Can anyone offer any ideas?I am feeling stressed out as my business has failed

The short answer is yes I would.  I too own a business and it is not doing so well. I would have a hard time going back to work for someone else.  I also believe that things will not be getting worse...unless some rogue country drops a nuke somewhere or some other unforseen disaster.  Anyway, I think that by the mid to late 2010 things will be better and last for a couple of years. 

There are however a number of considerations I would place on any new business.  First it must generate cash flow rather quickly as financing is going to be a problem for a few more years.  Second, it must be not only viable in slow economic times but it should be able to withstand some serious inflation.  I would also diversify my income streams with long term and short term options.  Finally I would not have many if any employees.  The climate for employers is going to be tough for a few years and there will be a lot of changes and instability. I would minimize my exposure until things settle. 

I guess I would add one more thing, be sure to find a way to market your product/services on the internet.  Not exclusively but I'm quite bullish on the long term future of the internet and you have to be there and actively market if you want to do business in the future. 

For example, I am in the executive search business and I do engineering consulting.  The executive search is my main business and I market that with a web site that provides information to consumers of that service.  I funnel leads to my business for the folks who can't or otherwise choose not to recruit for themselves. Here's an example of some case studies that show what I'm talking about.  Good luck.

I agree. Unfortunately, once you have been bitten by the business owner bug, chances are you will make for a bad employee. As you have already seen some benefits of freedom and decission making often comes with owning a business.

The real question here is what happened to the last business and why did it fail in the first place? Many will quickly blame the economy or something else; however, other factors are often at play. It is important to weed out your bad habits and to replace them with what you ought to be doing. Otherwise, if you move forward with your new adventure, chances are in 6 months or so you will be posting a very simuliar question as you did today.

Don't feel alone. Business in today's climate is beyond difficult. i am a seasoned business owner and have learned the simple reality that to stay the same you must reinvent your business and your approach often. i have also hedged my bet by starting a home-based business that is now starting to spread its wings. my goal is to have my home based endeavor exceed my professional occupation in less than 12 months and then make the shift towards controlling my own destiny. the key is the right opportun ity since there are so many scams and get rich schemes out there in the Internet today. And to top it off those who really can't-become coaches.

i will be more than willing to share the homebased business info with you or anyone else who has a simple desire to change their wealth pattern. You would be surprised at how quickly your confidence gets restored with daily growth and success that you are directing versus being the victim of someone else's mistakes. Feel free to contact me directly and i will share what i think you or anyone who is serious about redirecting their efforts to growing wealth should take a hard look at as a potential opportunity. This has also become my way of giving back to those i care about. with this opportunity they cal flourish and have the kind of life they daydream about.

wdkoehler@asitisinc.com

Bill

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I've known this site brandmelive.com that helps and guides an individual or startup company on how to create your own unique brand/business that stands out from the rest, amidst this global crisis.In less than a month, I assure you, you will start to experience great amount of success on your brand or business with the efforts you put in. Believe me, I'm one of the million that benefited from that site.

Hope that helps in some way.

I've known someone who has the ability to uncover to you the reasons why your business failed and can layout to you a strategic plan to recover your business and place it up high or can help you with your new venture. I know I may sound to good to be true but it is up to you to decide. The person I am talking to is Lars Stork , Managing Director at FutureAfrica , former Vice President of Uniliver and is a global award winner for his innovative business approach.

Learn about him here: http://www.futureafrica.eu/meetlars.html

Well obviously you will want to know why you failed the first time around. Read magazines or books on marketing and running a business. I'm sure you will discover that there were many things that you did not do that you probably should have. I am in the business of Marketing and Advertising. This is an extremely important part of running a business. The important thing to know is that it doesn't take a lot of money if you do it the right way. I am not on here trying to trick people into buying something from me. I am on here to give free advice to those who need it. Reply back to me or email me and let me know what kind of business you are looking to buy? What products/services? Location? Let me see if I can offer you some good ideas.

What you are feeling right now is perfectly normal -- your business just folded up and you are entitled to a few weeks of depression. But the thing is: you have to be easy on yourself. The global economy is very fragile and even large companies who have been here for centuries have felt the pinch. It's not that your idea or business sucks, it really is just a bad time. Go and lick your wounds but think about what the next best idea. So that when the market is ready, you will be ready as well.