After living in Canada for over seven years, I know more clearly about myself. I turned 42 and the age is just not a number. I had an dramatic experience over seven years in Canada than 35 years in Korea.
I started a life in Canada with my wife, 4 years old son and 2 years old daughter. I didn't know at the beginning whether there is a Canadian dream or not, like an American dream. but I believe that there is a way where there is a will. I was prepared for a life from the bottom of this society. After I had worked for 2 weeks in a manufacturing company in Toronto, I realized that it is very hard to live in this society. It is extremely difficult to save some money for the future when working as a part time job. Under this circumstances, getting along with the various member of this society is like picking a star out of the sky. People who has same ethnic background tend to get together only between themselves. There are more tendency especially for the people who just immigrated in Canada. I was one of them.
I got a cashier job from a convenience store that the owner is Korean after the job in a factory. It is easy to get those kind of job from same Korean company while I was not good at speaking English. I tried hard to speak English more fluently. Two years had passed working like that. There was no future if this situation keeps going on. I made my mind up to move to the new area - Alberta.
I thought that Alberta offers lower cost of living, and low price on the business and I could get a small business like an convenience store with my seed money $100,000. Finally I found a convenience store.
My career as a business owner and manager started in 2004 Nov 15.
There are too many things to know as a small business owner. If you want bookkeeping yourself, More things would be added. I gave it a try to save the money too. Basically the owner of a small business must know the filing to CRA such as Payroll deduction remittance, GST/HST Return and ROE reporting When a employee was terminated. But This is quite easy compare to managing the suppliers and the customers.
I thought I learned many of these things to know and to do after 1 year. I filed it myself. I reported it myself. I did bookkeeping myself. I felt I learned most of things to know when I worked with my wife and two employees without high maintenance needs. I studied harder when I needed more knowledge to solve a problem on the running the store. then usually the problem was solved by studying harder. I still believe that the biggest problem of this business is to manage the suppliers and to order the right item to sell. I developed a software to find the right items to be sold well. I used the it and I made the order process a bit simpler and efficient. but the suppliers which give me a financial problem was always a big nuisance for me. There is no royal road not to have a financial problem with suppliers. but the way of resolving problems is hugely different along the suppliers. Some of suppliers showed me a good attitude to solve that kind of problem but some other suppliers gave me a terrible headache. I felt miserable with this business. I promised myself that I would never ever go into this kind of business again.
I started the second small business after sold the store. the second one is car wash business. Running this business is quite different with running the convenience store. I had to deal with many customers which have a credit account. And I had to manage many employees - most of times 7 employees. I had to do the maintenance job myself. I had no knowledge on the car wash equipment and the facilities. The size of the business is 10 times bigger than the convenience store. But there is a few suppliers only compare to the convenience store. I had few problems with suppliers - almost nothing. I was very happy with this. I also was expected the problems coming from many employees. But I was not expected some problems from many credit customers. When they didn't pay the account on time, I should made a way to pay it. But still it is ok with me. Many people who knew that I was going to car wash business told me that I had to learn many things to maintain the equipments and the facilities, otherwise I could not make a good profit. That means I have to do the maintenance myself. Problems are coming up from this thought. First three to six months, I called a repairman to fix something. I tried to learn how he fix malfunctions of equipments. Many problems are same. Now I could fix most of common problems myself. But when a rare problem came up, I had no clue at all about that.
Imagine this situation with closed your eyes.
1. I have to save the money from the fixing. If one visit of the repairman cost me at least 300-400 dollars.
2. I have to fix it myself. I am the only one who is responsible for this maintenance.
3. I have a few knowledge and skills. Still I am clumsy after I have fixed many same problems myself.
4. No one can help me on fixing problems. I tried to ask another Korean car wash owner for help. Usually they could not give a rough direction only. Eventually I have to figure the solution out myself.
The pressure from doing it myself caused me much stress.
Therefore I feel the strength and weakness of myself.
- I am far from the mechanical things. I am not interested of that at all.
But I am very interested of developing a computer software.
- I am not good at managing employees. I could not speak to employees with sour things.
- I am a big believer of that this capitalism is too greedy. I would stop doing business when I make the certain amount of money I set up. Therefore I don't try harder to make more money.
- I am willing to treat people like a member of family who works good. Even my profit would drop down with this good treatment. But most Canadian act like not to want to be in a same family.
I will go into a business next time that do not need a high maintenance, many employees, many suppliers and many customers who has an credit account.
