for this grand occassion. We dig down deep in our pockets to find that gold mine we've got stored away, just so this day will be the greatest day of our lives. We want everyone to know that we've found the love of our lives. Shouldn't we feel the same way when starting a business? We find an amazing product and decide to put it under our bed and hide it from the rest of the world. NO! We want to share it with the world... shout it from the rooftops! And, we shouldn't be afraid to ask our friends and family for help in doing this.
Now, the big day arrives and you're overjoyed. The excitement is mounting up inside you. You look out into the sanctuary and find that there are only 10 people there to see you be joined together as one. What do you do? Do you call the wedding off and say, "Sorry, hun, I guess we're just not ment to be." I would hope not! It's your wedding day, and you're not going to let anything get you down. You proclaim your love and present yourselves to your audience as man and wife. You make the most of the celebration and thank those who came for coming.
Your business should be something you're passionate about. Passionate enough to get through the initial disappointments and bad turnouts. You shouldn't let one event, even the grand openning, get you down. Much like starting a family, you will have your ups and downs. Your passion and love for your spouse will be tested and you must endure in order to see the fruits of your marriage.
Here comes the really tough part. It's the part that everyone dreads after getting married. It's the point at which the passion has started to diminish and you have to come down to earth. Now, I'm not saying that marriage always has to come to this. It doesn't! But, sadly, most marriages do. And, once that happens, it's hard to restore it. Just like a marriage, a home business takes dedication and work. You have to deal with emotional struggles, financial struggles, and physical struggles. Sometimes, you need to seek help if you hope to reach the next level.
Some marriages don't even last past the honeymoon, let alone long enough to see children. Most of those marriages fail for one of the following reasons: lack of commitment, selfishness, unfaithfulness, or there was just some kind of misunderstanding.
Now, think of this in terms of starting a business. Most businesses fail for the same reasons. There are often people who start home businesses without the will to commit. They get started thinking it will be so easy, they come across one barrier and then bail out. And then there are those that get into business for selfish reasons, they run their business selfishly and fail because of it. Nobody wants to do business with a selfish person that cares for no one else but himself. Unfaithfulness is probably one of the top reasons why most home businesses fail. There's just something else better around the corner. Don't let yourself get distracted by other "opportunities" and you won't have this problem (in your marriage or your business.) And the last one is actually quite common in the home business world. A person starts a business on the premis of something another person has told them. However, once they get started, it turns out to be just a scam or something completely different from what they had originally thought. So, if you want your business to succeed, you must be commited, selfless, faithful, and wise enough not to get scammed.
