Remember how you felt the first day you opened your small business?
It's a time of excitement and joy for most of us. We're ready
to go and conquer the world!
However, once the honeymoon is over and reality sets in, we find
that there are challenges as well as successes in the world of
business. Some days we get overwhelmed with the challenges. After a
string of those days, we begin to lose our motivation.
It's
challenging even when you are an employee to stay motivated in a
job. However, employees usually have peers they can talk with to
vent about their day or to keep their skills sharp. That's not true
of employers. More often than not, we walk that road alone. And
unlike an employee, our motivation level
is
more likely to be tied to the performance of our company! If our
motivation is low, it could hurt the entire business.
Focusing on keeping yourself motivated may not be what you think.
Most of us think of motivation as cheerleading or rallying the
troops. That may be true for employees at times, but for business
owners self-motivation can be very different.
Here
are five ways to keep being motivated for business owners:
1.
Take a vacation. When WAS the last time you took time off? Really
took time off - without a cell phone, a laptop or a digital pager?
If it's been more than a year, you need to do it! Taking time to
relax and recharge is the best thing you can do to keep yourself
motivated. Vacations help stave off burn out, and refresh you
mentally and physically.
2.
Join an association. A trade organization is a fabulous way to get
contacts with your peers. You'll have access to a large pool of
people who share the same success and challenges every day. Don't
worry about being exposed to the competition - you can find people
who have similar businesses that are in
a
different part of the country or who focus on a different area. Most
associations have conferences and conventions that are great places
to learn about trends and develop your own new ideas.
3.
Attend training. Take a computer skills class or attend a workshop
to hone some of your skills. They don't even have to be directly
related to your business. Try something general like communication
skills, a writing course or a workshop on how to close a sell.
4.
Chase a dream. Even corporations are sending their executives to
open a flower shop or to climb Mount Everest. There's a lot to be
said about doing something far different than your day-to-day duties
to give you a different perspective about what you do. Fulfilling a
dream, either professionally or personally, has a profound effect on
us in our careers and how motivated we are.
5.
Work with a business coach. Working with a business coach will help
you set some goals for your business that can help keep you
motivated! Having both long-term and short-term goals are important.
It pumps us up to see instant success, but it's also very gratifying
to meet a long-term goal, too! Both do a lot to keep small business
owners motivated.
Most
small business owners give their hearts and souls to their
companies, especially during the critical first five years. It's
important to remember, though, that keeping our lives in balance
always helps at work. Nobody can consistently work 80 hours or more
a week without becoming burned out. Spend time with your family and
friends, take time for your own interests, create time for a
spiritual life and take care of your physical health, and you'll be
well on your way to staying motivated!
Resource Box:
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Copyright, Kate Smalley
Connecticut Secretary
