How many home businesses have you had that have failed?What keeps you going?

[steeples]

Dugsmom,

You are definitely a fighter. That you were able to just let it all out tells me that once you find your gift/calling/niche, you have the ability to catch fire.

I ran through at least half a dozen start ups from home, until I was able to listen to my inner spirit, look back over my life, and see what I "appeared" to be naturally gifted at.

I read business books before I became an adult, so, I was pretty comfortable with failing. However, I needed a blueprint for success because time was not standing still for me as I tried and failed, tried and failed, tried and failed.

Once I decided on what I was going to do, this last time, I stuck with it. Ups, downs, sidetracks, good money months, no money months, because I love it, I do it like it's breathing. My foundation has been laid and now it is paying off.

It is has allowed me to unlock intangibles in my personality and approach to business that I did not know I had, allowing me now to partner with others and help them make their businesses grow as well.

Dugsmom, this was a great question, great personal story and I wish you the absolute best on the baby and the work at home business that you choose going forward!

[inspired.robyn]

LOVE, love, LOVE the responses you have received in this thread Dugsmom!

To quote Dory in "Finding Nemo"

"Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming"

It is all about the WHY and the belief that keeps us going. The trial and error and viewing failures as lessons, not failures etc.... That's entrepreneurial spirit!

This time round I feel like I have a mindset, 'spirit-lifting' advantage with the product we have. This has been key to my sticktuitiveness this time round in business and kept my eye on the prize and me pushing forward like Dory in Nemo.

[BarbB]

I've been in about 6 different companies (none were successful). I've come to realize I don't have the personality for direct sales. I don't think it's for everyone so you shouldn't feel like a failure. I do have a small cat sitting business but don't plan on building that very big.


Best of luck with the new addition and in any other businesses you decide to do.


Barb

[teachyouanything]

Too many... I can't even count how many failed business I had. But for the ones that worked out I see some main similarities. First of all, I usually tend to jump from one opportunity to another and ONLY if I fully concentrate on something and don't just try and leave, then it works out. Also, if you create some sort of products, you also need to remember that you will have to invest the same amount of your time not only in creating it but in letting other people know about it (marketing) as well. And this is the phase where most people get exhausted too quickly and give up too soon.

[zbrandia]

I've tried many different things over the years with not much success. I'm not sure what keeps me going. As someone mention earlier and it is seeing the success of others and thinking I can do it too. The other thing keeps me going is seeing the small success and that keeps me motivated.

My goal is to simply create a lifestyle business. I'm am not trying to be the next Mark Zuckerberg or anything like that. I simply want to create a sustainable income that will allow me to live life without relying on a single source of income.

Creating a lifestyle business is a more attainable goal than trying to create a business that makes millions of dollars a year. My own personal situation allows me to quit working if I achieve about 4000 a month before taxes. To me that is attainable and that is what keeps me going.

I have several friends who make around that much every month. However, they are like me, They are not materialistic and they want the freedom to travel. This is why I still do it. I think the other reason I do still do it is because I enjoy doing it. I really do. I love seeing the small successes. I have an ecommerce site that I just brought up in August and the I can see the sales volume increasing. It's those small successes that make me think not to quit before the miracle happens.

[msuggitt]

Since you're experienced in Real Estate, maybe you could hire on with an established company (like Lifebush!do or The T!me etc) that hires VA's for Real Estate clients they have already established relationships with. You will make less money than offering your services on your own, but you will still remain an IC, (so still self employed) and while less per hr. you will have clients and steady money coming in on a regular basis. - search specifically for VA job postings (not only here but on other sites and within search engines) these companies normally start at about 10-11/hr.

From there, once you have steady income and an established track record as a VA specializing in Real Estate, you can go out and show your local realtors what you've done - showcase your talents.

[inspired.robyn]

Originally Posted by BarbB

I've been in about 6 different companies (none were successful). I've come to realize I don't have the personality for direct sales. I don't think it's for everyone so you shouldn't feel like a failure. I do have a small cat sitting business but don't plan on building that very big.


Best of luck with the new addition and in any other businesses you decide to do.


Barb

Hi Barb,

Not all direct sales is "sales", as I'm discovering with my business. It doesn't pay to sell. Yes, market and get the opportunity out there for people to find and the product and opportunity will and should sell itself.

For this reason, I see my slow start off the mark and my past failures in other businesses tried has been due to not marketing, not talking my offering and making it available for people. I've been afraid to do what I saw as 'annoying' people or getting bumped off platforms (and I have done). I took things really personally. I 'assumed' people wouldn't want to know me. It didn't matter how good my offering is/was!! Silly, huh?

At the end of the day, we have a belief in our product/service/opportunity whatever it is our business provides and we do our best to share it with as many people as we can, in the right places and like walking through the grocery store they either select us and put us in their basket or they don't. Learning to put ourselves out there is the biggest key, learning to market in a way that appeals to others so they want what we have to offer!! Then we don't need to sell and shouldn't have to. If you love what you do enough it is a no-brainer!!

Is there a reason you don't want your cat sitting business to be bigger?

[inspired.robyn]

Originally Posted by BarbB

I've been in about 6 different companies (none were successful). I've come to realize I don't have the personality for direct sales. I don't think it's for everyone so you shouldn't feel like a failure. I do have a small cat sitting business but don't plan on building that very big.


Best of luck with the new addition and in any other businesses you decide to do.


Barb

Originally Posted by teachyouanything

Too many... I can't even count how many failed business I had. But for the ones that worked out I see some main similarities. First of all, I usually tend to jump from one opportunity to another and ONLY if I fully concentrate on something and don't just try and leave, then it works out. Also, if you create some sort of products, you also need to remember that you will have to invest the same amount of your time not only in creating it but in letting other people know about it (marketing) as well. And this is the phase where most people get exhausted too quickly and give up too soon.

Yep! Marketing is the first thing to get right and the first thing to get wrong all in one go. Gotta make it fun and enjoyable I say. Bane of my slow-starts and failures in business.

[BarbB]

Robyn, I understand the fact that it's not all about selling but I'm not good about promoting my business no matter how much I love the products. I'm pretty shy and introverted until I know people and don't have a large social circle. It's just not the right fit for my personality.


The reason I don't want my cat sitting business to be that big is because if you build this type business to full time, you work 365 days a year, all hours of the day. My friend has a very busy pet sitting business but until recently when she hired independent contractors (which I don't want to do), she had no life outside the business.

[Albert Tee]

Well, very inspiring while reading all those reply here. For me myself, i have tried a lot of business opportunities out there & yet non of them are successful until I learned one very important message from my mentor - "Business opportunities are everywhere nowadays, but what make you stand out from other?" This message make me realize about the 80/20 rules game and if we are doing business especially home-based business like the 80% are doing...that actually make us no different from the 80% which is lead to suffering & struggling....So in order to make us different is how we position ourselves & of course we must 100% know & sure WHY we need to do this^^ Right now I building a great network marketing team with position myself differently from other & people start to come to me & join me because of my unique value^^