My friend, the Cookie Monster, inspired this post. This lovable Sesame Street character charmed us for many years with his unrelenting pursuit of his favourite food … COOKIES! Whether or not he had a good day was determined by if he successfully consumed large quantities of cookies.
So what does this have to do with me? Yesterday was one of those lousy and unproductive days that left me feeling worn out and frustrated. I woke up and discovered that my Internet was down, my business phone line was dead and my printer wasn’t working. It took until mid-afternoon to get things back up and running.
To add insult to injury, I woke up yesterday determined to knock a number of things off of my to-do list. I’ve been on the road a fair bit lately with out of town marketplace events and family responsibilities so I was looking forward to a day of working at home and working diligently. Clearly the world had other plans for me!
So what’s the connection between Cookie Monster and my situation? As a sole business owner, I have to work. If I don’t work, I won’t sell helmet covers.
There’s no one else to pick up the slack if I don’t get things done. And I hate keeping customers waiting. I take pride in filling and shipping customer orders (wholesale and retail online) within 24 hours. I also like to respond promptly to the email inquiries I get on a daily basis. Ask another other business owner what kind of hours they work and they’ll tell you the same thing. It’s a 24/7 type of job but we do it because we’re passionate about our products/services and the customer will always come first.
The long and short of it is I’m just as obsessed about my business as Cookie Monster is about cookies. And that’s okay! It’s why my business has succeeded despite the economic downturn over the past several years. But that success is dependant on me continuing to be obsessed about providing excellent customer satisfaction and a fabulous product.
What do you obsess about and what keeps you awake at night? Kids? Work? Health issues? Every one of us has important things to deal with and none of those issues are trivial … not even Cookie Monster’s obsession over cookies!
I have had a one track mind recently when it comes to a few things, too. I’m obsessed with health, of course. Obsessed with food, also, and with the success of a new business venture. Luckily for me, the three are compatible with each other. I’m hoping the obsession lasts and if it doesn’t, I’ll have to keep my new project timeline handy. I tend to get off-track so I created a real project management spreadsheet to keep my business launch going, for when my obsession wears off!
Hi Karyn,
I saw this cartoon this morning somewhere else. Oh, it’s just too cute.
I tend to obsess over marketing ideas – I always have so many. Tactics to try. People to connect with. Blog posts to write. Web copy to change.
It’s easy to go into obsessive freak mode about your business, where it’s actually a negative thing, causing stress and worry. I think that your story is a nice illustration of the universe telling you to take a chill pill and take a rest – sounds like you’ve been really busy
Everything all works out in the end. Getting stressed never helps anything.
Karyn,
I saw a helmet cover the other day at the park, had to take a second look. It was too cute! I’ll be sure to send your link around to all my friends on FB.
Anyhow, I obsess of my blog. It is the center of my soon-to-be-but-still-really-small-almost-invisible business. But I WILL make it! I wake up early to work and then think about what I can do to improve it all day. It is 7:15am and my shoulders already hurt from staying in the same position.
Thanks for the pep talk.
Hope today is better.
~Allie
Dear Allie,
Thank you so much for your comment. What’s your new business venture? Or is it still a secret? I can totally relate to the pressure you are experiencing with the development of your new endeavor. But I can assure you of this … it is worth all of the blood, sweat & tears when you get your own company up & running. It’s the best feeling in the world.
Thank you so much for your help in spreading the word about Tail Wags Helmet Covers. I really appreciate your support. Please let me know if there is any way I can help with your start-up.
Sincerely,
Karyn
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