Top Ten OMG Business Moments

When I worked for someone else, all I desperately wanted was to have my own business.  I wanted total control over my life, my earning potential and my schedule.  I figured I was a smart person, I had a great education and supportive family and friends.  Certainly I could run my own business. 
When I started my first business four years ago, I was still working full time and had a full time lawyer salary to fall back on.  Many times it's advantageous to start a business while employed full time, especially if capital is scarce.  However, I found that I tended to not stress about certain things as much as I should have because I had my salary safety net.  Now that I no longer have that safety net (and haven't had one for several years), I realize how totally  naive I was about what it took to not just start, but to keep a business going and make it profitable.  In some ways I think you have to be naive because maybe if you knew what was ahead you'd never open a business.  That would be a shame because I think starting and running a business is one of the most humbling and personally transformative experiences one can have aside from having children.  So, what's my point?  Lately I've been thinking about how naive I was four years ago compared to what I know now.  What are the top things that I've learned, my top 10 OMG Small Business Moments:

1. You will be fired by a client.
2. You will have to fire clients.
3. That vacation costs twice as much when you need to pay someone to work while you're away.
4. Don't give clients your personal cell phone number (get a business cell if necessary).
5. Prospective clients hate voice mail.
6. If you don't call or email someone back the same day-sometimes in the same hour, they'll find someone else to help them.
7. 98% of your time is spent getting new business (aka: marketing).
8. There's no one to double check your work.
9. You can't just call the IT department when you have tech issues.
10. Working for someone else is much, much easier.  And cheaper. 

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