How is your business doing? Is it growing, stagnating or losing 
ground? If your business is not growing, it could be the result 
of a poor business idea or plan, a lack of advertising, or the 
mismanagement of your business' resources.

Let's face it. Running a successful business enterprise is not 
the easiest thing to accomplish. 

Your struggles could be the result of factors beyond your own 
control or factors within your control --- your own actions and 
decisions.


FACTORS OUTSIDE YOUR OWN CURRENT CONTROL

If your business is stagnating or dying, there are several 
factors that could be the cause of your current financial 
discomfort: 

· Your local economy could be suffering stagnation or negative 
  growth.

· Your competition might be fiercely competing for your customer 
  base.

· Local residents might see the building, into which you have 
  signed a lease, as the home of businesses that fail, so they 
  will not support you until you have proven your long-term 
  viability. 

· You could be in a terrible location and trapped by your lease. 


FACTORS WITHIN YOUR OWN CONTROL

On the other side of the coin, there are several more factors 
that could be causing you pain that are well within your control:

· You are not spending enough time planning for the future of 
  your business.

· You are not spending enough time or resources on developing 
  and distributing good advertising.

· You do not have enough staff available to fill incoming orders 
  or to serve interested customers. 

· You are simply mismanaging your financial or human resources.


THE MOST ABUSED HUMAN RESOURCE IN MOST BUSINESSES

By watching the activities of many small business owners, one 
has to ask themselves if the business owners are masochistic?

Source: http://dictionary.reference.com

MASOCHISTIC - adj : 

2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, 
   from being humiliated or mistreated, either by another or by 
   oneself. 
3. A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant 
   or trying experiences.


How is it that I can even venture to suggest this definition 
fits the behavior of many small business owners? 

Simple. Small business owners often submit themselves and their 
families to the demands of their business. Sometimes to the 
detriment of those involved in their lives.

Of course, one could argue that the small business owner is 
sacrificing his or herself for the long-term benefit of their 
families and themselves.

Well, one could argue that. And in some cases, the argument 
would be true. In other cases, the argument would not even 
remotely be true.


THE DANGER IN FAILING TO UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF YOUR OWN TIME

The deadliest consequence in any business is the owner's failure 
to understand the value of his or her own time. Even a thriving 
business can die under the weight of an owner who does not place 
the proper value on his or her own time. 

Some owners work long hours for little return because they do 
not understand their own value. Some of these owners will 
eventually quit their business for a job that could provide a 
higher living wage. Others, while thriving, may keep themselves 
doing tasks that can be and should be done by others. Sometimes, 
the business owner wants to believe that he or she alone can do 
the task, or they want to do the things they most enjoy. 

In the end, these folks fail because the important tasks that 
should have been done for the purpose of growing the business 
or meeting the demands of the business have gone undone. The 
business collapses because they did not take care of the most 
important facets of their business.


PLANNING, GOAL SETTING AND MEASURING COULD CHANGE YOUR FUTURE

PLANNING will permit you to see where you want to go and how 
you hope to get there. 

GOAL SETTING permits you to make certain specific determinations 
about your business. One such goal that should be set early and 
regularly is the level of income that you want to derive from 
your business. 

MEASURING lets you see the true state of your business at any 
one point in time. Measuring at regular intervals lets you see 
a moving slide show that will deliver an honest picture of the 
continuing state of your business.

Additional measuring will permit you to see how much your time 
could be worth and how much you are really paying yourself. 
Your measurements should also permit you to put a cost on the 
specific tasks and functions that are required in the operation 
of your business. 


MAKING THE RIGHT DECISIONS

If the amount that you want to be paid and could be paid is 
higher than the cost of doing the task that you are doing, then 
you should wisely consider having someone in your employment 
handle the task. 

Properly managing tasks and delegating the work at hand can make 
or break your business. Make the correct decisions and you will 
be treating yourself better than the average small 
businessperson.

I wish you and your business the very best.