Help With Business Decisions

By Stephanie Clark.

As small business owners we have an inexhaustible number of choices to make. Before we begin our self-employment we must choose a name (trendy or professional?), a business card (logo or plain?), phone number (local or toll-free?), business model (build slowly or borrow and go big?), location (in-person local or virtual?).

It certainly doesn’t end there.

Now in my fifth year of business, I was recently paralyzed by decisions.  I was ready to launch the sale of two e-books, Interview Coaching That Works, and 20 Cover Letters (Plus One), and had chosen e-Junkie to facilitate the sales, when doubt, uncertainly and indecision clouded my mind … I learned that a fellow writer was using Lulu rather than e-Junkie.

I stopped dead in my tracks, halted my I.T. guy’s work,  and froze. I wrote to my colleague from Professional Writers’ Association of Canada (PWAC.ca) and asked, “why Lulu?” He graciously advised me of his reasons and after exchanging a few thoughtfully written, enthusiastically sharing emails, I decided my e-Junkie choice suited my purposes well enough.

The jist of our conversation was this: yes, choices abound, but don’t feel that the choice you make now, that suits your purpose now, is unchangeable. Make a reasoned decision and if you decide in the future to step up to an advanced solution, you can do so. Taking an exaggerated amount of time to try, desperately, to make the wisest or most perfect decision (wise by whose criteria, perfect according to what?), is counterproductive.

My colleague’s name is Paul Lima and he is a freelance writer, copywriter and media trainer. His many books—on business writing, freelance writing, copywriting, Search Engine Optimization, and on how to write a non-fiction book—are well-written, reasonably priced, and cover topics that many small business owners, business professionals or job seekers might find of interest. His blog (www.paullima.com/blog)  is tantalizingly named “The Six-Figure Freelancer.” Check him out.