Business Startup Do’s And Don’ts: Part 2

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Continued from Part 1

Stay Confident Despite The Stress

Approach every obstacle in business ownership as an opportunity to learn and grow. It’s not a problem; it’s a lesson – a path to a solution. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with stress, but you can’t let the pressure get to you. You must remain confident in your abilities so others feel comfortable trusting you with their business.

This is especially true if you have employees working underneath you. If you let your confidence slip, they may look for work elsewhere and force you to train a new person for the job. They could also take advantage of you because a lack of confidence yields a lack of authority. You don’t want that. Believe in yourself and others will believe in return.

Set Achievable Business Goals

Want to know the fastest way to boost your confidence? Set a goal and achieve it. It doesn’t have to be a big goal at first, just something that you can realistically do. “Visit all the homes in XXX neighborhood by the end of the week” to promote your services door to door.

Notice that this goal focuses on your efforts, not your results. If you set a goal to sign a certain number of contracts by the end of the week, you may be disappointed. However, the next neighborhood could yield three times the number of sales. You can’t predict how people will react to your marketing strategies, but you can determine how much effort you put into them. That is what your business goals should be built around.

Find Something To Be Passionate About

You don’t have to love every second of your job, but you shouldn’t dread going to work every day. Your customers can sense that. Before starting a business, make sure it’s something you’re passionate about. You could find passion in the bidding process and the ability to talk to new people every day. You may find passion in the flexibility your new schedule gives you. You could even be passionate about the income potential of entrepreneurship. Find the silver lining in your business venture so you can look forward to your work days.

Give Yourself A Break

When business is booming, you may feel the need to work as much as you possibly can. You can’t maintain that pace for forever though, and if you try, your relationships outside of work will suffer. Set business hours for yourself just like you would at an office. This schedule should accommodate your needs, your business demand, and your client’s schedules at the same time.

For example, you may be better off working four 10-12 hour days and taking three full days off each week. You might work three weeks out of the month and take the fourth week off completely. Whatever you do, don’t overwork yourself. Make sure you have time to rest, relax, and rejuvenate so you have the energy to keep your business running strong.