Some days are definitely better than others. Especially yesterday, I got a nice surprise bill from the IRS for several thousand dollars with large penalties, then another hefty bill from one of my accountants, come to turn out the task I hired the accountant for was related to those taxes and the enormous penalties which may have been prevented had the accountant done her job. It wasn’t a nice surprise.

In addition to this, I decided to upgrade my XP machine to Windows Service Pack 3. What a mistake that was! To make a long story short, it corrupted Windows so badly my only option is to reformat. I’m losing several days of productivity without it.

I can’t complain however, these are minor setbacks compared to many I’ve encountered over the years, and I can afford to pay the taxes, as well as buy a new computer. However, it reminds me that no matter what setbacks you have in business, frustrations are going to happen, it’s a guarantee. Things will not always go like you want them to. Campaigns may get slapped by Google, someone will steal your online content, and you could easily be falsely accused of spamming or something else. Nonetheless, you have to realize it’s all a part of doing business.

I see people complain on forums, bitch and moan about a refund, or something that isn’t going their way. Many times I see people even quit and give up when they encounter obstacles. What they don’t realize is that’s all a part of this game. You have to continue or you lose, period. 99% of obstacles in business can be overcome with a commitment to succeed with time and elbow grease. Trust me, I’ve been there. When I started I didn’t have a credit card, a bank account, and hardly any money. My credit was so bad I had to seek out a bank that didn’t run a credit check. On top of that I didn’t even have my own computer. I didn’t make excuses, I just made it happen!

I’ve been over $50,000 in debt with the IRS and negotiated and struggled, and worked my way through it over several years. I’ve had my share of obstacles, as anyone in business will have. Yet, when I see someone on a forum say “this is too hard” or “that’s a lot of work”, well, it makes me want to puke!

No matter what comes against you today, this week, or this year, stay committed and focused, and realize that truly, it’s all a part of doing business. The only thing that really separates the successful from the failures and the quitters is the commitment and dedication to succeed. People can come up with all kinds of excuses for why things didn’t work out, but in the end someone is going to make it to the top, and that person won’t have an excuse for why they didn’t get there.

The video below illustrates this point exactly. How many people do you think would say “I can’t play guitar because I don’t have any arms”? As you can see, most limits are in our minds.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Stay updated on future posts by subscribing to my RSS Feed.

4 Comments on “It’s All a Part of Doing Business”

1. 
   Comment by Work Plus Faith - June 3, 2008 @ 11:02 am

   Great article.

   Chris Gardner’s book “The Pursuit of Happyness” (and movie) is a great example of what you have shared here. The guy was homeless with a toddler and kept moving forward and built a multi million dollar business. Some of us live in nice homes, have refrigerators full of food and quality transportation and quit at the first sign of trouble.

   I’m at the point where I’ve decided not to give up no matter what.

   Tim

2. 
   Comment by ROW - June 3, 2008 @ 12:45 pm

   I don’t remember how your site got into my RSS reader but from that day…I haven’t missed any article of yours.

   as far as this article is concerned, I can’t agree more…In my personal experience…what sets apart success from failure is “focus” …no matter what… if you believe in what you are doing and are focussed…no one can stop you

3. 
   Comment by Al Smith - June 4, 2008 @ 7:59 am

   Great post Miles. And a great example to follow.

   I appreciate your candor. Few people seem real on the net these days, so it is refreshing to run into a site with a “real” person.

   I have been following along in my reader for some time, and just felt the need to recognize you for your quality posting and information.

   Kudos to you!

   (Love the site theme by the way, nice and clean.

   Best,

   Al Smith

4. 
   Comment by Miles Baker - June 4, 2008 @ 9:57 am

   Hey, thanks for the feedback! I’m glad you like the post, and the blog. Still working on improving the blog in my spare time between other projects.

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