Contest Entry:My Worst Experience As An Entrepreneur

25% post payout to @steemkindness

Hello steempreneurs I am very grateful for @ladyofpolicy for this great contest.

Most online businesses have one principle: Payment before delivery
I didn't understand this because I thought sellers rather scam buyers until I experienced one in my business.

I run a crocheting business and we all know how crocheting consumes so much time.You can find more details of my business here.
For me,my worst experience in my business was with a customer and I was fortunate to have experienced it during my early business days.
You know,when you start business and you hear of customers it makes you happy.Of course who doesn't want customers, we end up doing things in a rush just because we don't want to lose our customers.

It was one fateful day,when someone messaged me on WhatsApp and placed some orders.
That order was going to earn me approximately Gh¢210 equivalent to 50steem (using the current steem price) due to the number of things she wanted me to crochet for her.
She wanted a mini shrug,two piece crochets (shorts and bralette) a bralette and a top,which have been displayed below.

a mini shrug

a ruffled themed bralette

two piece crochets

a crochet top

I was really happy because that was the first time I had received that kind of orders.
When I started my crocheting business,I was working with the time people would give me so I would end up overworking to get people's crochets for them in the stipulated time they've given me.
She gave me 5 days to finish all her orders because according to her she was going to travel with the crochets on the 6th day and I gladly accepted.
She didn't make payment and I didn't also ask thinking she will rather make payment after I'm done and that was my first mistake.
I started crocheting that very day and that was when I realized I needed extra five days to be able to complete everything.

Fortunately for me, crocheting is something I like very much so I actually burnt the midnight candle and over worked myself for the particular customer.
I worked my crocheting magic and finished on the fifth day as she wanted.
I didn't know if delivery services when I started my business,so I would normally deliver it to myself to the person or send it to the bus station for the car to deliver of the person is not in my town.

I had a call from her on the fifth day where she asked me send her package by bus to her location since she was in a different region.
All that while she had not made payment and I was still not asking her for the payment because I was thinking she would do me the honour or would pay after she finds out I'm at the bus station sending her parcel because that's what certain customers want.
I reached the bus station where I was going to send the package and that was when I called her to ask for payment but I couldn't reach her because her phone was off.
I stood at the bus station for almost 2 hours and and kept calling her number but still couldn't reach her.I was not really bothered so I went back home with the parcel thinking her phone's battery died so she was going to call back.
I kept calling her for 3 consecutive days and that was when I realized I had been blocked.
That was when it dawned on me that she wouldn't have paid for it if I had sent the package because she switched off her phone thinking I had already sent her the package.

Everyone would ask why would you even make that mistake but I was new in business and naive as well thinking everyone is a nice person.
Standing at the bus station and trying so hard to fight back my tears, I remembered how many times I had to forfeit my sleep just finish crocheting all those pieces.Only one question ran through my mind;did I overwork myself for nothing?
I wasn't even angry at her anymore I was angry at myself for not being smart enough.
That was when I realized buyers also scam sellers and I was almost scammed.
To confirm it all,a friend of mine also complained about the same issue and when we compared the number it was the same number but unfortunately for her she sent the package without the lady making payment.

I don't blame anybody than myself,I was naive in business and had no business rules.
This experience taught me so many lessons;
1.Always be smart.
2.Now I give people working days and when they should expect their crochets to be ready so that I don't overwork myself.
3.I make sure you pay 50% of the price before I start and then you pay the rest when I'm done before I deliver your parcel.
4.I always make sure to deliver my crochets through delivery services.

Fortunately for me I posted these crochets on my status for sale and I got buyers for all of them

a customer in the crochet top

Another customer in the two piece

a customer beautifully rocking the ruffled themed top

But for those sleepless nights I spent, I'll never forget.

Cc:@ladyofpolicy
@harferri

Thank you for your time.