Читать книгу Entrepreneurial Itch - David Trahair - Страница 24

I often hear people dreaming about starting their own restaurant, and I’m not sure why they do. I’ve got nothing against eating establishments — heck, my wife and I even talked about starting one a few years ago. Okay, we were sitting in a beautiful restaurant in Florence, and we’d had a couple of bottles of wine, but it sure seemed like a good idea at the time!

However, even though starting and running a restaurant sounds exciting, it has got to be one of the toughest things on earth to do. My conclusion is that many people suffer from the “grass looks greener over there” syndrome. They think that because a restaurant is such a pleasant place to eat, it would be a nice business to run. They have no idea of the risks involved in developing a restaurant and the effort required to keep it running. That’s like judging a book by its cover — don’t do it!

Let’s look at another type of business that often attracts people who want to work for themselves. Many years ago I investigated a company that sold household water-purification products. The company made slick presentations to groups of people, telling them how much money they could make selling these units to friends and family. The presenters said anyone could make $30,000 or more each month with hardly any effort. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?

When I arrived at the company’s head office, I was amazed at the buying frenzy going on. I stood beside two individuals who I was sure knew nothing about the product or how to sell it. They handed over a certified check for $5,000 for a number of products. I have no proof, but I’ll bet most of those products are still sitting in their garage.

These two examples show how easy it is for people to imagine that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. They hate their job and have found what looks like a fun or easy way to make more money than their current salary, but without the boss or coworkers they hate. The problem is they have no idea what is actually involved in running the business. In most cases, a business that sounds easy is not. You are much more likely to succeed — and to avoid wasting a lot of time and money — if you stick to what you are really interested in and skilled at.