I’ve talked to hundreds of women over the last 4 years. Some want to start a business, others have started and failed, others are stuck and don’t know what to do next. Many don’t earn a great income from their businesses.
Very few of the women I’ve met have comfortably said to me, “Caroline, my business is meeting its goals. I earn a great income from it and I love it!”
It’s not that the unsuccessful ones are not working hard. In fact most of them are working harder than the successful ones.
And yet, as one woman told me, “Everyone else is getting paid except me.” She was in tears as she spoke because she was practically watching her business dream die a slow death.
So what keeps you from earning a great income from your business?
Why is your business struggling?
And why is everyone else getting a share of the money while you work harder than them all?
Here are my thoughts…
#1: You haven’t invested in your own personal growth.
#2: You’ve focused more on your passion and less on business growth.
#3: You hired people who only want a salary from you and not to help you achieve your vision.
#4: Your business has no systems in place so it runs depending on your daily or weekly mood.
#5: You’re great at what you do but a poor manager or entrepreneur (read Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth Revisited for an explanation of the 3 personalities a successful business person must balance).
#6: Your partner or spouse is taking money from the business or interfering with your business (and you don’t know how to stop him).
#7: You never researched your business idea or you started the business for all the wrong reasons.
#8: You are in the wrong business but don’t know how to get out or don’t want to face the shame of doing so.
#9: You keep pumping money into the business to cover costs and have borrowed heavily from your spouse, family and friends.
#10: You don’t have a business plan – this is the most critical factor because a business that’s run without a plan is doomed to fail from the word go. It doesn’t have a strong foundation and you will struggle to keep it running.
Does this sound like you?
If yes, then what are you going to do about the business?
And if you’ve overcome similar obstacles and gotten your business back on track, what did you do?
I’d love to hear about your experience so please share in the comments.
Image credit: fantasista at www.freedigitalphotos.net
