You Want to Start Your Own Business? Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Submit Your Resignation Part One

What the partners of Leicestershire based Morgan Gleave Art & Design have learnt in 11 years of running a small business.  

 

1) Is my business idea realistic?

• Do you know enough about my chosen area?  Does Ms Arrogant know enough about brain surgery?

• Can you deliver the product/service to a consistently high standard?  Mr Resentful may or may not be able to do this.

• Is you product/service worth selling?  There may not be a market for your product/service.  Do you think that Ms Naïve’s friends are just being kind?

• Do you have a product/service to sell or are you looking for an easier way to earn a living?  Do you really think that being self-employed is easier than getting a job?

• Do you believe in you product/service?  Unless you are a Mr Del-Boy you will not be able to effectively sell something you do not believe in.

Right!   That’s got rid of them!  That leaves us decent folk to carry on to the next question.

2) Do I have the drive to succeed? 

• Am I prepared to work long hours?  Are you too accustomed to working from 9-5 with an hour for lunch plus two coffee breaks a day.  Are you prepared to work from 8 a.m. until silly-o’clock six days a week?  (Lunch break?  Coffee breaks?  Giggle…)

• Can I manage without long holidays?

3)  Am I emotionally equipped to deal with self employment?

• How flexible am I? 

• Am I open to constructive criticism?  When someone suggests changing something, do you stubbornly carry on as before or do you stop and seriously consider the suggestion?

• Can I manage if my family/friends are not supportive?

• How do I cope with failure?  Business is one long round of setbacks and disappointments interspersed with wonderful opportunities and unexpected successes.  Will you be able to bounce back again and again and again without getting disheartened? See you blog, A Useful Little Trick for Managing ‘Bad’ Feelings for a little help with coping with life’s setbacks.    

• Do I enjoy a challenge?

• Have I got good interpersonal skills?

• Have I got enough confidence?  Have you got the confidence to put yourself and your product/skills out there and risk rejection or negative feedback, to deal with awkward clients/suppliers and to effectively network?

• How will I deal with the mistakes I make?  You will make mistakes.  Whoppers.  That is how we learn but when it comes to your first start up, it can be a painful and frequently expensive learning curve.

‘Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm’

Winston Churchill

Clinck on this link to read the next part of this series:  YouWant to Start Your Own Business?  Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Submit Your Resignation Part Two

A Useful Little Trick for Managing ‘Bad’ Feelings

What the partners of Leicestershire based 

Morgan GleaveArt & Design 

have learnt during 12 years of running a small business. 

Has someone put you down?

Have you embarrassed yourself at a party?

Have you made a business mistake?

Has a relationship recently ended?

Do you think that you may have said the ‘wrong’ thing?

If something has upset you enough to make you feel ‘bad’, try to pinpoint where in the body you have the physical feeling associated with that upset.

When the memory/feeling comes over you, resist the urge to panic.  Instead, close your eyes and concentrate on feeling the physical discomfort.

After a while, you will find that the feeling dissipates.  This is because you are allowing yourself to acknowledge the pain rather than resist it. 

It may be that the feeling returns fairly quickly.  If so, repeat the exercise.

Each time you do this, you will find that the ‘bad’ feeling dissipates more quickly and takes longer to return.

You are acknowledging your feelings, not suppressing them and you are not adding panic to the mix.

You will get better at this with practice. 

• The greatest hurdle to overcome is remembering to do the exercise when you are in distress and prone to panic.

• The greatest benefit is that feelings will no longer scare you and can just be accepted leaving you feeling peaceful and empowered.

You may find 2 Easy Techniques to Calm and Relax You (Almost) Anywhere and at Anytime useful too.

Do you have any tips or comments?

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NatWest Women’s Networking Event

(Pic Credits:  Chaines Dance Company and RAV Photography)

Poor Morgan of Morgan Gleave Art & Design was left behind working on his latest rebranding project whilst Linda went to the NatWest Women’s Networking Event at The Big Shed Conference Centre in Leicester on the 27 November.

NatWest Bank

Nobody at Morgan Gleave Art & Design knew anything about these Women’s networking events until Linda met very pleasant woman named Nutan Vadera at a corporate dinner recently and received an invitation.  Nutan works for NatWest Bank and is one of the organizers of these events – and a jolly good job the organisers did too!   

The Stalls

Morgan Gleave Art & Design was not eligible to have a stall at the venue because they were reserved for startups and young businesses.  They did not qualify because it has been astounding the East Midlands and as far afield as the US, Japan and New Zealand with original art and design for over eleven years.  (It’s best not to remind either Morgan or Linda about that; they both think they are still youngsters.  Giggle.) 

Linda felt that it was her duty to visit every stall and look at a lot of lovely products.  There was original silver jewelry, lingerie made of the most beautiful fabrics, cups and furniture, and a lot of makeup and skin care products.  Linda bought a couple of things, including some chocolate (as if she could resist chocolate!), and had a manicure.

There were serious – but by no means boring – activities such as talks, advice, inspirational stories, organised networking and a raffle.  Linda won a raffle prize, whoohoo!  

Touch of Las Vegas Glitz

No, not Elvis Presley restored to life or a tacky Elvis impersonator.

The Vegas Showgirls from Chains Dance Company suddenly appeared and amazed everyone with their costumes and their legs.  Those legs…not only did they go on forever, they did some wonderful high kicks.  Obviously there was a lot more to it than that and they were highly entertaining.  

Later Linda, who was still recovering from a back injury she sustained at the gym, stood in the office and did a few ‘high’ kicks of her own. 

Morgan’s response?  A puzzled,  “Are you being a dancing girl?  Are you trying to attract me?”  It was jolly fortunate that she was doing no such thing… 

Did you go to the event?   What did you get out of it?

(Pic Credits:  Chaines Dance Company and RAV Photography)