As a personal business coach one of the great joys is watching the creation of a small business.  It’s like painting a portrait on which you can put your autograph.  But unlike a painting which at some point is finished, the creation part never really ends and running a small business too, is an ongoing process.

What To Keep In Mind In Small Business

I once read that Warren Buffett once said, “Success is getting what you want.  Happiness is wanting what you get.”  Success for many small business owners is in creating their small business.  And for many that is their happiest time.  Why?

For many small business owners, running or maintaining the small business is not what they enjoy.  Most entrepreneurs love creating.  The key to having the continued success and happiness, which Warren Buffett spoke about, is to develop the skills to manage the business.

In the words of Michael Gerber in the E-Myth Revisited, you not only need to be a good “technician,” which is creating and delivering the product or service, but also a good “manager.”  I have found that the major stumbling block for most self-employed business owners is management.

Are You Running The Small Business You Want?

Fortunately, today, as opposed to 30 years ago, there are tools, processes and information to where the small business owner can learn to become a better manager.  But even if you manage your business well, there can still be a great deal of unhappiness.

Why?  The skills and relationships you need to create a successful small business are not the skills needed to run a small business.  And, very often we get into a business because we know how to create it, not run it.

In my personal business coaching practice, I had one lady who wanted to start a retail shop stocked with items to decorate the interior of people’s homes.  She was an excellent interior decorator.

Small Business Happiness Is Wanting What You Get

In her mind, having a retail shop to support and amplify her existing business and to where she could meet prospective clients was a huge plus.  Logically, it all made sense.

As we collaborated on putting together the retail operation I started to have an uneasy feeling.  When she spoke of retail business the tone and the discussion was negative.  She had worked in retail as a young girl and didn’t like all the “problems” with people, inventory, etc that would come up.

I asked her if she would be happy working in her own retail environment?  After much thought and discussion over several weeks, the answer was No.  She realized that she could not be happy in her own retail store.  Yes, she would have help.  But, she realized that still she would feel in bondage to it.

And for a free spirit such as her, feeling in bondage was the height of unhappiness.    She ended up acceleration her efforts and sharpening her focus on her current business model.

Today, she has a successful small business.  And she is happy.  She understood first hand that success may be getting what you want but that there is something more important, happiness, which is wanting what you get.

When you are looking for success in small business be sure to factor in happiness.  Without happiness, there is no true small business success.