Dave Ramsey says: Work hard now, celebrate later

Dear Dave,

My husband and I bought a franchise recently, and we are opening our business in a couple of months. We’ve got $40,000 saved up, but my husband wants us to take a two-week vacation before we open for business. He feels that the business will completely consume us for the next two or three years, and he wants to go into things relaxed and refreshed. How do you feel about this idea?

Jill

Dear Jill,

I understand where your husband’s coming from. A business is very time consuming, and to make it a success you’ll both have to eat, sleep and breathe it for a very long time.

But here’s the reality of your situation. Right now, you’re basically unemployed. On top of that, you have just $40,000 with which to start a business. It’s time to rev up your engines and get to work, not spend a bunch of money vacationing. Trust me, there’ll be plenty of time to celebrate after you’ve won, maybe in even bigger and better ways, if you’ll just delay gratification and put in the dedication and hard work now.

When it comes to opening a new business, a good rule of thumb is this: Everything’s going to take twice as long to accomplish as you thought it would, and everything’s going to be twice as expensive as you thought it’d be. I’m sure you’re both smart people, but my guess is you’re not exceptions to this rule when it comes to opening and running a small business.

Think about it, every single dollar connected with your business could mean the difference between survival and going under. Like I said, I kind of get your husband’s thought process, but it would be a very unwise idea right now. You’ve got to look at the big picture. You’re going to be heartbroken, and maybe in a real financial bind, if you have to close up shop in a few months because you ran out of money.

On the other hand, if you work hard now, stay smart and make this thing a success, you can take a vacation—and really celebrate—when the time is right!

—Dave

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