Small Business Tip: Sacrificing To Make The Dream Work

Having successfully started a few small businesses and acquiring another, I can confidently say that it takes sacrifice to make the dream of a small business come alive.

I worked the equivalent of two full-time jobs for an entire year while I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. launched. I would work all week and then jump into a car and drive to some distant place to speak about personal finances. Usually, I would end up spending more money on gas, hotel, and food than I would receive in income from the event!

As I share in my book, Oxen, you can’t load up a baby ox as soon as it is born, or it will die. Yet, many people do this very thing when birthing their small business. They finance the entire start-up costs and then quit their job as soon as they launch the business – forcing the business to pay them a salary from day one. They “load up the baby ox” with all of the costs of debt, salaries, and rent – causing even great business ideas to collapse before they really had a chance to succeed.

It takes sacrifice. Here are 3 key sacrifices you can expect to make when launching your small business dream.

3 Key Sacrifices Business Owners Make

1. Time With Family  Starting a business is not a 9am to 5pm, 5 day a week job. Curb the impact of this by being very intentional in the time you do have to spend with your family. Another tip is to include them in the work and decisions of the business. For example, I bring my daughter along with me to help with speaking events. She manages the resource table. Better yet, we have the chance to talk during all of the plane and car rides.
2. Money  People who are launching their small business venture will have to invest substantial amounts of money in the hopes of a financial return. There is no guarantee of success. I’ve found that investing my own money into the business helped me be very attentive to business expenses. It seems to be much easier to spend borrowed money.
3. Other Dreams  Because of the enormous consumption of time that a new small business demands, many other hobbies and passions are placed on hold. Saying “yes” to starting a business will mean one must say “no” to other desires.

For those who have successfully started your own small business, what are some other sacrifices you have had to make? Please share in the comments?

This post is part of a Small Business Series here at the wildly popular JosephSangl.com. Click HERE to read more of the posts in the series.