Blog Author Mellissah Smith - Page 93

How often as an entrepreneur do you really get down and get your hands dirty?

There are some things, that no-one else but the entrepreneur in a small business can do. It almost makes them indispensible although we are all trained to think that no-one is this.

Easter is but a faded memory (too much chocolate, an abundance of hot cross buns and vino to wash it down) and most of us are already back in the grind of every day life (that means "work" for those of us who are not still in holiday la la land).

I have arrived safely at my desk at 11.30am after an early morning interstate flight and am a bit weary even though I have just spent 5 days away, in the most picturesque setting possible with loads of sunshine, great wines and good food. The company wasn't too bad either ;-)

Queensland is such a stunning place. Like most people who travel up there, I always dream of living there permanently because in a week, you don't get bored, the flies don't bother you too much, and you cannot get enough of the sun and surf. It is pure paradise. Beautiful one day, perfect the next as the slogan goes.

Never one to 100% tune out on business, I learned a few things during my Easter break that I would like to share with you:

I am so excited! Tomorrow morning I fly to Queensland and after a couple of quick meetings, I will be off to the Sunshine Coast to enjoy the Easter break with my beautiful family.

Opportunities don't come past your desk everyday. Sometimes you have to work so hard to find an opportunity that when one lands on your lap, you don't really know what to do with it or you forget what it actually looks like.

There are so many things we all can relate "Make hay while the sun shines" to. Here are some that I think you should consider;

Have we all got it so wrong?

A few weeks ago, I had to cancel a trip to the US that was for both business and pleasure. Mainly business, but a few days pleasure that I was seriously looking forward to. There were real reasons, which I cannot disclose here, but nevertheless, business was somewhat involved.

Then my beautiful girlfriend married the man of her dreams in South Africa, and I had to cancel going there too. More than $1000 down the drain, because South African Airlines don't reimburse you for cancelled flights nor do they give you a credit. Yet again, work got in the way.

Then this weekend, it's Easter and my two nephews are looking forward to spending the special occasion with their Aunt Mellissah. I have work to do and I was about to book a flight to fly to Queensland on Friday and back Sunday until...

"Everybody has their shit," said Doreen, a wonderful, successful woman I met for the first time tonight.

As a table of 5 women sharing their stories and updating everyone on their lives, one thing became apparent. Everybody has their shit.

Not the most enticing word in the English Dictionary, I agree, but nevertheless, its meaning in this context makes it appropriate.

I enjoyed the company of 5 fabulous women tonight. Smart, beautiful, successful, emotionally intelligent and value adding, women that can converse on every topic imaginable.

They depict the women that I had in mind when I wrote "what men can do to make their women more successful."

No matter who you are, at times, as a small business owner, you will get stressed.

It's how you deal with it that counts.

Which has me thinking. I am what I affectionately call a "stress pet". Someone, who stresses a lot. If not daily, bi-daily. I find things to stress about that sometimes deserve my attention, and then others that certainly don't.

Managing stress has always been an issue and I have over time tried everything. But just like any diet, or new health regime, you need to keep with it long after the actual decision to do it in the first place and constantly remind yourself that it is something that requires ongoing work, not just a quick fix.

They say that it is lonely at the top, and although I am definately not at the top, I can definately relate to this feeling.

Having run a small business myself for 13 years, I can identify that at the end of the day, unless you have a business partner, it can be quite lonely.

Yesterday, was particularly stressful.

The business is going so well, and clients are literally running through our doors. Although we have mechanism in place for growth, there are always things to do, that when you add it to your own daily jobs, becomes overwhelming - if you let it.

On top of running a business, we have an issue with a client who is happy with the service, but owes us $80,000. And this is just for invoices raised in the month of February. After, continually asking about when the invoices will be paid as we have a strict 7 day policy, they keep replying that it is coming in the next few days. That started 6 weeks ago. I am sure they will pay, but the situation is stressful nevertheless because after years of dealing with business owners who spin stories, the trust factor on such things has somewhat diminished.

Blogging isn't for everyone. In fact, few people can pull it off and actually get a reasonable return on investment. While it can be fun to share your ideas, there is a whole world out there whose ideas differ from that of your own. And beware... sometimes they are even happy to tell you about it.

But it isn't all doom and gloom.

Blogging can be quite lucrative from a brand profile prospect and for some, financially. Successful bloggers don't just make their livings out of blogging, they quite often make their fortune. Think Mia Freedman (www.mamamia.com.au) and Seth Godin.