Lessons Learned.

Wow! Last week was a crazy one full of lessons and over all business sense. As a young business owner it is always amazing what I can learn in a week. The curve can be daunting! Sometimes they are lessons that are rewarding and others... just a big pain in the arse. Even so, all of them make us better services providers as well as less naive in the long run. I often get gut feelings that I tend to ignore, and in the end kick myself for not going with my heart and head. There are a few ways to prevent the harsher lessons from knocking on your door more often then you would like.

So- how to avoid these kinds of situations...

1. Look at the history. Friends, clients, bosses, peers- it is all the same. If someone is continually feeling as though they have been let down, screwed around, hurt, ignored, etc etc. No matter how good YOUR intentions are YOU will eventually be the person that they complain about. It is just the way it goes. So, a good general rule... if a person constantly complains about others behaviors and their bad history you will eventually be a part of it in the future. Of course, sometimes people do just have had BAD luck...

2. Communicate. So often I wish I had of said something sooner. Made it clearer. Voiced my opinions. Out of not wanting to stir the pot sometimes I hold back, and it normally haunts me later. So go ahead. Say your two cents... but be weary... it might not be well received.

3. Write it down. Make sure that the agreement you share is clear by both parties. Expectations are on the table. This way, should one party not come through or ask for items outside of the agreement you can refer back to the original understanding.

4. Lean on your friends. Having a terrible week? Feeling overwhlemed? Sometimes we forget about the people who are our biggest fans. The ones that stand up for us, believe in us, and are always first to come to our side. It is easy to get caught up in the tension of it all - but we have good people in our lives for a reason.

7. Let it go. You can't make everyone happy. It is near to impossible. Some people are not going to like you or your business. That's okay. You simply can't appeal to everyone. Sigh.

6. Go with your gut. Yup... bottom line is go with what it is telling you. Have a bad feeling tha a client is going to be more of a trouble then it is worth? Not sure to spend the money? Feel like a person can't be trusted? Don't do it. A little money lost here or there... a lot of money saved when it comes to your troubles.