Responses to my "Goals" article - 2 Reader Stories to Inspire You

We've received some great responses from Chatter readers about how they are using eBay to accomplish something important (Read my blog post Setting Goals -- and Scoring Them on eBay). We can all benefit from these types of stories -- either we pick up good tips that we can use, or we just get a little "shot in the arm" of inspiration/motivation that makes the rest of our day go that much better. Success breeds more success, as they say. So let's share!

At one point or another, many of us have to deal with medical/dental bills -- i.e. lots of money owed for something that was urgent, not an option, and often not very fun to boot. (I faced an intimidating pile of medical bills once many years ago, and I know the feeling well.) Here's one reader's story about using eBay to take the "bite" out of her dental bills:

I'm trying to pay off a LOT of dental work that started in the spring of 2006. While it began with a gum infection, it also included the removal of my last two wisdom teeth, a bone graft, periodontal treatment (scaling & root planing), and a whole bunch of crowns, including a root canal on one tooth. The total bill was in excess of $8,000.

While I have dental insurance today, I had NO insurance at the time most of this work was done. I was laid-off during most of this dental work, but there really wasn't any way to put it off any longer (not if I wanted to keep my teeth!), so most of my dental work was paid for by credit card....eBay helps me to make ends meet so that I can (usually) pay more than the required minimum payment on the credit card. I have about $3,000 left to pay, and my goal is to get that paid off by the end of 2008!

Tana in Sacramento, CA
PrairiePrimitives on eBay

Next, I'd like to share a story from a reader whose story is a great example of the crawl-walk-run approach to business success on eBay:

My "personal goal" has been to see my business become successful. The definition of "successful" has changed over the years, expanding as each earlier definition has been reached.

Initially, "success" was just to end the month with more money in the bank than we started with. Then "success" became a net profit of more than $250 -- that took a bit longer. When I was laid off in 2003, I'd been selling part-time as a Trading Assistant for a couple of years, so it was natural to look to eBay to become my next career (I'd been programming professionally since college in '78). That meant a new definition: "signing clients" to keep me busy.

Once the clients were signed (which took close to 9 months!!), the definition was to break even -- to earn as much selling as it was costing me to meet bare subsistance living.  My wife was paying the mortgage - I had food, utilities... not an even split, but one that allowed me to concentrate on growing my business.

Today the current definition is to attain a true living income - rent, utilities, car payment/insurance, fuel, food -- the works.  And I'm almost there!

Along the way, my sales have grown from $1000 a month that first month to now over $10,000 a month.  So to help me attain my "success" of a true livable income, I've defined a secondary goal -- get my office out of the house, out of the garage, and into a 'real' office.  It's  just around the corner... I can see it on paper, I just have to do it on eBay!

The next definition beyond that will be adding help to expand my ability to list, sell, and ship.  With that will come the additional income to not only pay for the help, but to expand more... to achieve my ultimate definition of success:  When I can walk into the office on a Thursday morning, tell everyone I'll be leaving at noon and be back Monday evening... and run off for a care-free weekend with my very patient, very understanding wife... and NOT worry about the office, sales, or what I'll find when I come back Monday.

That is a goal worth working for, worth putting the time in for.

My goal has always been to succeed.  And I'm meeting that goal, and each new definition that goes with it, thru the support of my friends on the eBay boards, my own hard work, and the opportunities provided by eBay. And I'm not done redefining success yet!!  :)

-Bob.
RKS Solutions LLC
eBay ID: rosachs

Thanks for sharing, Tana and Bob -- and best of luck to you both!

Let's keep the emails coming.  Whether you're using eBay to dig yourself out of a hole, or build a mountain of success, we'd like to hear your story.  Write us at chatterblog@ebay.com.