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Running your own business is like filling 5 different roles all at one time. Often business owners are the operations manager, the sales manager, the chief financial officer, the marketing director and the customer service department all in one! Only someone that runs their own business can understand exactly what it’s like to be fully in charge and fully responsible for results. We salute all of you who run your own business by offering up these 5 very familiar problems only small business owners would understand:

1. No Time

Between running errands, getting breakfast for the kids and pounding out that proposal you’re trying to manage 7 different things at once all with a deadline for Friday. Your friends are telling you that you need to create Facebook ads. Your accountant wants you to look at your balance sheet and profit and loss statement every week. Your email inbox is piled up with ads, orders and customer service issues. There just doesn’t seem like enough time in the day for you to address every one of these tasks on your list. Truth is, there isn’t. You need to sleep, even if its only for 4 hours. 

2. No Money

Since you have decided to leave the comfort of your full time, cush, W2 job at that big corporate company you worked for, you all of the sudden realize that being paid bi-weekly isn’t necessarily a reality anymore! You still check your bank balance, but the direct deposit isn’t anywhere to be found. Didn’t someone say being your own boss would make your richer? Oh yea, you forgot…you have to sell some product to make money. Your bills are due, your home budget is tight and you squeeze out that last 5 dollars so you can at least purchase a bottle of Winking Owl wine at Aldi because, hell, you need another drink. 

3. Finding good help is next to impossible.

 Interns will never care about your business like you and you don’t understand why people aren’t lining up to work for minimum wage? I mean, don’t people want to help you? They aren’t necessarily working for free, they are “volunteers”. The fact is, you’re not a charity and the turn over seems to be never ending. Trying to find someone to fill a role, only to have the performance dip 80% when they take it on is scary. Not only do you have to find an individual that has all the mojo, talent and skill, but they also must fit your company culture and have a masters degree and be willing to make 8 dollars per hour. Hey, working for a sexy startup is swag isn’t it?

4. Your business is your baby and no one is going to tell you what to do with it.

 What do you mean your website is out of date? You built that shit yourself and hell if you are going to let anyone else touch it! You tried to get the intern to take on a few extra daily tasks off your plate, but you came in the next day to find that they cut corners and didn’t even mop the floor properly. No, you didn’t train them, but ain’t no body got time for that! When you do delegate something, you are a stalker and hovering over your employees like a hawk brooding over her baby chicks. You eventually take back on all the things you let go of just a week ago because after all, you’re the only one “keeping it real.” 

5. You look in the mirror every day and ask yourself why you do this.

 Your spouse is supportive, but you secretly wonder if they are going to leave you because your chasing a pipe dream that will never get off the ground. You’re depressed because you can barely pay your internet bill much less set aside some extra cash for your two kids college funds. After the last account cancelled their purchase order because you couldn’t deliver, you think about closing the doors. Weekly if not daily. You watch Shark Tank and they make raising a million in startup capital look easy. You start fantasizing about those direct deposits you used to get at ABC Corp. 

Anyone relate? The list can go on and on! We want to know what problems you’re running into that only another business owner can understand? Email us or put it in the comments below and maybe we’ll feature them on our next blog post. We understand small businesses because we are one! When it comes to helping you build your company brand, we can speak your language and not break your budget. Give us the opportunity to meet with you to discuss solutions. You’ll be happy with the results!