What a depressing weekend. First of all, I lost my Misfit Shine (Fitness Wearable) last Saturday at the Podium. I placed it inside my pocket using the magnetic rubber band that comes along with the product and I think it fell of or stuck to something metal. Then, Sunday came and I was excited to watch the Fight of the Century. Of course, we all know what happened there. Grrrrr! (#TeamPacquiao). Yesterday evening, I felt really really bad and tired. I played board games with my husband, but that didn’t help either, because I also lost.
When I play board games with my husband, let me tell you this, I hate losing. I’m a sore loser! Haha! I just hate the feeling. I feel so incompetent and stupid. Of course, I know that I have got no one else to blame but myself.
But in business, you can’t be a sore loser. You can’t expect everything to go smoothly and you can’t expect everyone to bow down to your wishes and favors. I have seen a fair share of people who quit their businesses (and even jobs… yes, this happens in the workplace, too!) just because they didn’t get the number of customers or revenue that they wanted. They quit because they wanted the business to go another way, not how it was intended to be. They gave up because they were pissed that the marketplace did not give in to what he/she wanted for the business.
Are you a a sore loser in business? I hope you’re not! Try to avoid saying these things.
1. I wasn’t born rich. Only the rich can start their own businesses. I have no business that I can inherit from my family. Only the rich get richer.
If this is what you feel, I don’t think you should get into business really, and it’s not because you’re not as rich as everyone else, but you already have that defeatist attitude. Losing in business is very common, because of the risks involved. If you have a defeatist attitude, you might give up at the first sign of a ‘challenge’.
Not everyone is born rich (you’re right about that), but there are a lot of people who do make it because they believe that they could make the world a better place. Having a business is not only about being rich or getting to buy the things that you want, but it’s about helping other, also and being responsible for others, especially the people in your company.
Also, I think you need to think of your personal definition of success. Success just doesn’t mean just having a lot of material possessions. For me, success is living a comfortable life with the ones you love. It means that you need not worry about food, clothing, shelter. You have no debts to pay and no sickness or accidents to worry about. Oh, I’d love to live that way — financially free!
2. I hate my competitor. They always copy my products and services.
The thing about business is that you always have to deal with competition. Competition is good, because it keeps us, sellers, up on our toes. We strive for excellence and innovation so that we get to offer more value to our customers. Also, having competitors mean that the demand for your services or for the value that you offer is increasing. I love competition because they actually help me spread the word about the services that I offer! haha! Consumers are smart! They just don’t buy the first thing that they see. Most of them research first, so be happy if a competitor spends on advertising or copies a product. They’re helping you get the word out!
3. I hate it when people say bad things about my company in social media!
Be glad that these people care enough to give you feedback! Feedback is important for the expansion or the sustainability of your business. Think about building a tall lego tower. These feedback are new lego blocks that help make your lego tower taller and stronger. You accept those feedback and think about them logically. Dig deeper and communicate with the customer. Ask where he/she was coming from and tell them that their feedback is appreciated.
These are some of the things that you should avoid saying if you have a business. No one likes sore losers!
PS. Talking about sustainability, you might want to attend this workshop on creating business plans! 🙂 You can register here: http://manilaworkshops.com/events/visual-business-plans-for-the-text-challenged
