It Takes a Village

Have you ever heard the African proverb "It takes a village [to raise a child]"? The gist of the proverb being that one can not [raise a child] alone - we are not solitary creatures so we should not try to be.

I think this applies to running a small business (among other things in life) - at least it's a thought that has been running through my head as of late. While I have some overriding personal issues that may make my situation unique to a certain degree - there are many things that I share in common with my small business owner counterparts.

I struggle with making the right decision - whether it be to make a certain product, how to delegate my time and how to promote my business.

Greener Grass? That's Cute!

I'm going to get a little personal today - hope you don't mind? See, my primary motivation for striking out on my own was to control my own destiny - yeah that sounds cheesy I know but, really it is the best way to describe it. But in addition to that desire to control my own destiny, I have a disability that often complicates working a "regular" job under the direction of another - working for myself allows me to structure my day around the needs and complications of my disability while being as productive as possible.

Some think working from home is easy, working for yourself from home even easier... yes there is a great amount of flexibility when it comes to working for yourself from home, that is a definite advantage. However, in running my small business(es) from home I have realized that things aren't so starkly defined, things are no where near as simple as a yes/no choice but rather it's more like choosing the lessor of two evils (for lack of a better way of putting it).

Here is some food for thought that I have picked up over the last year and a half: