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Writer's pictureKristyl Neho

The Pitfalls and Rewards of Being a Businesswoman: 'Passionately Failing Towards Greatness'

This blog is all about my experiences in putting up and eventually, running a business. As I have mentioned a few times in my blog before, I founded a company called Maia Dreams. It's the main umbrella of my company that encompasses a few other branches of the business such as our Confident Me Program where we try to help mold our youth through a meticulously curated outline that includes the arts, vision boards, tools and practical strategies, just to name a few. We also publish children's books, journals, sell merchandise and offer other services. You can say that Maia Dreams is one of the many endeavors in my life that I am quite proud of; not for any other reason but mainly because I am intensely passionate about helping children and it was literally sweat, blood and tears that built this business from the ground up.


Let's start off on a good note and talk about the rewards of owning and running a business.


First, the sense of fulfillment knowing that you have been able to establish a business is priceless. I am proud of how Maia Dreams grew - from being a sole proprietorship to becoming a company was a feat on its own because I started everything from scratch. All I had was a vision, fierce determination to succeed, a competitive nature and a lot of chutzpah. One of my favorite lines when it comes to my business is that "Rome wasn't built in a day" and this was especially true with my business. The struggle was long and hard. It still is, at times, to be honest. But because this mahi (work) is very important to me, I plow through the challenging times and I continue to be steadfast in nurturing what I have painstakingly built.


Another reward from owning my business is that I am my own boss. I have nobody to answer to and I make decisions according to what I believe is beneficial in the long run. On an equal note, I also hold myself accountable when I make mistakes. The sense of independence and responsibilities always go together when you are an entrepreneur and I would like to believe that this contributed to the immense personal and professional growth that I continue to experience. For this, I am very grateful.


I'd also like to mention that growing one's business also gives me the opportunity to expand my circle. I meet people who sometimes end up working for and with me, I get to sit down with the shakers and movers, get to know those I wouldn't have met if it wasn't for Maia Dreams. Most importantly, I get to know parents and their children who become part of our Confident Me Program, a line of business under our main umbrella. I also get the opportunity to work with various schools and organizations along the way. Needless to say, I wouldn't have been able to build so many bridges if not for my role as a businesswoman.


However, everything good comes with their share of the not so good side of it. And we now come to that part where I'm going to share the challenges and pitfalls of owning a business.


If you are your own boss, this can be a double edged sword. I've already mentioned the advantages earlier and this time, the other side of it is that you will have no one else to blame or nobody else to cushion your fall. Because you are the boss, you will be left to deal with both minor and major setbacks that may range from the operational or financial side of things. You also have full accountability towards everything and everyone, including your employees. Their welfare, financial stability, and professional growth are all in your hands.


Among the many challenges in owning your business are the risks of potential loss of revenues for various reasons and sometimes, they are beyond your control and you can only hope that you can survive the backlash. If you are like me and you're operating on a small scale, you will be vulnerable to this type of misfortune. And yes, it has happened several times and when it does, I consider it a valuable lesson - and a very expensive one at that.


Speaking of finances, small scale and start up businesses like mine also suffer from lack of support in all aspects. Be it having naysayers who take it upon themselves to judge and look down on my efforts, or people close to me who belittle my accomplishments or worse, government entities and/or organization who overlook the massive efforts that come with the delivery of our programs.


The lack of support from those that are supposed to be our saving grace and champions is the most difficult to overcome. At least for me. My business is partly dependent on funding gleaned from the government, organizations and other entities that were established to help entrepreneurs like me thrive in our chosen fields. Sadly, we have experienced so many rejections and I have lost count of those times when I have to rely on my own initiatives to keep my business afloat. Sad, but true.


Inspite of it all, I soldier on. I always do. Because I think this is what I'm supposed to be doing and it is a mission that I hope to fulfill through out my life - to be part of an advocacy that uplifts the children so they can walk a path meant for them to take .. with confidence, determination and the spirit of a winner.










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