Some Days the Bear Eats You

There are many joys with running your own business especially one that you love. Art, that is my passion. I'm happiest when I'm creating, but running a successful art business takes 40% Art and 100% management. Its often like two Greek Gods fighting each other to save Mt. Olympus. Neither one realizing they are fighting for the same thing.

My advice is to set your boundaries upfront. Write a employee handbook even if you don't have any employees yet. Think about work hours, schedule, marketing, closing and opening procedures. Define what the job responsibilities are and weigh how many people you need to bring in to do those tasks. Bring in people who are like minded and you can trust. Be clear with your expectations and be honest with those wanting to help or you are paying about what is expected. If those boundaries are crossed and the "help" really isn't helpful then be straightforward.

For example, we recently hired a marketing person to help with social media presence. I called her to discuss what our ROI (return on investment) was projected to be. Conversion rate, how many leads she expected to generate. She told me she was very busy and as the conversation progressed she expressed her displeasure at having to answer questions for "you people". I reminded her that as her client I may ask 500 questions and expect a courteous and accurate response. I then terminated our business relationship. It may seem harsh to terminate a relationship based on one conversation but a boundary had been crossed. One I had set in the beginning as a business owner. I am not an inconvenience and I expect a return on the money I invest and I expect the people I choose to invest with to be willing and able to give me that answer.

Yes, I had to take on my own social media, yes it was an uncomfortable conversation and no, I did not regret my decision. Trust is key and trust was broken. Your decisions can't be based on whether the person is going to like you or your decisions. It has to be based on whether this person is going to take care of your "baby" the way you would. As my father says, "Some days the bear eats you and some days you eat the bear."