[Mcblob_blob]

I live in a small mountain town with my older brother and sister, my mom and my dad. I am 15, my sister is 17, and my brother is 23. Let me first tell you abut my brother. He is the most respectable person I have ever met. He has a college degree and every day he goes to work in the City, 3 hours each way. He wakes up at for a.m and gets home around 7 p.m. It was his dream to start a business. Last month I bought a scented candle. My brother got an ideal to sell scented coffee candles online. It was a laugh at first but then we decided to actually do it. I only agreed because I thought it was a joke. I was wrong, my brother worked on accounting and inventory, my sister worked on making it look pretty, and I was in charge of the website. We each put in $100 to buy raw materials. We are probably going to start selling my the end of next week. Now here is my problem. I can't put this in any better way but I suck at everything I do. I try to do the most basic task and I end up screwing up. I was also in charge of making a market plan and a market analysis. I messed up at everything I did. Now I have to learn HTML to sell our stuff. I tried my best but my sister and brother just took over. Our website kind of sucks right now. I feel really guilty now. I know my brother and sister would kick me out if I didn't put $100 in. I also feel bad because they have both worked really hard and made great progress, but I am still where I was from day 1. I can't just quit because my $100 is turned into candle supplies. I know that my brother wants me to do well, but I just suck at everything. Last week I spent 9 hours trying to learn HTML but I still suck at it and it takes me so long to do the most simple tasks. What should I do?

[Kitkat22]

Hi there will be a computer expert along in a few. Hang on. There a lot of people here who are great with computers. If they don't respond tonight they may tomorrow.
Don't give up. You may learn something here:)

[kryostar]

Don't despair,don't fret,don't give up,don't give up,don't give up! Notice a trend? SUCCESS IS ALL ABOUT PERSISTENCE , you may have talent, skill, intelligence, without PERSISTENCE you are destined to fail. So keep up the good work, you worked on HTML for nine hours last week,work on it ten hours this week. You can't give up, you see your brother succeed because he is so persistent. He doesn't give up. You'll make it, show your siblings you're a valuable part of the team. I would say good luck, and I hope you have it, but the only thing that ensures SUCCESS is? Need I say it?

[redhed35]

Ask for help!

That's what a partnership is all about,that's what team work is all about.

The idea and the business does not belong to one person,it belongs to the team.

Your brother and sister have more experience then you,there is no shame in asking for help.

[pipstik]

If you REALLY want to succeed in whatever you do, you will eventually. It takes time and hardwork and motivation, which I see that you have. And redhed is right. If it's a partnership, you need to tell the other partners what difficulties you are facing. And you being the youngest and most inexperienced, I am sure they will help you.

You need to have a brave and positive approach in every thing.

[QLP]

Nobody sucks at everything. The best way for a joint enterprise is to play to the strengths of everyone involved.

So firstly spend some time considering what you enjoy doing and have any kind of ability for. Even the smallest amount of ability can be nurtured into something big with persistence.

Then have a talk with your siblings and discuss what are your best skills, how they can be nurtured, and how they can best be used to help the business.

The prime things I would be looking for in any business partner would be a positve attitude and a williingness both to learn and to work hard. Give those and I am sure that your family will be happy to help you with the things you need to learn and get better at.

[Jake2008]

While I agree that overall, you will eventually find your niche, and feel comfortable doing things you enjoy, clearly this candle making thing has not turned out to be one of them.

It seems that they have decided who should do what, and the project has taken a life of its own, with you doing things you did not expect, or want, or know, how to do. That isn't a fault to you, that you don't know HTML, and likely neither do they- which is why you were delegated (not negotiated with) to do the task in the first place.

Because you are the younger one, does not mean that your $100 shouldn't have equal say, just like the others who have also put in the same amount of money.

But, you have to stick up for yourself too- as an equal in this venture.

Nobody is going to make any money if the website is the primary source for selling your product, and the website is beyond what you are willing, and/or able to do. Speak up!

Because you are an equal in this venture, that means that things are negotiated. You need to negotiate what you are willing and comfortable doing, and when things start to go wrong, the tasks have to be tackled and problems solved, by the whole group.

All partners knew that you were good at computers (obviously), but HTML? That is like saying as a GP, I'm also qualified to take on the task of brain surgery.

My advice to you is part of finding your way in this world with regard to confidence, self assurance, etc. is recognizing that you cannot do everything, or always live up to what others' expectations of you are. If there is a lesson so to speak, to be learned here, it is the same lesson everybody has to learn, and that is, accept that you have limitations, recognize them, and bring the problem to the table for all parties to find a solution.

They also want you to do a marketing plan and a market analysis? That seems a lot to put on 15 year old shoulders.

If I were in your shoes, I would ask for a team meeting, and lay your concerns on the table, ask for assistance, and expect that they would give it to you. If this venture fails because of unreasonable or unbalanced expectations, that shouldn't be on your shoulders.