The Psychology Of Small Business Success

Yael Bolender says:

I watched your whole video, because even if I’ve been in business since a very long time (1994 in France and since 2006 in USA), I thought that I would probably learn something.
I did.
I have sold a lot, and I have sold a little too, actually, I never know in advance, that’s what makes the thing exciting, I always have surprises.
I sell vintage stuff on the Net, but also my Art on the Net and in person, and I created two years ago a YouTube channel, which is something totally different. I don’t sell the vintage stuff as I sell my art. I mean that for the home decor and vintage items, I try to imagine what the customers would like, and I have to like it too because I wouldn’t like to sell something that I hate, even for the money.
But in art, as for my YouTube channel, I absolutely do whatever I want, and then, if people like it, good, if they don’t… whatever…
What worries me is that I don’t feel attacked or insulted or even disappointed when I don’t sell something. Because it depends so much on what kind of clientele. Who? Where? When? For example, I’ve sold vintage chenille bedspreads that I over-dyed myself, like crazy three years ago, and now, nobody cares. So I know that the success of a year or two is not automatically a success forever.
I sell a lot to New York, Virginia, Texas a lot! United Kingdom, wow, a lot! But in California… eh… Hence the advantage of Internet, so we can reach people who are not automatically around.
Should I be supposed to be disappointed or sad because I don’t sell? When I don’t sell, I try something else, something new, but everything is still there on sale. Sometimes a thing need two years to start interesting people, it means a lot of patience.
I tried all these years to define rules in the customers behaviors. I learned one thing: that there is no rules. It is never what we expect.
Another thing: I do some marketing on social media, flyers, newsletters, talking to people, blablabla. Honestly, I have no idea what I am doing, I probably suck big time at doing that. I do it because I have to, but it is far from being my forte.
I would dream to have someone doing it for me. Even if I don’t mind discussing with clients, I actually appreciate that.
And I am not fast enough, because I try to do it all, the result is that I manage to do only the half of what I planned, but at least, there is a progression, and eventually things get done.
I don’t manage to relax, it is business business business, because I am so passionate about what I am doing, that I don’t take one day of vacation. I came to L.A. for the beach, I never have the time to go to the beach, there is always something to do for the business.
You are right about what you said at the end: we must be inspired, there must be a soul in what we are doing. I saw so many business men around me dying of cancer or I don’t know what, because they were hating what they were doing. I prefer earn less, but still be passionate.
Thanks to your video, I also learned that I was not weird because I was working alone most of the time. According to what you said, it is normal, so I am glad to discover that I am not a weirdo… I thought it was my fault.
I just realized one thing, it’s that I have absolutely no strategy, except maybe for my videos where I know where I want to go, but beside that, I go with the most exciting thing in my field at the moment I do it, and I do it how I feel it, and I observe, and if it works, good, if it doesn’t I try something else. I am never bored.
When I was a child, I was already selling stuff, I suppose it is in me, it’s my thing, beside my art. Actually, I have no hesitation to sell my art either, as long as I am okay to sell a piece. Like if this piece had its own life to live. It’s not so much for the money, it’s just that it proves me that I am allowed to continue my art, since people appreciate it, and it finds a justification. I don’t mind creating without selling then, it’s just that at a point, I have too much stuff in my house.
All that to say that I think a business should come first from a passion, and then growing and lasting, means for us to be very patient, persistent, and grateful for what we managed to accomplish so far. That is how I see it.
I’ve been doing that since more than twenty years, I love being self employed, I wouldn’t change a thing.
But it’s true that it is a lot of work.
Just one last thing: I don’t watch your videos for your personality but for what you are saying. It’s true that you have a lot of competitors, but they don’t say the same things as you do. Your speech is different. It seems to be articulate and logical, what I appreciate. Also it is not superficial, I appreciate that even more.