Gradual Improvements is the Way to Success

There are two ways of going about investing in the market; the bull and the bear. I’m not sure why but these two terms refer to two kinds of investors who do their business according to two very distinct styles. The first one or the “bull” is the aggressive risk taker.  This is a person who will invest in stocks that offer a higher return in exchange for a higher risk. And as you can imagine, investment in such volatile markets results in great windfalls in some cases, or major losses or even debt in others.    

The second type of investor, the “bear” goes about his business in an entirely different way. The bear is cautious, and therefore invests in more secure places, his potential profits are smaller but more assured, as much as anything can ever be assured in the marketplace, but his earnings will have to wait and accumulate over time. He exchanges potential large profits as well as their high risk for smaller, more long-term profits.

These two models are often used for the market, but I use them to describe people’s business practices in general, regardless of what it is that they may be involved in.

I own and manage a small retail store in lower Manhattan. We sell clothing catered to teens and young adults. I want to show you how my way of doing business, although it might fly in the face of young entrepreneurs have been effective from a financial as well as from an emotional or stress level stand point.

Instead of taking out a big loan or borrowing large amounts of money from my friends and family. I opened my store with the small amount of capitol I had and built it up from there. I start with literally clothing racks, some old shelves and nothing more. I worked very hard on my customer service and endeavored to make real connections to my clients. My business grew very slowly. Some month I had just enough money to pay rent and that was all. After a time I invested in display mannequins and dress forms, then better lighting. Everyone in the clothing business knows, you’re not a store unless you have display mannequins or dress forms of some sort. Then I finally got an employee and then another. I never really went into major debt and I currently have six people working for me in one store and am looking into opening another.

My point is that you don’t necessarily need to do drastic high risk investments in order to make it. There are secure ways of making a living. By the sweat of y brow I made my store work and although it did not happen overnight, I was persistent and that has made all of the difference. I was bear, and I paid off.