Staying Positive in Tough Times
Staying Passionate About Your Business – Even When it’s Tough... Running a small business isn’t easy. Every day you have new challenges and different hats to wear; this is even more so when times are tough. When faced with these times, many small business owners lose their passion for their business.
Here are some tips for holding onto that passion and getting your small business through these inevitable rough patches.
Surround Yourself with Positivity as Well as Create It
Customers, staff and suppliers want to work with people that are enthusiastic and positive. AND no, that doesn’t mean jumping out of your skin; but positive energy is infectious – people catch it and like to keep it.
Sometimes it is miserable so as the business leader you need to “fake it until you make it.” Be fanatical about positivity within your team as it will keep energy up and make it easier to focus on your goals.
Accept Mistakes and Failure
You will fail at something, sometime in business. Accept it. In today’s business world you need to make decisions and act quickly to stay in tune with your customers and ahead of the competition; don’t let a fear of failure hold you back from moving at speed.
Make mistakes work for you. Get up, dust yourself off, figure out what went wrong and then get back to it and just don’t make the same mistake again.
Go Easy on Yourself
Even experienced entrepreneurs run into trouble with their business. The risks are great, the hours are long and the work is tough. You have to be a business person, an innovator, a CEO, a sales director, a marketing manager, a financial officer and many other things, all at the same time.
No one can do it all. Avoid the tendency to beat yourself up. You are doing something most people wouldn’t even dream of attempting. You are a brave, ambitious person. Don’t forget that.
Stay Focused on Your Business Goals
You started a business because you had a dream. Bad financial moves, disappointing sales, failed product launches and any number of things can go wrong, causing you to question your business idea or your abilities.
When this happens, ask yourself if this one setback is worth giving up your dream. If the answer is no, and it should almost always be no, then learn from the experience and move forward.
Refresh or expand your Skills
If you are finding that your business is in a lacklustre place, take action. Attend a conference or seminar that applies to your industry or a skill that is important to your company’s success; leadership, sales, financial management.
Sometimes, taking positive steps in the right direction are all that’s needed to help you achieve your goals.
Embrace Rejection
Fear of rejection is a very strong motivator and, often, can lead people to make business decisions that aren’t in the best interest of themselves or their company.
It happens to everybody and you are no exception. However, like every other business failure, rejection comes with an opportunity to learn something you can use to improve yourself for next time.
Tick Off Your To Do List
Yep it just feels good to tick things off.
There is usually too much to do in any small business so you need to ensure you choose the right things – the things that move you forward toward your business goals or keep you motivated toward your business goals.
Realising your moving forward is always a great feeling.
