QUESTION: What is the scariest thing you’ve ever had to tackle in your business?

Love this post, @ShanaNiederman! I am a self-employed writer and blogger and I have encountered some challenging situations. The scariest thing I have had to decide is the pricing for my services. After networking with others in my field of work, I slowly began to create some appropriate prices. The Community is a great place to chat with others about their experiences and gain inspiration. 

@EmilyMockett I would love to know your experience regarding this... What difficult situations have you encountered and how did you overcome them? :) 

Hi Jessica,

Although I don't run my own business, the hardest thing about working in an accountancy firm as a QuickBooks Online Pro Advisor and specialist is managing my time. I have a lot of clients that reach out to me through various channels whether that be over the phone, via email or even just popping into the office! I find this particularly hard around VAT deadlines as there are some quarters which are busier than others.

I get around this by keeping organised and prioritising my work loads.

Kind Regards,

Emily 

Hi, @EmilyMockett,

Yes, I think a lot of people can understand the struggles of time management. As time goes on, we become better at time managing but I do still have moments of panic.

How do you prioritise the queries you receive from customers if they're communicating through various channels? I am sure this can be very overwhelming sometimes, especially around VAT deadlines. VAT deadlines are daunting for many people! 

Hi Jess,

It can be very challenging at times but there is always someone that can help out if you are getting a bit overwhelmed in the office which is great.

In terms of prioritising, if it is an easy question which will only take a matter of minutes to answer I tend to answer these first. This is either with a quick screen shot or sending a link to a relevant YouTube tutorial on our PJCO channel. If the query is a little longer then I like to spend a little bit of time doing my research and coming up with the best method. 

Of course deadlines play a massive part in how we keep organised in an accountancy firm so knowing the key dates etc if essential. VAT deadlines are always a busy time for us! 

Kind Regards,

Emily

Hi @EmilyMockett,

Teamwork is the best! And of course, customer service is at the top of your priorities I can imagine? 

Filtering the queries amongst your team must be the best way to deal with this. I am sure you have to prepare your clients for the VAT deadlines too, to ensure everything runs smoothly. I am sure you and the team are doing an awesome job!

Hi @JJJZ! :)

I hope you're well!

I would love to know, what is the scariest thing you’ve ever had to tackle in your business? Have you had to make a big business move - take on extra work, hire new people, share your business at a large conference? It will be really interesting to hear your perspectives on this question.

Hi, @Karsty! 

What is the most daunting thing you have encountered since owning a business? 

Share your experiences and comment below!

Raising my prices from £13 per hour to £18 pounds per hour!

Hi, @Karsty!

Thank you for sharing this. The scary moments in business can make you stronger and they re-align you closer to the purpose of your business. I know from my own experience, that the tough times have made me more determined.  

Why did you raise your prices? In the long run, was it a good or a bad decision? :) 

I was transitioning from living with parents into real life, and I suddenly realised I was charging way too little to sustain a proper business as a gardener...

Hi, @Karsty!

Yes, I encountered this too when I was running my freelance writing business. I had to take the leap and raise my prices. As a result of this, I gained some great clients! Raising my prices allowed me to be pickier. My clients are also reliable now because they're paying a little more. 

Would you raise them again depending on the job? Are your prices flexible? 

I hope the sun continues to shine whilst you continue the gardening! I bet it's really lovely in the summer. 

Hi, @simonsaidi!

I hope you're doing well and the sun is shining wherever you are  

What is the scariest thing you have had to tackle in your business? Or is there anything that seems daunting at the moment? I know you have some big plans ahead! 

 One of the scariest moments was when I declared to close associates that I was starting a new business, and I got so much negativity from them. That instantly killed my morale and left me much confused, as my closest friends seemed not to believe in my abilities to succeed.

After that, I had so many nightmares, picturing failure and totally broke. But a thing I learned over time is never say die, much resilience is needed over time to succeed in business. There are many risks and wrong decisions taken over time. And you encounter many failures time over, but never give up. Learn from your mistakes and live to fight another day!

Thanks for posting that Simon. People are so strange. Why should anyone think a person cannot succeed at a business? I've had some huge personal issues in life, I don't really know how I've managed to sustain a successful business , but I have since 1995, with just one break of a year or 2.

Right now I'm still in the throes of being conned by a van dealer.

One thing I've learnt from this - NEVER EVER buy a vehicle without guaranteed checks.

NO MATTER HOW MUCH BOTHER IT IS.

https://www.gardenwisewatford.co.uk/

Hi, @simonsaidi and @Karsty,

I had the same issue at the beginning of my business journey, I started my freelance writing business in secret and I didn't tell anyone until I felt more confident. I created a website, started my social media and I didn't tell a single person!

Taking the leap to start a business is empowering but it can also be incredibly challenging and gaining trust and support from others is a hurdle you have to overcome. What you have to remember is your passion, your drive and your determination. Always ask yourself 'why am I doing this?' and it will re-route you back to your purpose. People can sometimes knock you off your track and we will all have doubts but it's part of the process. I now have friends that support me and are my biggest cheerleaders! Every amazing thing takes time, no giving up!

@Karsty, it's awesome that you have learnt from the past. It's rubbish when you have to go through a tough time to realise the mistake. However, you can now help others in the same situation. 

Going forward, do you both have a business plan or do you set goals to keep yourselves on track @Karsty & @simonsaidi? I would love to know!

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences, it's great to chat with others who have experienced the same and can relate.

@Karsty, its really horrible to feel underrated and unwanted especially knowing your full potential, but I guess you've alway got to remain truly focused to your cause. As for the Van, don't allow the con get away so easily. Can you not go after the con in a small claim court? Claims need to be beween £2,000 and £10,000. The process is quite straight forward. Did you make payment by credit card? If you did, you can claim under money back guarantee. If you paid by direct debit the eligiblity and the scope of claim is more limited. Give it your best shot, don't give up, it's painful to see your hard won sweat going down the drain. I had a con many years ago that stretched and stressed me so much. I learned again, that when the deal is so sweet think twice. That may seem a basic dictum, but I still fell for the con!

I have an overall master plan - business plan. It's a roadmap of my journey, my current position and where I am headed. It gives me an overview of my vision, mission, and strategic goals and the steps/directions I plan to take to achieve the set goals. The plan is all-encompassing as it gives me an overview of the market, competition, future profitability and available funding to execute the planned business project. The plan is evolving not static and changes depending on the current circumstance and future expected outcomes.

Hi, @simonsaidi! :)

It's great to hear your thoughts and ideas on this. Do you use a specific template for this, how do you organise this information?

Also, do you have records of how your vision has changed over time? 

Really interesting to have an insight, thanks so much!