small biz ain't easy

there are many challenges to running a small business - be it your own store, your own design company or your own wholesale company. this photo was from the first night at CHA - we were working on getting catalogs together (or my BIL is) and I am working on the computer. it is late. we are tired but there isn't some magic fairy who does this all for us - ok, not a totally true statement but there isn't one who does it for free.

and so the challenges go:
1. coming up with a product and marketing it - can you make something that ppl will love (not just yourself) and can you market it in a way that makes people buy your stuff? advertising and marketing is a big deal but how do you do it when you are the small fish in a very big pond? you are the first ones that people overlook b/c people love the brands that people know - that is human nature.

then of course how do you do that over and over again with each cycle the expectation set higher and higher for you?

2. growing from the small fish to the medium size fish - as with all small businesses (or most) - the goal is to get bigger. but that in itself is a challenge. the challenge of growing yet being in the black is hard. we can't go out and have 1 million of 1 product made b/c we can't afford it yet the ability to sustain steady growth yet still keep the cash flow going is a challenge.

3. big fish and beyond - how do you handle the 3,5,10 year plans? so many things to think about....

enough biz. off to create...