Running your own business has many challenges, but there are some things that are more frustrating than others. Everyone has their own pet peeves, but here are some of the more common frustrations most business owners can relate to.
Missed calls
Most business owners know what it’s like to be waiting for an important phone call, then at the exact moment they are preoccupied with other pressing matters, they miss a call. Worse still, the caller doesn’t leave a message and you either don’t know their number or the missed call is different from the number on file. It’s frustrating not knowing if you have missed a call from the person you were expecting, a cold caller or even a scam. Rather than risk calling a cold caller back to find out, or wondering, who called me? It’s easier to search the number on UnknownPhone.
Waiting for payments
As a small business, you can rely on quick payments if you’re on a strict budget. Most clients will usually pay within the relevant timeframe, but many businesses have one or more clients who despite being good to work with, always take their time with payments and have to be chased up. It’s more frustrating if they bring a lot of money or customers to your business, and you can’t afford to stop working with them.
Too much work or not enough
Most businesses, at least when just starting, switch between two levels of activity. Either they have little work coming in or too much, and no attempt to balance this out seems to work. It’s frustrating because nobody wants to sit around doing nothing all day, but having too much work can be just as stressful. The good news is, most businesses can usually achieve a better balance over time, although the workload may never be completely equal.
Finding a ‘sure-fire marketing tactic’ that doesn’t work for you
It’s frustrating as a small business if you’re struggling to get your business off the ground, and you hear or read about an entrepreneur claiming they achieved results with a ‘sure-fire marketing tactic’. Yet, you try it out for yourself, step for step, and it has little or no impact on your business. The truth is, all businesses are different, and something which works for someone else is not guaranteed to work for you in the same way.
Letting go of control
At some point, when you run a successful business, you have to relinquish some control by delegating some tasks to other people. This means trusting they will get the tasks done. If you’re deeply invested, personally and financially, it can be frustrating to let go. However, it’s necessary if you want to build your business and increase your success. Nobody can do everything by themselves.
Although being a business owner has its frustrations, which most entrepreneurs can relate to, it is also rewarding. This is why so many people strive to set up and run their own businesses.