Friend, did you or people around you have some savings after working for a few years, and then began to try to do some small business, open a restaurant, clothing store, Internet cafe, convenience store or beauty salon? However, after operating for several months or a year or two, it was declared bankrupt, and the investment money was gone, and the foreign debt was still owed. I returned to my post to earn money to pay off my debts.

20 14 years, after working in a company for several years, I have some savings in my hand, about150 thousand yuan. Then I started fidgeting and wanted to come out and do something by myself. So I resigned at that time.

Because I have no entrepreneurial experience before, I have the idea of starting a business, but I can't find the project at the moment. But I have a vague idea about what kind of store I want to open. At that time, I thought my cousin worked in a leather factory. So, after I learned some knowledge about leather goods from him, I planned to open a leather retail store, because I was thinking at that time: I could continue to consult him in case I had any questions about leather goods.

The next step is to find a store. In fact, finding a good shop is not an easy task. I have traveled all over Shenzhen, and the shops with good business in busy areas are basically open, and there is no empty shop.

One day, a friend told me that South China City is inviting investment now, so I can go and have a look. So I went to South China City the next day and was received by the Investment Commissioner of South China City. He told me that South China City has great potential to build a leather goods market integrating retail and wholesale. I took a look at the surrounding business environment, and it is true that some leather goods stores are already open. However, the shops in the main channel have been rented by others, leaving only an empty shop in the back channel. Although I felt that this position was not very good at that time, I soon gave up the idea of hesitation. Maybe I've made up my mind to open this store, I'm impatient and I've lost my mind. So I immediately rented an empty shop here.

Then it is to find a brand and decorate it, including the purchase before and after, which cost almost 6.5438+0.5 million yuan. 65438+1 October1,just in time for the national day holiday, the leather goods store opened on the same day.

In the first year, although business was not good, it was not bad. It's almost the same as the income from working, but it injects my hope here. At that time, I thought: this should be the case from the beginning. After a long period of operation and more old customers, business should be getting better and better. However, my judgment is biased. With more and more brands entering the market, the competition is becoming more and more fierce and the market is becoming more and more saturated.

A year later, I suddenly found that the daily sales volume was getting lower and lower. I calculated that after deducting the cost of buying a house, rent, electricity and labor for one month, I basically didn't make any money.

One day, a friend came to my shop to play, and I complained to him that business is not good now, much worse than before. He said that I would help you find out about the "military situation" and see the sales situation of the peers next door and around. He came back and said to me: all the leather goods stores around you can bargain, and you are still clearly priced. Of course, business is not good. Later, I began to observe my peers around me and slowly found that some shops had posted advertisements for "transfer". At that time, I thought: Maybe if they don't do it, my competitors will be less and business will get better.

However, my judgment was wrong again. In the past two years, e-commerce has developed very rapidly, stealing many physical store customers. Because slowly, I often hear customers entering the store say, "Why is it so expensive in your store? This online style is similar. How much is it online? " And I can only explain to customers: "the physical store is genuine, and it can't be compared with the internet." However, this does not necessarily lead to a transaction.

Slowly, I began to accept customers' bargaining and began to sell at low prices, because earning less is better than not earning at all. However, profits are getting lower and lower. After accounting, it is found that losses begin to appear every month, such as rent loss and labor loss. I started to swipe my credit card to cope with the cash flow.

On 20 17, I found that the owners of many shops around me have changed, and many leather goods stores have become clothing stores, shoe stores, health centers and beauty shops. ...

But I still believe in my heart that persistence is victory. Perhaps I dare not face the reality of failure. Perhaps, I hit Shui Piao because I couldn't let go of the hundreds of thousands of dollars I worked hard for several years.

One day, I found that the leather goods store next door was really much better after it was changed into a clothing store. So I also began to buy leather goods cheaply and redecorate them. Then I bought clothes and started selling clothes instead.

However, although the clothing store after the change is better than the leather goods store, it still fails to make a profit. Many shops around can't be transferred, and they are closed directly. After two years of hard work, I finally had no choice but to close it. Finally, I found that the store that struggled for five years didn't make any money, leaving a credit card bill of 654.38+10,000 yuan. I have to start looking for a new job and work to pay off my debts.

? Whenever I calm down, I begin to reflect on the reasons for the failure of starting a business. Read all kinds of books and videos every day, hoping to find the answer. Also gradually come to the following understanding.

1, don't do it if you are not familiar with it. Never touch unfamiliar industries. Many of us like to follow the trend. When we see others making money in a certain line, we plunge into it. Interlaced like a mountain! We often only see the appearance of things, but don't go deep into the connotation of things. We often only see the successful results of others, but we can't see the transformation process of others. I just blindly entered an unfamiliar industry, which is one of the reasons for my failure.

Don't do it without a good address. Location is really important if you plan to open a physical store. The weather is not as good as the right place! If you can't find a good address, don't settle for the second best. I'd rather not do it without a perfect location. After all, "investment is risky and you need to be cautious when entering the business."

3. Keep pace with the times and keep innovating. In this era of information explosion, we must keep up with the development of the times. With the rapid development of mobile Internet, Ma Yun put forward the concept of "new retail". RT Mart, a supermarket chain, has also opened "Niu Fei Online Supermarket", while Tmall stores and JD.COM stores have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, which shows that the "new retail" business model combining online and offline is replacing traditional retail. If you don't change or innovate, you are doomed to be eliminated.

If the business can't go on, we should stop at once and cut the gordian knot. I was 35 when I opened the store and 40 when I finished writing this story. Five years lost not only money, but also time. During these five years, I didn't have time to help my children with their studies, and I didn't accompany my elderly parents ... Yi Zhongtian once said: If your life goes in the wrong direction, stopping is progress!

I'm not against starting a business. I just suggest that you don't invest blindly. You must consider the risk and the ability to bear it. If you don't have the ability and knowledge to be a boss, please don't start a business lightly. Because if you fail to start a business, you will lose not only wealth, but also a lot of youth time. ...