I’ve spent the last few years getting to know more about communities and business in general. My best friend (brilliant software engineer) and I (loony master of no trade + idea guy) developed a community for local, independent businesses. We had interest but the venture fizzled out because we were spending too much time on the project and not getting much back from it. We made many mistakes along the way that may have led to its demise. I’d like to share my thoughts & experiences here in the hopes I might be able to help at least one other person out there. Getting into business isn’t EVER all candy canes and lollipops. I’m so disgusted and tired of ‘experts‘ and ‘gurus‘ out there guaranteeing success to people if you give them your money and follow their step-by-step plan. These are the same people that gave somebody else their money for the same thing. I’m not giving you any guarantees. I’m giving you the truth as I know it – ugly or otherwise.
Your Time & Personal Relationships Are Precious.
That being said, I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done. Difficult moments come before you all the time. You have to make decisions. You can only do your best to try and make the ‘right’ ones based on your knowledge and experiences. Reflect on your experiences and take a lesson from them instead of dwelling on what could have been.
I’ve spent a lot of time trying to come up with great business ideas and make them work. I was working full-time and also working on the venture almost full-time. I hated being a salesman. I’m a very emotional person and get sick to my stomach going to work when I have no passion for what I do. I wanted to build something I could believe in and work for. I spent so much time working on this business community venture that I rarely saw my family and my relationship with my wife became strained. We argued. My wife saw my performance at the day job being affected and I stood by my venture. I believed my business was worth it and that it had nothing to do with my job performance.
Maybe it did affect my work. I was up until 3am many nights. When I was at work most times I could only think about the business. These were some very hard times. I felt the strain on my relationships and my sanity. I just kept telling myself that we would get over the hump anytime now. I’m an extreme optimist and tend to lie to myself sometimes.
The negative impact of mindlessly working non-stop is very real.
1. My relationships with my wife, family and friends were affected and I felt like a stranger.
2. I was losing my grip on reality. Seriously.
3. I didn’t get enough sleep.
4. I didn’t allow myself much time for non-work related activities (contributing more to my insanity).
Am I telling you not to go into business for yourself? No. Am I telling you not start something up that you really believe in? No. I’m just letting you know, as a friend, you may consider being cautious (especially if you tend to dive head first into passionate ideas). Carve out some balance or you might just fail and piss off a bunch of people in the process.
Was it all a less than positive experience? HELL NO!
Now here’s the good stuff:
1. I developed great business relationships with people I still keep in contact with today.
2. I met and learned from some really brilliant people along the way – in and outside our little community.
3. I did a crap load of research and learned a lot about what to do and what not to do in business.
4. I picked up some skills that I would not have otherwise. These skills are helping me today in my current (smaller scale) business. As a matter of fact, without these skills I couldn’t have even thought of my current business offerings.
Of course this is not the be all, end all. I’d love some feedback about your own concerns AND tips and advice from others who have struggled.
This entry was written by , posted on August 18, 2009 at 10:41 am, filed under Blog, Business Listings. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
Beef Stick Lollipops
The dentist told me if I want to stop getting cavities that I must stop eating so many beef sticks.
This entry was written by , posted on July 1, 2009 at 9:01 am, filed under Blog and tagged beef sticks, lollipops, suckers. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
You’ve landed on the Emil Stories Wiki Page.
This is the place where the term ‘Emil Story’ gets defined…by YOU.
I named this blog as such because I’ve been known (dating back to elementary school) to sometimes tell stories that would excite interest in the beginning and wind up being sort of a let down in the end. I believe I’ve become more empathetic in recent years and I’m trying to change the face of what is known as an ‘Emil Story’.
I decided to create this wiki page as a place for anyone who has had the opportunity to hear one of my ‘Emil Stories’. If you know what it is, go ahead and define it below in the Say What?! section of this page.
I’ll start with the first definition from my great friend, Nick Zalabak:
em·il sto·ry [ee-muhl stohr-ee] noun, plural -ries
-noun
1. stories that start strong and quickly go nowhere leaving all listeners dumbfounded and wanting that time back.
This entry was written by , posted on June 22, 2009 at 10:44 am, filed under Blog. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
Yo dudes and dudettes! I miss you all. My friends. I’m on the comeback trail.
It’s been a long and trying personal time over the past few months. I’ve discovered a great deal and I will be sharing much of that soon.
For now, though, I’m back…kinda.
This entry was written by , posted on June 11, 2009 at 11:36 am, filed under Blog. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
Animals Deserving of Proper Treatment
Description: A.D.O.P.T. is a not-for-profit, no-kill, all volunteer organization serving Naperville Il., and the surrounding area. A.D.O.P.T. evaluates and socializes our pets through an in-home care program, and our volunteers work very hard to make the best possible match between your home and lifestyle and our dogs and cats.
Mission: The mission of this Corporation shall be the placement of animals into permanent caring homes and to advance humane treatment of animals through education. The corporation will engage in any and all activities in furtherance of objectives established by the voting membership
To learn more about A.D.O.P.T. and participate go here: http://www.adoptpetshelter.org
Donate here: http://www.firstgiving.com/joleenwisch
This entry was written by , posted on April 22, 2008 at 7:24 am, filed under Business Resources, Consumer Resources, Local Businesses, Non-Profit and tagged adopt, animal shelter, cats, dogs, no-kill, non-profit, shelter. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
Here’s a thought from UrbanMelt.com. Shop Local Businesses. Beat the mall rushes. Don’t fall into the trap. Don’t run the risk of buying duplicate gifts. There are plenty of little shops in the neighborhood or slightly out of the neighborhood that:
1. Sell unique products and services.
2. Have personality.
3. Are willing to help you, even during their busiest times.
4. Are conveniently located.
So, shop independent, local businesses and write about it here or at http://www.urbanmelt.com.
Thanks local business fans,
Emil @ http://www.urbanmelt.com
This entry was written by , posted on November 18, 2007 at 8:25 am, filed under Business Listings and tagged business community, directory, free business listing, free business profile, free listing, free profile, independent businesses, local business, Local Businesses, shop local, shop local business, small business. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
