What You Hate Most About Starting And Running A Business

[Taru]

I'm pretty sure that most of us will probably come up with the common consensus of reasons for what makes it great to run a business of our own - such as not having to answer to a boss and being in charge of our own schedules and actions, etc.

At the same time, however, I know that as bosses, it's often difficult to vent because we are almost never allowed to show weakness and frustration. That said, it's why I love having online forum communities such as these to be free from all the constraints that we'd usually have in the offline world, so I am going to maximize this advantage and I also urge you guys to do the same. I also think it would be kind of therapeutic not only to speak our minds but also to hear about other people's experiences as well, and maybe even some newbies who are thinking of making the jump can learn a thing or two from our miseries too to aid in their decision on whether or not they should transition.

Anyway, I'll start, and again, I still love having my own business, so don't get me wrong, but of course there are bound to be some downsides here and there and here is mine:

What I hate the most about starting a business is exactly that, which is starting. First of all, I hate paperwork and formalities, and if only I could have skipped it all and skipped right on ahead to the middle wherein my only problem would be maintaining and growing the business, I most definitely would have done so. I also hate that I lacked knowledge and all the confusion I had at first, basically getting my answers from making multiple mistakes and doing things the hard way due to inexperience, not to mention the money I lost in making those mistakes, albeit not being that much, fortunately.

Mostly, I just hated the paperwork part, really - and everything else that was necessary to make my business official including applying at banks and going to our mayor's offices and having to go back and forth just to get my papers filed. It was so grueling and for someone like me who really hates filing papers, it was almost enough to make me not want to go through with it.

So, how about you guys, which is the part you hate/dislike most about starting and maintaining a business?

[caveman]

I agree, handling paperwork is such a huge drag. I hate tracking finances especially since it's only 4 four running the business as of now I take care of all the financial issues. Always having to note everything down and making sure we're on the right track.
But I think it was good that you made a couple of mistakes on the way. It's all about the experience and I think that's how you can be successful.

[dannyboy]

The paperwork like you guys mentioned above. It is just so tiring try to fill out all the paperwork and do it correctly. But hey it is part of the job and it has to be done. I would say that it has been well worth it for my business.

[Rainman]

I'm not what you'd call a "people" person. I hate talking to and listening to people talk to me or others [because honestly I hate the mundane and talk that revolves around that]. The bad thing about being a store owner is that you have to always be talking to workers, customers, etc. I hate that.

Also, the fact that you can't on a whim decide not to go to work [run the business] and risk losing the customers you inconvenience is another thing I hate about owning a brick and mortar store.

[KNH]

Paperwork, stupid people, and waiting for things are my least favorite things.

[TaraC]

The thing I hate about starting up a business is starting up with little money. The thing I love about starting up a business is doing it with little money. Starting up with little money means that I have to do most everything myself: sales, bookkeeping, clerical duties, etc. I also like starting up with little money because the business is profitable quicker. And it also forces me to be creative with my marketing.

[mikelouis]

I hate it when you pay someone to manage your business when you are away and still the same person steals from the business. They do not know that if the business fails they will also lose their jobs. Well if such a behaviour can stop then I can cope with other business challenges.

[caveman]

Paperwork, stupid people, and waiting for things are my least favorite things.

Haha, I laughed so hard when I read "stupid people". How could I forget about them? Sometimes even explaining step by step in slow motion about how the process goes doesn't even help. But i'm also a little grateful to have them because they give you so much trust.

[CeliVega]

I have always thought it's all smooth sails when you are a boss. I guess I am wrong. I guess different job positions all have their own different problems. Can you provide a summary on just exactly what kind of paperworks are needed? And where exactly do you submit them to?

[fredkawig]

I hate getting no profit or revenue from my business. At most, I want optimal revenue and huge cash flows but that's not very easy. Some businesses specially big ones can easily obtain profit but for small business owners like us, we are not actually having the greatest realizable profit that there is.