Two things you shouldn't be in business...

When it comes to making a name for yourself and building up your business you have to work twice as hard to become reputable than any other well-established business out here. You have to not only prove that you the person can do what you promise you can do, but you have to prove that your business is worthy enough to conduct business with.

Many businesses will go out of business for a number of reasons this year, but one major reason some of them went out of business is because they exhibited two things you shouldn't be when trying to build your business...

Two things you shouldn't be in business:

1. The first thing you shouldn't be when making a name for yourself and/ or your business is inconsistent. Being consistent means "constantly adhering to the same principles." It means you have formed a pattern that will either push you to excellence or drop you to infamy. Although being inconsistent is a form of consistency, you never want to be known for being inconsistent. "Yeah, I can't really trust Johnny to finish his article on time, he's consistently inconsistent." Being inconsistent will make people stop working with you because they simply choose not to deal with your lack of timeliness, accuracy, or responsibility.
   
   How do you change your inconsistent ways? It's not as easy as waking up one day and saying "hey, I'm going to be consistent today!" You've formed a habit, it is now ingrained in you. The only way to break a habit is to form a better one. For example, you are inconsistent when it comes to being on time. Sometimes you get to work early, others on time, but mostly you're late. Notice this. Notice what you do differently on the days you get to work early or on time. Do you go to sleep earlier? Do you eat better? Do you prepare the night before? Take note of your good habits and from there work on doing those same good habits for at least one month. Studies have shown it takes about 21-30 days for a new habit to be formed.


2. The second thing you shouldn't be is unreliable. Nothing is worse than conducting business with someone to learn at the last minute that they are unreliable. So now not only do you have to deal with that person not getting the work done but now you have to reschedule your time to either find someone you can depend on or do it yourself. Even worse if you are that unreliable person. No one wants to feel like they got cheated when they deal with someone, because trust me when I say word of mouth travels faster than the speed of light. Being unreliable makes you untrustworthy.
   
   So how do you overcome that obstacle? If you have been labeled as unreliable or noticed that you have become unreliable the best way to rebuild your reputation is to start over and do better. Figure out why you've become unreliable. Do you take on more than you can handle? Do you lack focus? Is your attention span worse than a fruit fly? Once you figure out why people can't rely on you, it's time for you to take steps and make yourself reliable. Create to do lists, set schedules, devote quality time to a task. Learn what you can handle and how much. If life gets too hard and your are still unreliable, take on smaller tasks and build from there. Apologize to your clients and do your best to make them comfortable.

No one wants to conduct business with people they can't trust. Look at how Scarface, the Godfather, and Enron turned out. When you are inconsistent people can't trust that you will deliver in the time you promised. When you are unreliable, people can't trust you at all. You have the power to get your reputation back, but it all starts off with forming a better habit and realizing your faults.

The Unemployed Entrepreneur