Sometimes being a small business owner simply sucks. So much responsibility, and not enough time to enjoy life.
Here’s an example, of one day last week. As usual I start my workday at 6 am. I figure I can get a head start before the phone rings and I’m inundated with emails. I’ve had this schedule for years and it seems to work.
I usually stop working at 5, or sometimes 6. At my age its probably unhealthy to keep such a rigorous work schedule, but because I’m a small business owner, struggling to find competent people who would like to work, it is what I do.
But back to the day in question. A delivery driver, only on the job for a week, called the day of delivery claiming he had covid, and couldn’t deliver. Thankfully we had a back up driver, and she said she would deliver the papers. She was supposed to pick them up at the office at 1 pm, but never showed. We got in touch with her, and she claimed she was running late. 3 o’clock came and went, so did 4. Finally, I told my son at 5, after a long day of work, we had to go out and deliver.
Now my son and I see delivery differently. I want to get through the 100 plus stops as quickly as we can. He sees it as an opportunity to talk to people and view merchandise. I drive the vehicle, and he carts the newspapers into the various businesses.
I’m always on his case for taking too long to drop papers at locations. It’s a long day, and mostly dark, but he wants to lollygag because he’s in no hurry. One stop really sticks out in my mind.
We were approaching the end of our route when we stopped at a gas station to drop off a bundle of papers. It’s about 10 p.m.’s and I had been on the clock since 6 am. sitting in the driver’s seat as my son walks inside to deliver the papers. Five minutes go by, and I start to get nervous. Then ten minutes. Then fifteen minutes.
Finally, after twenty minutes I walk into the gas station only to find my son engaged in a conversation about a concert in the 1970’s. Heck he was even born, and I doubt he knew the bands, the gas station attendant was discussing, but the two were having a great conversation.
The tired, grumpy, worried old man I was, I broke up the tryst, much to the chagrin of my talkative son, but we were finally on our way to finish the route and get some much-needed sleep.
Such is the plight of the small businessman. You worry about being able to pay the bills. You worry about your employees doing as you ask. You worry that you don’t have enough customers. It’s an endless worry but you counterbalance it with knowing you are your own boss.
I would like to give a shout out to all those that risk their comfortable lives to go into business for themselves. I am the first to say, it isn’t easy. You wonder if the long hours and constant worries are worth it in. It is the life I’ve chosen, and I will not look back. Thank you to all the readers and advertisers that have helped us along the way.