While being a small business owner is a satisfying and rewarding job, it can put a lot of stress on you if you are not cautious. You may wake up one day and realise that you can simply not keep going at the speed and intensity and speed that you are right now. Something has to give, and if you are not careful, it can be your health. What good are you to your business if you are ill?
Instead of keeping going until you drop, or throwing your hands up in the air and saying 'I quit', there are plenty of things that you can do to change the way you go about running and managing your business to make life easier. By putting the tips we share below into practice, you will find that you feel better, sleep better and accomplish a lot more.
Instead of keeping going until you drop, or throwing your hands up in the air and saying 'I quit', there are plenty of things that you can do to change the way you go about running and managing your business to make life easier. By putting the tips we share below into practice, you will find that you feel better, sleep better and accomplish a lot more.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Even the best business owner is better at some things than others. Maybe you are superb at winning big contracts but you scratch your head when it comes to optimizing your website content for search engines. Think about what you are good at and what you are not so good at, and delegate your weaker areas to someone who knows what they are doing. IT project management, for example, is best left to the professionals. You will be happier and your business will be happier.
Are you geared up for remote working?
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, more of us than ever are working remotely, and people are beginning to see the advantages. All the hours you spend on trains and planes travelling to meet clients - if you are properly geared up, you can use that time to work. There is nothing worse than being stuck in a hot, stuffy office when you know you could be working better at home, or in your local coffee shop. Look at what you need to do to be able to work remotely - cloud storage, for example, and implement it.
Learn to say no
As a business owner, you want to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. After all, who knows when the next one will be along? However, if you re saying yes to small scale jobs that don’t really benefit your business, but take time and effort away from bigger jobs, then you haven’t quite got the balance right. Learn which jobs to take, and which to turn down. It is difficult, to begin with, but can be very liberating.
Look after yourself
Running yourself down to the ground is the easiest way to rin your business into the ground as well. Make sure you are sleeping, spending time with your loved ones, getting plenty of exercise, drinking plenty of water and eating a healthy, balanced diet. It sounds simple, but you would be surprised how many people neglect this,especially when trying to get their business going.
Even the best business owner is better at some things than others. Maybe you are superb at winning big contracts but you scratch your head when it comes to optimizing your website content for search engines. Think about what you are good at and what you are not so good at, and delegate your weaker areas to someone who knows what they are doing. IT project management, for example, is best left to the professionals. You will be happier and your business will be happier.
Are you geared up for remote working?
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, more of us than ever are working remotely, and people are beginning to see the advantages. All the hours you spend on trains and planes travelling to meet clients - if you are properly geared up, you can use that time to work. There is nothing worse than being stuck in a hot, stuffy office when you know you could be working better at home, or in your local coffee shop. Look at what you need to do to be able to work remotely - cloud storage, for example, and implement it.
Learn to say no
As a business owner, you want to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. After all, who knows when the next one will be along? However, if you re saying yes to small scale jobs that don’t really benefit your business, but take time and effort away from bigger jobs, then you haven’t quite got the balance right. Learn which jobs to take, and which to turn down. It is difficult, to begin with, but can be very liberating.
Look after yourself
Running yourself down to the ground is the easiest way to rin your business into the ground as well. Make sure you are sleeping, spending time with your loved ones, getting plenty of exercise, drinking plenty of water and eating a healthy, balanced diet. It sounds simple, but you would be surprised how many people neglect this,especially when trying to get their business going.