The Transition Period
Letting go is never easy. Whether it’s a relationship or a business, it’s difficult because we know that it will mean giving up all of the time and resources that we had invested in that person or in that venture. We have to take a step back and say, “This isn’t what I had planned for it to be,” and learn to accept our loss with humility. As human beings, this is exceptionally difficult for us.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had to face the cold, hard reality that GlowStickJunkie just isn’t right for me. I went into it with selfish motives, and now, I have to say, “This isn’t what I had planned for it to be,” and frankly, it kind of sucks. It sucks to know that the hours I spent developing it over the past four months were for naught and that even though I might be able to sell it for a few hundred, it will never be the Fastlane business that I had intended it to be.
However, I’m not writing today to wallow in my failure because this is what must happen in order for me to be successful in the long run. No, today I am writing about why I have made this decision and what I have learned from my first business venture.
Reason #1: Ravers don’t have a lot of expendable money to buy fluffies with.
This is true. Most ravers are between 16 and 26 years old. Too old to coerce their parents into buying them new “toys” and too young to have a solid expendable income. They want everything, but they can afford nothing.
Reason #2: Rave gear is a want, not a need.
A person can justify spending $100 on a suit for work. A person can justify dropping $80 for an air conditioner in the summer. However, it’s far more difficult to justify spending $100 on a pair of phat pants. Pants are a necessity. Phat pants? Not so much.
Reason #3: Selfish Motives
The second that I thought “Oh, I could get myself sweet deals on lasers,” I should have realized that that was a major red flag. There’s a saying out that says “Do what you love and you’ll be successful,” but unfortunately, more often than not, this isn’t true. Any attachment to the product or service is likely to cloud judgment and should be avoided.
Reason #4: I don’t want to be cool.
No matter what I sell, I don’t want to feel like I have to change who I am to fit the market. This reason was far more important in my final decision than any of the last three reasons. For the past four months, I have had a nagging feeling of “I need to go to raves to better understand my market,” or, “I need to be an expert glover to create high-quality content.” This is not the way I want to feel in any business. I like who I am, and I really have no desire to be a raver.
So where does that leave me now? Right where I want to be – in the transition period. I have a few irons in the fire right now, and I’m setting deadlines for myself. By April 23rd, I will have a new business venture in the works, and by May 11th, Xhilarating will go “live.” This will allow me to start at full-speed the day I return from my summer vacation.
As for the fate of GlowStickJunkie, we’ll just have to wait and see