Do you wake up in the morning excited about going to the office? Do you love being your own boss? If the luster has worn off a bit, believe me, I understand. I work with clients regularly who just don’t love their businesses as much as they used to and that’s a shame! Here are my three top tips for falling back in love with your business:
Think back to when you started and write down what you loved about your business then. What was the original idea? Are you still on track with that? Has something derailed you? If so, what? Can you get back on track?
Have your personal goals changed? If, in the beginning, your personal and professional goals were aligned, but now things have shifted you should take some time to reevaluate where the two have diverged and why? Believe me, personal growth is nothing to fret about — in fact it’s healthy. It just might be that your priorities have shifted and perhaps your business needs to shift to stay aligned with personal and life goals.
Who are your role models or mentors? Are they on track? Can they offer you the chance to talk and help see why you aren’t in love with the business any longer and how to reignite your passion. If you don’t have a mentor or role model you may need to talk with a business coach and rework your business plan.
Have you fallen out of love with your business? Do you want to fall back in love? We can help! If you have rediscovered your passion we’d love to know how you did it!
The idea of business growth is great, right? Yes and no. It’s great if you’re ready for it, but what if you’re not? What if you get so much new business that you simply can’t handle it on your own? You don’t want to try and build a team in the midst of a growth spurt — it’s too hard to assure you’re getting the best talent when you’re under the gun.
Don’t let growing pains plague your business. Here is how you can prepare:
Have strategies in place for growth. This means, when you’re putting your business plan together you need to take growth into consideration. If you have employees on site and have to hire more will you have the space for them? This is a consideration not all business owners plan for.
What will growth cost you? By that I mean, will the number of new clients you’re bringing in be enough to offset the cost of new staff?
Do you have enough people in place, right now, to handle growth? If you don’t, where will you find them and how quickly can you get them up to speed?
Will a growth spurt change our company culture or the way you deliver products or services?
Growth is what all entrepreneurs strive for, but it doesn’t typically happen without growth pains. Plan ahead and you can minimize the pain.
Is stress a part of your daily life? As an entrepreneur, you may have more stress than others, but you don’t want to let stress rule your life or your health — and your business will suffer. During my business coaching calls we cover stress and how it impacts a business owner. We talk about it from a “setting a business growth path” view, but it helps keep an entrepreneur sane and the business growing.
How can you tackle your stress? Here are tips:
Get away from your desk and get out into nature. Walk around your office building. Stepping away from the screen can be liberating. When it gets to be too much for me I climb mountains!
Look for the silver lining. Spend time counting your blessings!
Many people work virtually now and have little to no human interaction. If that is your situation, you should get out of the office — even if it just means having a meeting at a coffee shop. A change of scenery will do you good.
Don’t let stress lead you down a path of eating processed, unhealthy foods. Healthy foods fuel you better.
Get a hobby. Get out on the golf course, climb a mountain, read a book. Rediscover a hobby and make time for it daily.
To be an effective entrepreneur you need to find ways to manage your stress.
Email management or lack thereof is sometimes the bane of the business owner’s existence. Email is an ideal form of communication and in some cases can save a lot of time and back and forth on the telephone. Email is also an ideal way to have a history of project timelines and tasks.
Here are tips for taming your email inbox:
Set aside time a couple of times a day to go through your inbox. Don’t get distracted by incoming messages while you’re working on something else.
Delete emails you’re done with. If there are those that go back and forth, keep only the latest one.
The subject line should match the content of the message.
Only “handle” an email once. If you’re reading it, then respond to it. Don’t file emails until you have responded to them.
Don’t use “reply all” messages unless it truly is necessary for everyone to reply.
If the dream of being your own boss is one that you have had for a while. What’s stopping you? Is it the staggering amount of information that’s out there? Is it because you don’t know exactly what you want to do?
In my coaching practice I work with both long-time and first-time entrepreneurs and here are some factors I’ve found to be true in many cases:
Don’t get sidetracked. It’s easy to do if you don’t have a clear focus and a business plan to keep you on track and focused. Don’t say “yes” to opportunities that simply don’t suit your overall business model.
If you don’t focus on your area of expertise you likely won’t succeed. Spend your time and energy on your area of expertise and outsource those items that you simply aren’t great at or that will cost you more money to complete than if you hired someone.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “fake it until you make it” and that means you can “fake” a large office and “fake” that you’re working with a team. Work on a shoestring and spend only what you need to while you’re in start up mode.
