Being an entrepreneur may sound very exciting and glamorous to some. Before I took on the challenge of having RedRibbon Days, I have always look on the positive side of things - very seldom I will think of the risks and the negative aspects of it. Having the courage to start your own business is simply not enough to make a business work. There are so many ups and downs, challenges, and setbacks that will crunch you. Speaking from my own personal experience, RedRibbon Days is coming to 2 years of age and I am proud of where she stands today. But I have also faced many rejections, sneers and discouragement not only from people whom you want to work with but also from your closest friends and even family members. I survived from all these attacks and brace forward. I continue to put my head high and to each rejection - I swallowed it and took it as a valuable lesson to improve myself and how we convey ourselves better.
When sales are slow, it will push you to the edge as well. You will start wondering if you are doing the right thing and if you should continue running the show. And when the business grow, you will need to think of hiring people to work for you - and saying so, this is the most daunting task ever! Getting the right people to fulfil a role is the hardest job of all. The numerous interviews, trainings and if you are lucky - you will find the right person without much difficulties. I remembered when we first put up ad to hire an administrative staff with an online recruitment company - that charges you a good RM400 for one position ; and your ad for this position runs for a month. Over the course of the next 2 weeks, be prepared to get all sort of resumes - from all sort of applicants. And what amazed me was some resumes that was forwarded to our HR department was completely not relevant to the position that we advertised for. You would be lucky to get at least 2 or 3 suitable candidates. So I've learnt from this and never advertised with an online recruitment company ever again. I put up my advertisement in Facebook which was free of charge - and I found myself a fabulous staff !
2 years down the road, the journey has been fulfilling though not completely rewarding - yet. I believe there are plenty of room to grow for RedRibbon Days and the journey ahead of me is getting harder, and not easier. Over the course of time, the dynamics of the business will change, and so will the direction of the company. At present, I'm faced with the challenge of educating Malaysians about experiential gifting and of course- the importance of giving a memorable gift. Yes, two years down the road- and I'm still on the course of doing so. The journey of an entrepreneur is of one that is always about learning new things, experience new things, you may fall, you may fly - but the result of this will make you stronger and wiser.
I do get bogged down relatively quickly - whether it is from an unhappy customer or a sale that did not go through. This I have learnt to take it as it comes. The most important I've learnt so far is to learn to know how to stand up when you had a bad fall and continue to walk to your destination. Picking up yourself after a fall is never easy - it may take you just couple of minutes to see the positive side of things, it may take you days or weeks. But most important thing of all , never stop what you are doing and continue the journey even if you have to limp. What lies ahead may be blurry, but your destination could be just a limp away. And remember, tears will flow and they should not be spared - but you must know when to stop.
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