Weekend Conversation :: If You Could Change One Thing About Your Business…
Read more about: Overcoming Obstacles, Work at Home Community
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I’m really loving these weekend conversations we’ve been having lately. It’s really important to me that I’m not the only one talking here - all of you have such a vast level of expertise and knowledge - I really want you all to learn from each other as much as you learn from me!!
So for this weekend question, let’s dream a little.
We all come across challenges - there are some of those challenges that are, well, more challenging than others. I don’t want to call them problems - honestly, they may frustrate the heck out of you, but really, they are great learning and growth opportunities. But being on this side of the coin isn’t always easy.
If there was one challenge that you could magically make go away, what would you pick? Or if there was one thing you would add to your business, what would it be?
Would you want more time, more cash flow, more life balance? Would you want less work, less client interaction, or fewer things to focus on?
What would I change about my business?
That’s a really tough question for me to answer. I’m always wanting more traffic, more publicity, and gawd do I always wish there were more hours in a day. But I’ll be a little transparent here and say that I wish the site’s cash flow was a little stronger. For the first 9 months I didn’t make very much at all. For the second 9 months I have poured most of my revenue back into the business. I miss the days of a steady, healthy paycheck. 
So if you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?
Thanks to Chris, Naomi Dunford, Laura, Kelly, Linette, Courtney Turtle, Jenni Hunt, Suzie Cheel, Alisha, Gaida, Neena, Melissa Moog, Melissa Garrett, Mother Earth, Dmarie, Char, Holli Jo, Stephanie, and Karen Putz for sharing your work at home challenges last week!
Sparkplugging Founder Wendy Piersall is dang passionate about helping people start & grow a business while maintaining life balance (somehow).
Dawud Miracle has one focus: to help you get it. The it? How your website, and blog, can change the way you do business. You can find out more at 
I’m with you Wendy!
I’d like more traffic to all of my websites and more cashflow for my offline writing.
It’s easy to miss a steady paycheck sometimes, but I still absolute LOVE the flexibility that I have now.
If I could change one thing about Itty Bitty Marketing, I’d find a way to make it free. I love to do this, and if there was any way I could get my residual income to the point that I could take on more clients for free, I’d love that. The people who need the most help and will see the biggest difference are the ones who can’t afford a marketing consultant. I’d love to be able to just give them the advice and let the people with the money go somewhere else.
That’s a GREAT wish, Naomi - I also wish I didn’t have to put ads on this site in order support the content. But until someone just wants to pay 10 authors for writing great articles, we’re stuck with ads.
Wendy, you’re right, angel investors are a little thin on the ground right about now. We’re moving in the right direction - IttyBiz is certainly helping - so maybe in a couple of years I’ll be able to do it for free.
Did you see that scene in The Family Man where Tea Leoni is a lawyer whose client gave her a hand-knit sweater as payment that said “Pro Bono LAYERS do it for free”? That was fantastic. I want to be a Pro Bono Marketer.
to be less dependent on google traffic
My business is monthly quota sales - the ebb and flow of that can get to some, over the years I have found a way to manage the month end crazed feeling and the dust it off let’s do it all over again attitude - for that I am grateful because otherwise it can really shut someone down.
With my personal life sortof being like a train wreck and my health rebuilding being so time consuming there is little left of me - i feel alot like I am faking it until I make it
blogging has brought me up and out from what could have been a pretty dreary place
first of all I can still be in my fragile place yet the core of me is very sharing and upbeat — it’s showing up on my blog and the blog writing is keeping me accountable
not sure that makes sense
did that make sense ??
next:
1.get a client from my blogging
2. get consistant enough with new clients from blogging so that I can share that with the field - noone in my work is blogging like I am - I really want to lead the way
3. earn enough money to get on with the next phase of my life - be and feel stable vs operating scared
wendy — i am very curious about this banner ad in this post - green office - could we chat sometime??
and thanks for the friday hoot - oh my gosh that cracked me up
Mother Earth aka Karen Hanrahan
http://www.bestwellnessconsultant.com
Well my business is just starting so traffic and cashflow aren’t an issue yet. For me it’s having more time. I’m a full time mom to an active, active, hmm… did I mention active? two year old. I also have to cook everything from scratch because of her food allergy. I sneak in business when she naps, at night, in 2 minute increments during the day.
I’d really like at least a few hours a week I could really be “working”. I tried a day care for 4 hours a week. She was fine with a few kids but when it went up to full size she was so overloaded she freaked if I tried to leave. I’m going to try and find someone who can come to hour house for a couple of hours a week… but no luck yet.
I’ve only started freelancing this year, so I think obviously I’m with you on the money thing… but I do agree with Naomi, I would love to offer my services for free to people (work at home moms and dads especially) who are starting up and need just that extra bit of help.
The other thing I would change is getting a babysitter and housekeeper-type person so I don’t have those days when I behave like a raving lunatic trying to do everything.
Money, time, and more offers ~ that’s what I would change. While I’ve always enjoyed writing, I haven’t always done it as a way to make money. I was one of those “mommy blogs” who became somewhat popular in a relatively short amount of time. As a result, the offers to review products and sites (and actually get paid to do it) began to materialize. However, when I switched from Blogger to Wordpress and totally revamped my blog, I lost my Technorati and Google ranking and essentially had to start from scratch. Now the offers aren’t coming in so quickly (I do have another contract job and two paid blogging positions waiting in the wings, so I am not entirely without work). Oh ~ I’m one of those bloggers who actually charges to post reviews (it’s my time and effort, right?). It really irks me when my services are solicited, yet when I provide my terms, I never hear from the company again. I don’t want to be taken advantage of.
I wish that my business didn’t require so many hours answering emails. I have several employees that help me out a ton but there are still so many emails that I feel like only I can answer. It would be nice to be able to make my business more passive.
Wendy — Thank you for doing the Weekend Conversation. I have come to really enjoy them.
If there is one thing I would like to change in my own home business it would be ME. I have to learn to delegate more to outside virtual assistants if I want to take it to the next level. Especially if I want to get out of the practice of law and do what I really enjoy. We all have the technology and Internet sources available to use and we all have to learn to take advantage of them. For me, I tend to believe I am the only one that can do something. And that is a bunch of hog wash. I know I will get more done and spend less time doing it if I learn to delegate and use a virtual assistant or two to do it.
Hmmm….good question. I would definately like more control of my time. I am still on a payroll so what I do when is not entirely my own choice. I know I could be more successful if I were to up and quit my steady income. But that is a big leap of faith to take!
Just remember, you work 80 hours a week for yourself, so you don’t have to work 40 for someone else.
Keep working hard and it’ll come through!
I’d have to say life balance… although I am really longing for that right now because I’m in the middle of a huge product launch… and, well - we all saw what Wendy’s house looked like after her site relaunch. I won’t dare share mine!
Even without a launch though - managing three young children (4 counting my hubby)… homeschooling my oldest (7)… trying to manage the home… and continuing to grow my business - I really long for balance.
Well, I’m first in line to say I’d wish for more cash flow!
I’d also like more clients for my freelance writing business, more traffic for my blog, and for my blog to actually make more than 50 cents!
And thank you to those who brought up working for free - my business is definitely not built up enough for me to be able to offer free work and donate to charity, but I’d like to get to a point where I could.
If i would change one thing about my business it would be the first thing “the name”. It sounded good at the time, but it doesn’t have that name that people like and it doesn’t get in your head. I should have chosen something that rhymed. And yes i agree with holli jo and want more cash flow aswell, although that seems to be taking care of itself at the moment.