Top Reasons Why Businesses Fail | When You Just Feel Like Giving Up

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Hey folks.

Today I want to discuss a topic that seems to be on a lot of people's minds as they struggle when they first start their own eBay business. Simply put: this is my top reasons why businesses fail. It may seem counterintuitive to discuss failure but I see this everywhere I go when I discuss owning your own business. Everyone seems obsessed with success and the good times but doesn't seem to comprehend why things can go south, usually quickly.

The biggest reason businesses fail is because the owner usually calls quits right when you just feel like giving up. You may think that sounds crazy, but it's a truth. You can blame luck and unfortunate circumstances, but at the end of the day, it's because you give up without recognizing why you even tried in the first place.

As with everything, life is a journey, and while that may sound like spiritual crap, there is a universal truth to that. Not everyone is going to become a millionaire nor end up as the next Bill Gates, but I do believe everyone has the potential to find peace in what they're going through if they're willing to find peace with what they've been through.

But first, let's discuss some top reasons why businesses fail.

1. Successful People Never Quit

It sounds like a zen saying on the back of a fortune cookie fortune, but the truth remains. Ask any successful person how they got where they ended up at and they'll tell you they never quit.

And just to give this idea some perspective, this isn't just related to businesses. Successful people have found stumbling blocks in every field. 

Stephen King, perhaps the most widely read English author in history, is always quick to remind people of all the rejection letters he received when he first started trying to get published. Same with many musical bands and acts. There's always the narrative of having to learn the ropes and endure hardship just to say you persevered and found success.

Which is why it's important to remember that when you venture into owning your own business, you must keep in mind that there will be an uneccesary hardship that generally is out of your control. Perhaps it's the universe conspiring against you, perhaps it's a trial from a god.

Whatever the case is, there's going to be a struggle and the urge to throw in the towel. For some, this might be the greatest blessing they can receive, but for others, it will be a simple push to keep going and find success. Which is why I tell new eBay business owners to keep going just when you feel like giving up.

2. You Were Never Passionate About Your eBay Business in the First Place

This is another one that is hard to hear for many, but the truth for a lot of people is that they went into eBay expecting quick cash and a new hobby. But for many, eBay is a labor of love and something they genuinely enjoy doing.

Which means, if you don't enjoy spending money on used ties in the hope they might sell in a year or two, you're probably never going to enjoy your business. Which means it's no surprise that your business ended up failing.

Please note, this doesn't mean you have to be obsessed with thrift stores and garage sales to become an overnight success. Hardly the truth at all. 

But if you're not passionate about what you do, then there's a good reason you're never going to really find success because honestly, this isn't what you should be doing. If that's the case, you should just quit and start living a life focused on what you genuinely are passionate about.

Granted, that last sentence can be tough to hear if you're like me and find yourself hardly passionate about anything at all. Perhaps it's a leftover feeling of I don't give a shit attitude from my Generation X friends and idols, but there definitely is a habit among many people to say they're not passionate about anything.

But again, don't let the obsession with a field and passion get mixed up. Being passionate simply means you have to keep doing what you're doing not because you enjoy it, but because it's the only thing you know how to do. And honestly, that is what makes you successful. Because you have nothing else left to turn to.

3. You Expected Success to Just Be Handed to You

This is another tough pill to swallow if you're like me and expect talent to win the day every time. Yes, it's amazing to have gifts and feel special, but at the end of the day, God, the universe, or your parents etc. are not simply going to hand you success. They're going to expect you to work for it to prove you're capable of achieving something on your own. Which is why it's important to remember nothing is simply handed to you.

Granted, there are people who are born rich or happen to stumble into success. If that's the case you find yourself in, ignore this, because you have bigger problems. Mainly being regret that you never lived your own dream.

But for those who genuinely care about their own hard work and success, there is the reality that you're going to have to go through a trial in order to succeed. Does this mean you should just bite the bullet and smile as you endure struggle after struggle? Hardly no.

But there will come a time when you realize it's over, no matter how much you expect your problems to resurface. In which case, congratulations, you've survived the worst. 

But remember, the more you do something, the more you get used to problems that at one point seemed too tough to get through.

Which brings us back to my point that successful people never quit. Which is exactly what you should keep in the back in your mind every time you expect God to just hand you something good and pat you on the back.

Does that mean He'll never lend a hand? No. But don't walk around every day expecting God to just give you the keys to the kingdom without at least giving it your all. Afterall, what's the point of even living if you never actually do anything on your own?

Conclusion

The reality is if I can do it you can do it. I know that probably makes you want to barf, but remember I started my own business while on SSDI praying to God to help me pay off some rather large credit card debt. 

I found success quick but as I relaunched my business after a 2-year hiatus to work in politics I found many struggles. I was in the process of getting an apartment and surviving without a car, which is why I found myself often not getting enough sales to fund my own business. It wasn't that I was not succeeding, it's just that I wasn't putting even half the effort that I did when I first started.

Which is why I encourage you to keep going. And if at the end of the day you really fail the point where you never own a business ever again, ask what you learned from that experience. Chances are, you'll find peace when you know the answer.

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As always, God bless and much love. And may your treasure hunting be forever glorious!

Best,

Newbie