Do you run a business?

[sbtalk]

Hi Guys - I was just wondering how many of you are running a business or looking to start one up?

How do you cope with your stuttering in a business situation? Is your business online (with the obvious benefits of being able to hide your stuttering up to a point)?

I ask this because I haven't had a "normal" job in 15 years because I can't get past my stuttering - so I've moulded myself over the years to go into business - with varying degrees of success.

If you;re a business owner who stutters how do you cope?


Cheers,
Martin

[bwelling]

I ask this because I haven't had a "normal" job in 15 years because I can't get past my stuttering - so I've moulded myself over the years to go into business - with varying degrees of success.

If you;re a business owner who stutters how do you cope?


Cheers,
Martin

Martin - Congrats on venturing into business ownership. For me, after 20 years of being a public servant as a government auditor, I opened my own accounting and auditing practice. I have been in it for 4 years now. As an employee, I coped with my stutter and got a good paycheck. Not so as a business owner - my economic survival depended on effective communication not merely coping. While my products and services already have value, to be successful, I have to sell value in me. If I can't get past my stuttering, I will never prove to those who I do business with that I am a worthy contender in the marketplace. Business ownership is only for the very brave. And for stutterers - only for the most daring.

my success is about me not my stutter.

bw

[Box of Clocks]

I run my own business along with a friend of mine. It is not very impressive though as it is just a window cleaning business. I don't really find the stutter to be a problem as my friend does most of the talking and I only really talk to the customers if they speak to me.

Whenever we canvass in an effort to get new customers we usually just put business cards or leaflets through peoples letter boxes so that does not involve any speaking either. When we first started out we got our original customers by actually knocking on doors but I didn't speak during this phase as my friend always did instead.

[Sean]

Im a web designer and i own my own business. 90% of the clients i deal with is via email which makes my life alot easier.
If i know a client very well i can speak to him on the phone no problem at all, but if i get an email for a quote and they ask me to call their office or mobile most of the time reply via email 'that im sorry, but im too busy to take on more work at this time'

I have in the past got my best friend to actually call new potential clients for me pretending to be me, which can make u feel really bad about yourselve especially when your listening.

[happy7117]

I have in the past got my best friend to actually call new potential clients for me pretending to be me, which can make u feel really bad about yourselve especially when your listening.

I am not sure if that's such a good idea for your friend to call for you. It may be very helpfull for your friend to call these clients for you, but they might start to prefer speaking to your friend from now on, and not you!

You might want to explain to these new clients you have a stutter problem, but you are still a good worker.

I think your friend calling should be a sometimes thing, and not all the time. Because the clients might think you do not like your job because you do not talk to them personaly.

I think having the friend call for you is like procrastination. That is,the friend calling is a way for you to put off having to call clients, but it also increases the fear of having to call them yourself.

Not calling these clients may be relieving at first, but I think the longer you make your freind call for you, the more the fear of the phone contacts become.

Your friend should be your business partner maybe! Instead of him doing your phone calls, which you should be doing as well, he may be able to be your associate in whatever you do!

[bwelling]

Not calling these clients may be relieving at first, but I think the longer you make your freind call for you, the more the fear of the phone contacts become.

Your friend should be your business partner maybe! Instead of him doing your phone calls, which you should be doing as well, he may be able to be your associate in whatever you do!

happy, you make a good point about the relief at first and how allowing a friend to make calls for you would encourage fear. But likewise, when others finish a sentence for you because of your struggle, are you not encouraging the same fear?

bw

[happy7117]

happy, you make a good point about the relief at first and how allowing a friend to make calls for you would encourage fear. But likewise, when others finish a sentence for you because of your struggle, are you not encouraging the same fear?

bw

You have a point about my point on helping others when they are stuck!!

I think if you are having very bad trouble on the phone, that friend of yours SHOULD make the calls.

But if you are having mild trouble and think you can still get your point across to clients, I think you should make those calls yourself.

Same with my opinion on helping others when they are very stuck.

If a stutterer is having nasty trouble, a listener should want to help a stutter.

But if a stutterer is having mild trouble and thinks he can get his point across, he should try the best he can.

[bwelling]

If a stutterer is having nasty trouble, a listener should want to help a stutter.

But if a stutterer is having mild trouble and thinks he can get his point across, he should try the best he can.

happy - you've raise an interesting point here. I'm going to start a new thread about struggling and asking for help from nonstutterers.
bw

[happy7117]

happy - you've raise an interesting point here. I'm going to start a new thread about struggling and asking for help from nonstutterers.
bw

Sounds like a great idea to me. I started a thread or 2 on that same topic, but it always helps to hear from others what they think of about something.

[Sean]

I am not sure if that's such a good idea for your friend to call for you. It may be very helpfull for your friend to call these clients for you, but they might start to prefer speaking to your friend from now on, and not you!

You might want to explain to these new clients you have a stutter problem, but you are still a good worker.

I think your friend calling should be a sometimes thing, and not all the time. Because the clients might think you do not like your job because you do not talk to them personaly.

I think having the friend call for you is like procrastination. That is,the friend calling is a way for you to put off having to call clients, but it also increases the fear of having to call them yourself.

Not calling these clients may be relieving at first, but I think the longer you make your freind call for you, the more the fear of the phone contacts become.

Your friend should be your business partner maybe! Instead of him doing your phone calls, which you should be doing as well, he may be able to be your associate in whatever you do!


Hey mate thanks for your reply, sorry to be mis-leading in my post but what i was talking about has only happened 3 times.

[happy7117]

Hey mate thanks for your reply, sorry to be mis-leading in my post but what i was talking about has only happened 3 times.

No problem. Glad I was able to try to help though.

[Foxglove]

It's so good to see other stutterers in management positions! I started off my working career as a computer technician, then to site manager, technical trainer and writer, project team leader and eventually to junior regional manager at the last company I worked for. I eventually got tired of working for someone else and a great colleague of mine and I started our own business a few months ago.

I used to have a paranoid fear of telephones and talking to people, especially when I had to do telephonic support, but you learn some of the best stutter control methods that way. It takes some time but it comes down to taking it easy and talking slowly, especially if the client isn't that computer literate. I still let the phone ring three or four times before I answer though. It still takes some mental preparation to pick it up and take the call.

The worst part of the business aspect is going to give marketing presentations and holding meetings, but you learn a few ways to "hide" your stutter when dealing with new potential clients and so on. It's kinda strange, but once you get to know people, they don't really care about your stutter or they don't pay attention to it if you have the confidence to show that it doesn't bother you.

I think I've reached a stage in my life where I'm not prepared to sacrifice my ambition for the fact that I have a speaking disability and it feels good, but I still have days where I just can't keep it under control and it leaves me with a sinking feeling for a while.

/end rant :p

[Benhoor]

Im a web designer and i own my own business. 90% of the clients i deal with is via email which makes my life alot easier.


Well done

What happens if client finds out you stutter.

I believe the quality of your service is the main thing, not the stuttering.

Good luck

[happy7117]

talking slowly

What do you mean by that??

I have tried talking slowly, but still stutter nastily.

I think without the help of a device to train a stutterer to slow down, it will never be accomplished.

[bwelling]

What do you mean by that??

I have tried talking slowly, but still stutter nastily.

I think without the help of a device to train a stutterer to slow down, it will never be accomplished.

happy - do you stutter slower when you speak slowly? LOL

bw

[happy7117]

happy - do you stutter slower when you speak slowly? LOL

I honestly don't know! I know I still stutter nastily no matter how slow or fast I talk!