What If My Business Fails?
Managing the Fear of Uncertainty
That pit in your stomach when the economy shifts. The late-night worry about making payroll. The constant question: "What if this all falls apart?"
Y'all, I think you're either born an entrepreneur or not. There's no halfway because being a small business owner comes with inherent risks. While you get to be your own boss and do something you're passionate about, you still need to pay the mortgage and put food on the table.
And sometimes, that gets really scary.
When the World Shuts Down
March 2020 hit RSG Sales like a ton of bricks. Since our only source of leads came from trade shows, we suddenly had no way to grow the business. Add to that the pressure of keeping all our existing clients afloat while insane shipping costs were threatening to put them out of business (which did happen to about half of our clients).
There it was - the entrepreneur's nightmare scenario. Everything we had built was under threat, and our tried-and-true business model had evaporated overnight.
I'd love to tell you I was calm and collected, with a perfect contingency plan already in place. But the truth? I was terrified. With three kids depending on our business and no clear path forward, the fear of failure felt overwhelming.
When Fear Forces Innovation
That 2x4 moment led to something unexpected - the creation of our YouTube channel. One day, I sat down in our office in front of a window (because the lighting was good, LOL) and made our first video: "How to Sell to Wayfair."
The video quality was AWFUL! I mean truly the pits. But here's the thing - this little 90-second video has gotten over 1 million views. It single-handedly put RSG Sales on the world stage of e-commerce. Our client base exploded with clients from all over the world who wanted to sell to the U.S. customer base.
We totally stepped out of our comfort zone, became Zoom's #1 fan, and pivoted our business to serve the world.
That's the thing about business uncertainty - sometimes what looks like potential failure is actually the push you need toward your next level of success.
