If you don’t already know, I am passionate about building business and equally passionate about helping others achieve their dreams. Believe me, if I could, without consequence, share my business model with others so it could be replicated, I would.
But not only would that be practically illogical, it’s also impossible to guarantee that one could replicate my business model exactly and get the same results. The truth is, I cannot build your business for you. I wouldn’t want to, anyway.
I’d be robbing you of your journey.
The successes and the failures you will encounter are bigger teachers than I could ever be.
The frustrations of things you hoped would work out, but didn’t,
the insurmountable joy you feel when a decision pays off,
are lessons that do not just make you a better business owner,
but a better person.
So no, I cannot and will not build your business for you. But what I can do is share with you what I’ve learned and experienced to give you the best possible chance to be successful in the midst of your journey.
But the rest– is up to you.
Your Business Works For You.
You Do Not Work For Your Business.
I did not spill my heart out in the beginning as an attempt to be poetic, but to give a lead to the point of the article. And that is– DIVERSITY.
Every decision you make in life is based upon your individual worldview, perspective, belief systems, and dreams. No one is quite like you. As troublesome as it can be when misunderstanding is involved, diversity was never created to cause fear.
Salt as a seasoning is great, sure, but how much more elevated is a dish when you can incorporate multiple spices?
The same goes with your reselling business. Your individual situation determines how you build your business model. This is why no one should build your business but you. Only you know what your end goal is.
Your beliefs are the ones that drive your decisions that shape your success and define your failures.
Your environmental situation determines the model you choose for your business.
Your business model must be a representation of you. Do not try and mold yourself to a business model that doesn’t represent who you are.
Here’s a personal example:
It has always been a desire of ours to live a Christ and family-centered life. Throughout our marriage, we became very aware that having growth-minded, positive relationships were keys that could change the world for the better. It’s what moved us to homeschool our children and teach them how to live life by doing life with them. Reselling was a great avenue to be able to reach that goal.
Joe and I worked in an 81 square foot spare bedroom in a small
house in west Conway, AR. When we outgrew that space, we moved into 1,000 square foot office space and hired a few extra employees. Then the market for cell phones shifted and we found ourselves having to solve a major sourcing problem. It was then we discovered liquidation pallets. We learned a thing or two about pallets and over time (and after quite a few mistakes), we discovered that this would be a really great and sustainable way to run our reselling business, so we jumped on the opportunity! A few months later, that 1,000 square foot space turned into a 2,600 square foot warehouse. We were buying truckloads of pallets at a time! We opened a bin store for our local community to shop. We were profiting and the community really loved digging through the bins for “treasure”.
But we found ourselves tired, frustrated and sad–even in spite of the profits. Why? Because the more we grew the warehouse, the less time we had to spend with our family. We had to hire a nanny to watch our children. I didn’t have time to homeschool my kids the way I really wanted to. Joe had to stay late in the evenings just to run the bin store. By the time he got home, he was so exhausted that he couldn’t spend time with the children the way he wished he could. In the end, we decided to close down the warehouse, in spite of the profits we made. It was a difficult decision, but once it was done, it was like a weight was lifted off our shoulders. We regained our freedom, once again! It felt wonderful. However, shutting down the warehouse did not come without consequences. We had to adjust our time, our space, and our lifestyle.
The truth is, there would have been consequences whether we kept the warehouse open or closed, but these were the consequences we chose.
I cannot express to you enough how important it is to build a business that fits you. It is like a well-fitting shoe. If you find a shoe that fits, you can do life happily, and thriving. But if your shoe does not fit, it can be a real pain.
So I invite you to ask yourself:
Knowing that building this business is going to require you to make a valiant effort and cause you stress and pain, why are you doing this?
What’s the reason that you put the work in, even when you don’t want to?
And when you uncover that, make sure that you never make a decision in your business that takes you farther away from that why.
Best of luck to you, and happy selling!
