Chapter One, Passage One, From 'Accountability Through Transparency.' Starting a business is a lot like starting a family: some of us plan for it and others do not. There is a rush of excitement when you realize that you’re expecting a child. Then you become aware of all that needs to be done. Perhaps the mother starts to experience some pain and nausea. You weather the changes and the challenges and the day arrives. The baby is here. The smiling face makes every parent realize it was worth it. Joy! Happiness! I remember the first day of my business. I put a new desk in the corner of our garage, plugged in the new adding machine and reclined back in my new office chair and said, “Let the business begin and let the money roll in!”

But then at some point comes the serious challenge and reality: raising the child. Every parent has been there. It may come when the child is a toddler or when the child is a teenager, but at some point it happens: the parents come to the agonizing realization that they don’t know what to do next and they don’t even know what caused them to get in the awkward situation they are in. I started out wanting five kids, because I grew up with three sisters and one brother. After our first child was born, I rethought my position and reduced the desired number of kids down to two total!

Every business owner has a similar experience. You start the business. It’s exciting. You are excited about the freedom and flexibility that will come with being your own boss. You dream of making the big bucks, working just enough hours to train someone and then let them do the stuff you don’t want to do while you do the fun stuff. You might even dream about getting the first business up and running without you and then start franchising, making even more money and having more time off.

Then comes the reality of what it really takes to start a business. You go out and sell some work, then produce the work and then get the paperwork done so as to get paid. Then you realize you are out of work and the cycle starts again. What a shock when you find out you are working sixty-hour weeks. Seventy-hour weeks. Eighty-hour weeks. Bills. Going without a paycheck because there isn’t enough cash to cover what goes out with what comes in.

Not exactly the captivating original vision you had when you started the company. But just like every parent needs to know that every other parent has been there, every business owner needs to know that every business owner has been there. Every business owner has been scared and didn’t know what to do. Everyone has missed a payroll. Everyone has gone without a paycheck or paychecks.

This passage is taken from Les Cunningham's book, 'Accountability Through Transparency.' Contact Business Networks Here to purchase a copy of 'Accountability Through Transparency' or to inquire about membership! Subscribe to the Business Networks' news releases Here! Learn more about Business Networks at http://www.businessnetworks.com.