Reporter Marcia Pledger of The Cleveland Plain Dealer has been collecting and publishing great small-business mistake stories for a while. Here's a nice one from entrepreneur Jeanne Bluffston about the cost of worrying too much about what others' perceptions might be:
A manufacturing company told me that if I started a public relations firm, I had its business. My next move was to find a location. Relationships are one thing, but I needed credibility for prospects.
Starting a business from my home 22 years ago was not even a thought. Back then, home-based businesses were not considered "real" businesses, so I leased an office.
I was making a lot of cold calls and one of the first things people wanted to know was where I was located. Just saying Chagrin Boulevard in Beachwood seemed to help the conversation go smoother.
I've been promoting manufacturers and service companies in the business-to-business world for a long time. I'm in the service business so I gladly go to them when we need to meet. It's all about convenience for the client.
My biggest mistake was taking so long to move my business from an office to my home. I wasted a lot of time on the road, and a lot of money on rent and gas, because I needlessly worried about perceptions....
read the rest of the story at the Plain Dealer site here.
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