Steven, it sounds to me like you're having what I call a "garbage truck moment." That's when pressure of running your business starts getting to you and you begin to question whether entrepreneurial life is right for you. The debts are mounting, your staff is shrinking (or growing), you get that nauseous feeling in pit of your stomach and you find yourself longing for apparent simplicity of driving a garbage truck.

Note to garbage truck drivers: save your hate mail, boys. I know you work very hard and I respect what you do. Without you world would be a very different, very smelly place, indeed.

What's happening to you, Steven, has happened to us all. The stress is causing you to doubt not only your decision to start your own business, but your ability to run it, as well. There's no magic bullet for dealing with stress and you certainly can't eliminate it totally, so you must learn to handle it.

I believe key to handling stress is to first identify source of stress, then formulate a plan to deal with it.

Here's what I do. Take a pencil and paper and list all things that are causing you stress. For each item listed ask yourself: Is there anything I can do about this? Is there anything I can do to change this from being a point of stress to a point of accomplishment? In other words, is this something I have control over?

Stressing over things you can't control is a total waste of time. Tell yourself that you're burning brain cells in vain and mark that item off your list. Some people don't have this ability. Some people are just natural born worriers who are not happy unless they have something to worry about. They revel in worry. They work in worry like a great artist works in paint. Even when things are going great they worry that sky is about to fall. If you are a natural born worrier, Steven, nothing I say will help you handle stress.

Great, now you have something else to worry about.

Next , determine if each point of stress is something that has happened in past, is currently happening, or has not yet - or may never - happen. If stress point is past, there's not much you can do but attempt to rectify situation causing stress. If it's a current problem, formulate a plan to deal with problem and eliminate stress it's causing. And if you're stressing over things that may never happen, remember what Mark Twain said: "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."

Finally, Steven, it's important to remember that working for someone else can be just as stressful as working for yourself. Sure, you don't have stress (and responsibility) associated with running a business, but you will have other stresses that can be far worse; like impossible work deadlines, sales quotas you can't meet, a boss that learned his management skills on a chain gang, coworkers who don't pull their own weight, possible layoffs, etc.

Very few things in life are without stress. Just ask any garbage truck driver.

Here's to your success!

Tim Knox tim@dropshipwholesale.net For information on starting your own online or eBay business, visit http://www.dropshipwholesale.net

That is what superior customer service is all about: going extra mile to satisfy your customer. That is what will keep customers coming back to your store time and time again.

Superior customer service leads to greater customer satisfaction, which leads to repeat business, which leads to holy grail of retail business: customer loyalty.

Here are a few tips on how to deliver superior customer service and build customer loyalty:

1.Anyone on your staff who deals directly with customers should be well groomed and dressed appropriately for job. Customers over 25 years old will not get a warm and fuzzy feeling if guy processing their credit card is wearing an Ozzy Osborne tee-shirt and matching nose ring.

2.Sales people should be knowledgeable about product they are selling. I can't tell you how many times I have asked a sales person a simple question and only got a blank stare in return. A lack of product knowledge does nothing to instill confidence in customer.

3.Your staff should know where every product is without having to ask a manager or consult a computer. At very least they should be able to point out ^%$# classics section without blinking an eye.

4.Make it a point to know your customer's name. Nothing makes a customer feel special like sound of his or her own name. You can't remember everyone's name, of course, but you should strive to remember names of those customers who come in regularly. I f requent one particular restaurant and owner not only knows my name, but names of my wife and kids. And every time I set foot in his restaurant he calls me by name and shakes my hand and personally leads me to a table. I don't feel like a customer. I feel like a friend.

5.Offer personal services that big boys do not. Anything you can do to make your customer's life easier will be appreciated and remembered. If a customer comes in and asks for a book you do not have, offer to order book and deliver it to their home so they don't have to make another trip to pick it up. All this is going to cost you is a few minutes of your time and you will not only save a sale, but also make a lasting impression on that customer. The next time they need a book they will head your way.

There are other things you can do to combat bookstore Goliath, Peter, but offering superior customer service is a great place to start.

Here's to your success!

Tim Knox tim@dropshipwholesale.net For information on starting your own online or eBay business, visit http://www.dropshipwholesale.net