Entrepreneurial Tightrope: Set your own pace

• Faster-paced business doesn't necessarily mean fast profits
• Build your business at a pace you're comfortable with
• Don't let others push you to take your business in a direction you don't want to go

Gladys, Thanks for your column on the handmade market industry. I make soaps, lotions and soy candles that sell well at these nomadic marketplaces. And I love it. I actually have been able to pay all of my bills with a little left over to plop into my savings account. And I am happy with my business as it is. My family and friends keep telling me that my products would be easy to get into large stores like Wal-Mart and Target, and that I would have fast growth. And they say I'm crazy not to move my business to that level. Just thinking about a move like that wears me out. I got into this industry because I am not interested in a fast-paced, rat race kind of lifestyle. I have a small studio I have set aside in my home to make my products. And I enjoy making them myself. To move into the big stores would force me to have my products manufactured by a large company. Am I crazy not to want to be a part of this? -- A.P.

No, you are not crazy. In fact, it is admirable that you have built a business that fits your lifestyle rather than dance to the tunes of others. There is no one-size-fits-all in how a business runs. We each have different needs and desires and it is our responsibility to move in the direction that fits us.

The dotcom explosion of the '90s helped convince many entrepreneurs that fast growth was the only way to go. This was part of a generally faster-paced lifestyle that many of us adopted, as shown by the success of the fast-food industry.

But the fast-food idea has been so big that the pendulum may be swinging the other way, with a "slow food" movement gaining a lot of momentum globally. It's all about going the old fashioned route of people actually cooking their own food and shopping for fresh produce, sticking as close to all-natural ingredients as possible.

And, guess what -- the slow food trend is inspiring the broader "slow movement," which is about taking time to rethink our priorities so we can simplify our lives. Some call it "downshifting." The last time I visited the website www.slowmovement.com, it seemed to be gathering a large following.

That "nomadic marketplace" to which you refer is probably part of of the slow movement; in other words, a return back to the way things use to be. The primary purpose of having your own business is so that it can become the catalyst to affording you a life worth living. For some people fast growth means fast profits. However, that is not the vision of all who enter into a business.

I have always operated my businesses at a level that has been comfortable for me. I need to maintain a good balance between my work and my private life.

During my travel company days both family and friends could not understand why I didn't want to open branches all over the country or to turn it into a franchise operation.

These folks mean well when they push you to expand. However, you have to do what works for you. My idea of business is very similar to yours: I want my business to allow for a good income at a comfortable level that will give me time to enjoy my life.

So, continue to run your business and your life in a way that satisfies your lifestyle.

Gladys Edmunds' Entrepreneurial Tightrope column appears Wednesdays. As a single, teen-age mom, Gladys made money doing laundry, cooking dinners for taxi drivers and selling fire extinguishers and Bibles door-to-door. Today, Edmunds, founder of Edmunds Travel Consultants in Pittsburgh, is a private coach/consultant in business development and author ofThere's No Business Like Your Own Business, published by Viking. See an index of Edmunds' columns. Her website is www.gladysedmunds.com. You can e-mail her at gladys@gladysedmunds.com.