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Listen in! Pick up some expert advice to a reader's question that we selected from CyberSchmooz. Featured Biz Question How does a small (tiny) business survive when the owner is prone to overspending; accepts any solicitation; and buys any gadget that he sees (catalogs, on-line, etc.)? How does a small service business survive when the owner/head technician declines to submit work orders for billing and decides not to charge others for work performed, thus decreasing income? How does this small business of 10 years survive when the owner refuses to see that the business is losing money and wants nothing to do with the financial affairs of the business? Our meager cash reserves are dwindling fast and he refuses to talk about it -- he hates confrontation. He is a necessary part of the business because of his experience and expertise. In that sense, he is not replaceable. Have you guessed that I'm his wife/associate? I'm desperate for help. Please....help. We are in a small/mid-sized community. If I ask friends for help/guidance, word will quickly spread and the business will be doomed for sure. Any suggestions will be GREATLY appreciated. "Plain Jane" Answer from our Guest Expert Terri Levine of Comprehensive Coaching U, Inc. Dear Jane, I can certainly hear your fear about the business failing and appreciate your difficult position as the wife of the business owner! Let's take a look at each question you raise and chew over some possible answers. Overspending: Biting Off More Than You Can Chew So... your husband overspends and is a pushover for purchasing whatever folks come to sell him. Is it possible to sit down with him and define the roles or functions of who is doing the purchasing for the business? Be it you, him, or possibly someone else? Does he even recognize he is overspending? Can you produce a budget with him? Perhaps writing down guidelines and figures together (in a non-confrontational setting and manner) can be a useful starting point. Here's a possible solution: Perhaps you can set up a team of advisors for the business. These advisors are folks who don't work for the company, but who will help make decisions; they simply want to be supportive to the business. Then each purchase gets brought to the "team" and whatever the team recommends is carried out. This has worked great in all my businesses for the past 20 years and has kept me from buying stuff I "had to have" but the businesses didn't need or couldn't afford. (continued) Page 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 Enter your search terms Submit search form       Search Idea Cafe Web Small Business Tax Center • Idea Cafe Home • Sign Up • Biz Grant Center • CyberSchmooz •Coffee Talk with Experts • People in Biz Profiles • Starting Your Biz • Biz Planning • Running Your Biz • FREE Trade Publications • Marketing • Financing Your Biz • Human Resources • Legal & Biz Forms • Managing Your Biz • eCommerce • You and Your Biz • Gen X • Work@Home • The Fridge • De-Stress • Send an Award • Send an eGreeting • Yoga @ Your Desk • Web Guide • Idea Cafe in the News • About Idea Cafe • Advertise on Idea Cafe • Contact Us • Privacy Policy • Site Map • Small Biz News Copyright 1995-2023, Idea Cafe Inc. Downloads are for personal use only, not for resale to others, and may not be reprinted in any form without written permission from Idea Cafe Inc. DISCLAIMER: We hope whatever you find on this site is helpful, but be cautioned that it may not apply to your own situation, or be totally current at any given time. Idea Cafe Inc. and all of its current and past experts, sponsors, advertisers, agents, contractors and advisors disclaim all warranties with regard to anything found anywhere on this family of websites, quoted from, or sent from Idea Cafe. and its related sites, publications and companies. We also take no responsibility for comments published by others on these pages. TRADEMARKS: The following are Registered Trademarks or Servicemarks of DevStart, Inc.: Idea Cafe®, Online Coffee Break®, The Small Business Gathering Place®, Take out Info®, Biz Bar & Grill®, Complaint-O-Meter®, A Fun Approach to Serious Business™, CyberSchmooz™, and BizCafe™.

About the Expert Terri Levine Owner of Comprehensive Coaching U, Inc. Fed up with her high-paying, corporate job, Terri took control of her life and became a biz coach (and published author). She loves helping others to "work happy" in her new biz. more