I talk to small business owners every day. They all need motivation! Without a healthy dose of small business motivation stuff goes undone. The products and services suffer and a vicious spiral begins. Discouragement latches onto the owner’s psyche. Business leads cool down significantly. Revenue streams become a trickle. Customers complain and disappear.
These are all bad things for your business. As a business owner, you have to hustle everyday. Putting forth this kind of effort can be exhausting; here are few energizing tips.
1
Set your priorities
Take a deep breath and step back from your work. Get a good night’s rest and make a list of the most important aspects of your life. Keep this list prominent in your daily routine. Ask yourself, “Is my business supporting my priorities.” If it isn’t, then it might be time to walk away. If it used to but doesn’t anymore, then return to the basics. Spend your time on priorities and avoid distractions that aren’t on your list.It’s nearly impossible to avoid all distractions. If distractions arise, try to delegate them or set aside down time to work on them. You self-regulate your efforts and ultimately control your destiny. When circumstances dictate you lose control. Limit these rabbit trails and you’ll find yourself retaining more motivation for running your small business.
2
Read with purpose
Find a book that will teach you something and read it. Make time for self improvement and chart a course to make the changes you want in your life. Sometimes is easier to read about something than it is to actually accomplish that thing.Seth says about reading business books, “Decide, before you start, that you’re going to change three things about what you do all day at work. Then, as you’re reading, find the three things and do it. The goal of the reading, then, isn’t to persuade you to change, it’s to help you choose what to change.”
3
Ask for help
It is difficult to find good help these days, but you can’t accomplish everything your want on your own efforts. It sounds crazy and takes a heap of humility. I am not saying have someone else do the work for you; that will never happen. You must initiate the process. There will be times, however, that you can’t seem to cross the finish line. These are the times you need to reach out.I was having a conversation with one of my clients this morning and he said he needed someone to accomplish a task he had been putting off. His answer, “Robert, you’re that guy who’s going to get me to do it!” He is right. Let others have a little input in your life. You will stick with tasks longer and have more favorable outcomes if you simply work with others.