Dear Aunt Silvia,

I am a young career woman and a single mother of three boys. Of late, I am not happy with my job- because I put in so much effort and the pay is peanuts.

No one is recognising my efforts. I am thinking of resigning and starting my own business where my efforts will be appreciated. At the same time, I am afraid of taking the risk since I have never been in business before. What do I do?
Habiba

Dear Habiba,

Life is all about taking risks, if none of us had taken a risk then the world would have been just the way it was in the time of Adam and Eve.

Everything we do in life is a risk, but sometimes one has to be sure what exactly it is that they want to achieve in the long run.

If you feel that your efforts are not appreciated by your employer and the pay is not enough to keep you going, then that should not be enough reason to make you want to resign from your job in such haste.

I urge you to take it easy and first share your frustration with your boss and hear what he/she has to say before you take a leap of faith; you must put your children’s needs first before your own feelings.

Just picture the condition your children will be in, in the first three months when your business will be struggling to get its footing.

It is very difficult to make such decisions when children are involved and more especially when you are the sole bread winner.

If you have enough savings to establish your business and enough to take care of your needs as you are establishing your business, then I give you my blessings, but if you do not, then think twice.

Last but not least, be informed that before anyone embarks on any business, they must have conducted a business research; know what people need and if you can deliver, because business is all about service delivery.

It will be a waste of time and resources if you intend to open a business and it fails within the first quarter of its inception. Your hard working character will be portrayed by the success of your business.

Don’t be your own boss and relax, if you do, then you will not be in business for long. Plan before you make the move, weigh the pro’s and cons of your decisions. If your decisions are favoured, then who am I to discourage you from following your dream path? All the best!

Contact: kayitesius@yahoo.com