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Business Failure Is No Fun!

And a sensible person probably wouldn't devote a page or more to business failure on a website that's focused on building successful businesses.

I want you to think positive about your success in the business of your choice. With the right preparation you should succeed in your venture. But the sad fact is that more businesses fail than succeed. If your business is failing, click here. Maybe this can help you see things more clearly.

I didn't find much about business failure online. It seems like a topic that few want to talk about... maybe it's one of the few taboos left!

But failing businesses are sure in the news these days! And every time I read or hear about another small business closing, my heart breaks for the person involved.

Well, I have experienced the failure of a business first hand. It was very painful and I didn't have anyone to talk me through it.

If what I've learned about how to cope with business failure can be of any use to them, I'll feel better about my own experience. Yes, my own failed business was one of the reasons I started this website. My shop started off doing well, and then it ran into a 'bumpy' economy. I was able to keep my store open for 8 years, but it was really on 'life-support' for the last few years.

According to small business statistics that I found online, 50% of small businesses fail in the first five years. That's a sobering statistic.

Maybe you have experienced business failure. If you have, you're probably in debt. I'll bet you need to earn some money NOW and are trying to figure out how.

But once you've been your own boss, it's really hard to go to work for someone else. I think working online from home is a perfect solution. But you probably have some things to take care of now before or while you get started on your new venture.

When I closed my store, I was very depressed and had no one to talk to about it. If there was some kind of support group, I was too depressed to even look for it! My family and friends tried to talk to me and cheer me up, but they couldn't really understand what I was going through.

Nobody really can understand this kind of loss unless they've been through it themselves. So former business owners often suffer in silence. Mix isolation with the grieving process that's natural after a loss, and you have a recipe for depression.


I'm not a doctor and don't really want to talk about depression. There's no diagnosis or cures on this website. Maybe you're at some stage in a 'business failure' situation and are depressed. If you have access to medical help, please talk to a professional. Or look for low or no cost help through your local government assistance programs. Please, do it!
While I won't talk about depression here, I have done my own research about dealing with business-related stress. There is a LOT written about what causes different kinds of stress and how to manage it. Here's 9 ways of dealing with the stress of business failure. I want to remind people to use common sense if you're dealing with someone who's experiencing a business failure. If you know someone in this situation, please don't tell them what you think they did wrong.

You can be sure that they've already thought it out for themselves... over and over. And they probably won't welcome your 2 cents now.

Most people try hard to make good decisions. Only time will tell if they were good or bad ones.

Situations change for better or worse, sometimes overnight. You can't tell who's business will be affected in a economic downturn... a Fortune 500 corporation, the shop on the corner, or your own business!

I feel so much better now- maybe "time does heal all wounds". But I was in a deep funk back then.

I'd used credit cards to keep my business afloat. At the time, it was common to use credit cards as business capital because they were so easy to get. Now I know that was a dumb idea. Live and learn!

When my business finally went under, I was deep in debt. And I had no money to repay those bills. I was stressed-out because of that debt, and had no idea what to do next.

It was hard to admit to myself and everybody else that I had failed. I had always thought that business failure wasn't an option... especially for me!

To bring in some quick cash, I began selling things I'd collected on eBay. I was already familiar with how an eBay business worked. I knew that I could easily work at it from home with little investment cost. Selling on Ebay is a good way to try working at home.

But while I was getting my Ebay business started I still had to deal with debt and stress. I didn't declare bankruptcy because of how it could affect my husband's business. Anybody thinking about bankruptcy should talk to a lawyer that's experienced in that area of law. (I know you're broke but... do it anyway. Seriously.)

Because of unpaid bills, I had debt collectors calling morning, noon and night. What to do? Once again, books and education saved me. I started learning about how to get out of debt and how to deal with collection agencies.

In the end, the same optimism that had kept me going for years kept me going now. Everyone will find different things that work for themselves. I tell people that my chickens saved my life!

I got my chickens at about the same time that I discovered many other things about business and working online. They gave me something positive to focus on that I had some control over. And it's hard to be depressed when 6 chickens come running across the yard, looking for a treat! They looked like feathered football players. It made me laugh, and laughter's a powerful medicine!

While dealing with the depression and trying to earn money, I was still reading the books about business and finances that I should have read earlier. One thing lead to another, and here I am today... with my own website!

It helped me to put a positive spin on the situation. Try to concentrate on what you've learned from the experience. Then take that knowledge and apply it to your next venture. You know you're not really done yet, are you?

Well, because of my business failure, I decided to try to help business owners avoid failure. You know, wherever there's entrepreneurs, there's going to be failed businesses. That's just a fact entrepreneurs need to face.

I want to help teach you how to start and run your own business without making the same dumb mistakes that I made. And encourage you to pick yourself up and dust yourself off if it fails. And, of course, to start all over again!

Click to return to the Hungry Entrepreneur home page from Business Failure.


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