As business owners, we are constantly working to improve our companies, products, and services. We have to be creative in thinking of new ways to market ourselves, promote our brands, and communicate with others.
With all that juggling, it can become difficult to find time for things that matter most to you as an individual — your health and personal relationships.
Running a business includes keeping in touch with friends and family back at home, nurturing yourself physically and emotionally, and finding time to do things that make you happy.
If you’re in a position where someone else is running your company, they may not recognize this as possible or necessary. They could even put pressure on you to keep overworking yourself and sacrificing your well-being.
It's important to know what types of behaviors are healthy for business leaders and how to address them when you feel like you're hitting the wall. Here are some tips for protecting your mental and physical wellbeing while also advancing your career.
As mentioned before, you as an entrepreneur are very valuable to them. If someone could do your job, they would be paid more or double the pay for doing it!
As such, most large companies will not get in the way of you running your business. They may give you some tips, suggest people and tools you should use, and even offer products or services that help you run your business.
That is why it is important to remain loyal to brands and vendors that treat you well. Don’t waste time looking for better deals online or from other sellers – stay within the ecosystem so that things go smoothly.
By staying loyal, you keep yourself out of trouble. Companies want you to succeed because this helps them too!
There was a famous story about how Amazon wouldn’t let Ira Flatow (the host of “The Left Channel”) promote his show by paying off through advertising. He needed the money to survive since he produced the show himself and also funded the website for it.
But Amazon wouldn’t budge until Ira asked if he could advertise on the company’s own site instead! This made sense to them since they make lots of money from advertisements and wanted to spread the wealth around.
With all due respect, some people just do not seem to understand how business works. These individuals can be very difficult to work with because they constantly try to tell you what to do or take over the situation.
They may also use unnecessary flashy language and tone that is not appropriate for the workplace.
If someone like this has ever made you feel uncomfortable, you should probably look into ways to improve your personal productivity skills.
This will help you focus more on getting things done instead of being distracted by others’ behaviors.
Start practicing these next time someone with poor leadership qualities comes in contact with you.
As an entrepreneur, you will inevitably come across a professional who is not supportive of your career choice. These people can be hard to deal with because they feel like they know everything about you and your business!
If this person has been around for some time then it may be motivation to find another mentor or leadership opportunity. This could mean finding new leaders in your area or looking at online communities to connect with other professionals.
Alternatively, if this individual is more recent then try having conversations instead of arguments. More informal settings such as lunch and/or after work are good alternatives.
Whatever you do, don’t get drawn into discussions that seem to go nowhere or that are purely negative. Simply walk away and focus on your own tasks for the day.
As an entrepreneur, your success depends heavily on the people that work for you. You must depend on them, give them credit for how they contribute to the company, pay them well, promote them within the organization, and trust them completely with important responsibilities.
If someone in your team is not supporting and promoting you, then it’s time to look at whether they are part of the reason why your business failed.
You have to believe in yourself, but there is no way you can if individuals around you don’t.
Take a good hard look at your relationships and see who is going to help you succeed and be supportive after reading this article!
Also, ask yourself what you would do if one of your colleagues left and took all of their belongings with them? Would you stay or would you go as well? If you would leave like a coward, then maybe it’s time to consider changing jobs or industries.
Running your own business takes a lot of effort and energy so make sure those close to you will still be here when you return. Investing in friendships that will keep you happy and motivated during these times may mean leaving some money in your wallet, but spending time with the right people is always worth it.
As an entrepreneur, your career will constantly be moving forward. You will always have something to do. It is important to understand that being successful as a person cannot depend on being successful as a professional athlete or musician, for example.
It’s great if you are talented at what you do, but being talented does not ensure success. For instance, there was a famous singer who spent his life trying to convince people that he was gifted beyond measure, only to see his talent go unnoticed.
If you want to be rich, work hard. If you want to live a happy, well-balanced life, work smart. But don’t expect to earn a large income unless you are willing to put in a lot of effort.
And while it may sound cliché, every successful entrepreneur makes mistakes. A classic example is Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who left his job as a computer programmer to start his own company.
Musk failed miserably when his first company collapsed, but since then he has built another company from scratch and made it profitable. So instead of telling yourself ‘I can’t make this mistake again, I must learn my lesson!’ try looking at the failures with an open mind. Who knows? You could discover the next Elon Musk.
Let’s take a look at one of the biggest sources of business owner stress- running out of money!
Most entrepreneurs start off with a small amount of capital and grow from there, but as your company grows, so does your budget.
It is very common for business owners to run through their savings and debt payments quickly to keep their businesses going.
This can easily add up to a lot of pressure.
Running out of cash can cause major setbacks such as having to close your business or even being forced into bankruptcy.
Not only that, but it also makes it more difficult to get new loans or finance equipment or advertising for your business.
As mentioned earlier, you as an entrepreneur can sometimes become too focused on your business. This is totally normal!
Having a successful business means success for you as a person and family member. You will achieve success when you are in balance and spend time with those who matter to you, not just because they matter, but because you want to!
It’s important to remember that life outside of work is a gift, something we were given so that we could enjoy it. If you don’t believe me, try living under a rock for one month!
Take some time off to do things you have been wanting to do for a while. Visit a museum you have always wanted to see, go to a movie you have been looking forward to watching for weeks, take a vacation you have been talking about for years.
And while you are spending money, be conscious of how much you are spending. Give yourself a budget and stick to it, even if you have to cut back slightly at first.
As a person who has owned his own business, I can tell you that being asked for input is not common practice. It takes a lot of work to do it at scale.
Business owners are usually so focused on getting the job done and keeping the ball rolling on projects that they don’t have time to spend energy asking people what they want or giving them suggestions about how to make things better.
But this is essential in ensuring the success of their business!
By doing so, they risk losing out on potential opportunities, as well as depriving themselves of knowledge and tips that could help them run their business more efficiently.
The chances are high that there are other businesses like yours close by who aren’t taking full advantage of all the resources available to them.
