The Rollercoaster of Confidence

How’s business? While nice and well-intentioned, that question is most often intended to have the return volley power of a “Howya doin’?” The polite and expected answer is “fine,” accompanied by a confident head shake and slight lifting and scrunching of the bottom lip. (Do that now. See?)

But in reality, that question is a real one for many of us every single day. That is because the status of our businesses can change quickly. And so can our confidence. Some days we are king of the world, while other days we are a bit more unsure about the status of our empire.

In fact, how many of us -- no matter how long we've been in business -- still ask ourselves if we are doing everything possible to give ourselves a fighting chance? Or if we are really “on to something.” And how long before the darkest parts of our minds are free from thoughts like getting a regular job would be a whole lot easier?

So what is the answer? Admitting that things are slow and you are exploring a variety of options to make things happen is certainly OK if that is indeed the case. These are tough times, and many established businesses are struggling to meet payroll and pay for lots of overhead.

But we are lean and agile. Let’s take advantage of our size to adapt quickly, explore all our options and make the most of our resources. There is nothing better than working for yourself – even when the immediate future is unclear.

And that’s how business is. Thanks for asking.