Inevitable Small Business Challenges {link up challenge #2}

Welcome to 

LINK UP CHALLENGE #2

of SMALL BUSINESS MONTH!

{If you're a new reader, HERE is what all the commotion is all about!}

In owning a small business, it is inevitable that you are going to come across a few bumps in the road.

GOING TO being the operative words there.

There's just no way around it.

But guess what?

When Small Business Owner A gets together with Small Business Owner B, and spills about her particular small business challenges, Small Business Owner A can save Small Business Owner B a heap of headaches, and since Small Business Owner A scratched Small Business Owner B's back, Small Business Owner B may have a few tricks up her sleeve for Small Business Owner A in the future.

So you see?

There's no need to suffer through some challenges when you have people to network with who can tell you how to AVOID those challenges.

{Either way though, you're going to run into a few problems}

Today's prompt is this:

tell about one challenge you've come across since you decided to start selling your merchandise, whether it be through an online retailer {Etsy}, during craft shows, or just from friend-to-friend. Could it be book keeping? Balancing the family? Creative block? Marketing challenges?

I have two fairly typical challenges that I'm facing at the moment:

1. Figuring out how to work SMARTER AND NOT HARDER {thanks, Ashley from The Shine Project!}. This is really difficult! What is the best way to ship my products? What should I charge people for shipping, because I'm pretty positive it's more than $2, including what you purchased in packaging. So mainly my problem has to do with figuring out the SMARTER way to handle FINANCES.

2. Time. So here's how it goes: as soon as Carter goes down for his nap, I'm bangin' out the business stuff, but two hours is just not enough! So what does that mean? It means I'm working on things at night, which would be fine, except that that was when my man and I would hang and be fools together. Chad is rooting for me, so it's all good, but I miss our time together! What to do, what to do?

Does anyone have any suggestions for me when it comes to figuring out the finances and time management? {not that I can foresee any great resolve in the time management sector, considering there's no way Carter would allow me to just cozy up to my sewing machine while he is tearing through the house.}

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!

Here are the rules:


1. You MUST sport the Small Business Month button
{as made beautiful by her}


2. You MUST check out at least three different partiers, because really, the bottom line is, we are here to NETWORK and PROMOTE like ANIMALS!


3. If you have any words of wisdom for any partiers, help a sister out and come forth with that advice! Again, we are here to support, network, promote, and to downright celebrate the awesomeness that is small business ownership!



Woohooo!


Grab a button and link up!

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