All too often I come across people who want everything for free or on the cheap.  Whilst there is nothing wrong with trying to keep costs low and get what you can, there is also a time when as a small business owner you need to make the decision to invest in your business.

If you are not prepared to do this what message does it send out about your business?  Possibly it sends out the message that perhaps you don’t really believe that your business will work and you are just testing the waters but won’t stick around if everything doesn’t run smoothly and go according to plan.

The law of attraction

I firmly believe in the law of attraction.  Therefore, if we are not prepared to invest in your business and pay for the products and services of others, then why should people pay us for ours?  If we project out to the universe that we should get the services of others for free, then that is what we should expect back.  Why should we expect our customers to pay us if we won’t become a customer of others?

You get what you pay for

Remember the saying ‘You get what you pay for’?  This is true when running a small business.  You will not get the best service or best results from always going for free.  Think of a car.  It may be cheaper to buy that old banger to get you by, but I bet it will cost you more in the long run when it constantly needs repairs or breaks down at a crucial moment on your journey. (been there, done that and got the tee shirt!)

If you firmly believe in your business and are determined and passionate about making it succeed, then there will be a time when you need to make an investment.  Yes, this needs to be balanced against the means to pay and the timescale in which any payment needs to be made, but taking the cheap or free option will only slow your business success down.

Save time and money in the long run

You can continue to run a handwritten sheet of your income and expenditure but for a small monthly cost, you could invest in your business and have a specialised accountancy software package that will save you hours of time and likely quite a bit of money from potential mistakes in the long run.

You can slog away for weeks or even months trying to self-teach yourself how to do effective marketing or you could pay someone to set up a marketing plan within a day or two and teach you how to manage it.

You can waste valuable hours and make many expensive mistakes trying to work everything out on your own or you could pay a business coach who has been there and done it to help you avoid those mistakes (blatant sales pitch coming up!) – like me

Think and act like a professional

If you truly want a successful business you need to start to think and act like a professional.  Be prepared to invest in both yourself and your business in the way of having the right tools to do the job and getting the right support when you need it.

If you decide to carry on looking for free, then that is your choice but progress will inevitably be slower and lead to frustration and lack of motivation.

Sit back and really consider your frame of mind.  Are you running a ‘let’s see if it works or not’ business that can take as long as you like to get off the ground or are you a serious business owner who wants to achieve their goals as swiftly as possible?

Maybe time to consider that investment!