I saw the post payout countdown, say, in 3 hours, and I realized it's been 7 days since I wrote a post that talked about building a business. The wonderful thing is that my Hive account is my business and someone had dropped a comment that said, " It sounds like you have the right mindset for business!". I responded with as much courtesy as I can manage but she went further to let me know she meant it.
So, I responded with "If that's the case, I probably have to work on it so I can make it a reality by getting my feet wet with starting a business. Thanks again.". A few days after I began to think about her comment and wondered if I do have the right mindset to start a business as she said.
While my thoughts roamed I remembered I had been that child of my parents who loved helping out in her mum's store than staying home or visiting friends. I worked for my mum for 21 years of my life. If you subtract the years I spent as a toddler, maybe, 4-5 years, then, I worked for her for 15-16 years of my life.
overjupiter
Those moments shaped me. Once I turned 21, I asked for independence from both mum and dad and I left home to find myself.
Somewhere along the line, I dumped who I grew up as and began to want the life the rest of the girls had. Truth be told, I couldn't do it, it wasn't who I was. I had the beauty and brains, but not the experience of a runs girl. It was at that point that I knew I had to return to my inclinations if I didn't want to end up wasted.
I tried to retrace my steps, and while doing this, I decided to start a business of my own. With the uprise in the internet business, I got caught up in the blogging stuff. And I wanted in too. The only thing I didn't want was to be working in my business instead of working on it.
I learned that part from one of my favorite authors, Robert Kiyosaki in his book, Cashflow Quadrants. I wanted to be a business owner but not necessarily be caught working in it as a self-employed lady. For this reason, instead of being the one handling the blog and contents, I delegated those roles.
The only thing I did was to be on the lookout for how to raise funds to pay them and sustain the blog until it was ready to be monetized. It was in the course of trying to raise funds for my business that I got into debt. Wow... So much for someone who's had 15-16 years of business experience...... Yes, you can say that again.
When I couldn't hold up the pressure of the debt and all the strains that came with it, I placed my blog and my staff on hold. I needed to figure out a way to get out of the dilemma of the debt that I got into. You have to believe me, I had been judiciously clearing those debts but I hadn't paid any of my staff for the last time they worked. Yes, right now, I am one of the terrible bosses. You can say, I am one of the bosses who are often late on payment of paychecks and stuff.
It was at this point that I understood how those bosses feel and what goes on in their heads when they remember they are owing people who had done nothing but try to help build their dreams. It was crazy.
Why I'm I telling you this story? The reason is that after @carys said I had the right business mindset, I started thinking. I wanted my old life back. I wanted to be back in the heat of the moment trying to get stuff done, and done right to generate income. To make things worse, one of the folks I had been helping to build their blog, so I can get extra funds to pay off my debt brought good news to the table.
He told me the blog had started earning good money and I felt jealous. I had spent the entire 6 months helping another person build his business to this stage and mine had stayed dormant. I caught myself when the ugly emotions came flooding, and I tried to look at the bright side. What's the bright side? That I had been a part of the winning team for him, and that means every effort I placed into his blog posts was a good effort and is currently yielding good results. At this point, I had to congratulate myself for doing a good job.
But @carys has made me want to step out of the shadows of another person and be who I had always been. The girl who loved the storefront. The girl who loved interacting with customers. The girl who loved balancing accounts and excitedly telling mum how much she made for a day's sale. I wanted that life back. And @carys had made me desire it even more.
On this note, I mustered up the courage and reached out to my staff. I apologized for holding up their paycheck for this long. And I promised to send in the salaries to their respective accounts before the month runs out. (Without having any idea where the money will come from). I felt good afterward. It was a step in the right direction.
Although I don't know if I would want to be writing for myself or handling my site, this is a good step in my opinion. I have a feeling I still won't be the one handling those areas. Instead, I'll take the path I am simply good at..... Selling.
So, while my staff focuses on creating content and handling the rest of the stuff, I'll be working on my business by selling. I'll be on the frontline promoting every bit of it. I'll be calling attention to our niche. Once I pull the much-needed crowd, you already know what's gonna happen.
Right now, I can't wait for a time when I wouldn't need to live off my Hive earnings. Instead, I'll be earning from my business. Then my Hive earnings get to work investing and getting on board on the juicy projects available here. And that will be part of the journey of building my account. Hey, go on, wish me luck, I need it as much as possible.