1. Embrace Change
Change is good and sometimes necessary. Being cemented in place while the rest of the world continues to zoom by could cost you dearly in the business world. With half of the working adults in the US doubling as business owners, the ability to adapt can help your business grow and stand out.
2. Focus on the Future
Was yesterday a bad day? Forget to put the sugar in your coffee this morning? Forget about these setbacks and focus on your future. Lamenting on the past can cloud the path to a successful future. Keep your eyes forward and keep moving towards your goals.
3. Stop making Excuses
They do nothing but hold you back. Instead, focus on how to improve and grow. Acknowledge the problem and take steps towards resolving it, not towards excusing it.
4. Accept your own Mistakes
We all make them. It’s human nature. Learning to accept your mistakes can take a massive weight off your shoulders, and help better asses the situation and take steps towards fixing the problem.
5. Do it for Yourself
It’s your business. At the end of the day, you should love what you do. Yes, you want to make your customers happy, but if it’s at the cost of your own happiness, it can get pretty draining. Remember that this is your business, your vision, and it’s your happiness on the line.
6. Have No Fear
As Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: “the only thing to fear is fear itself,” and that applies to the business world as well. Fear can hold you back from doing great things, and fill you with doubt that can sabotage your dreams. Don’t let it block your path to success.
7. Realize that you’re Not Always Right
No one is perfect, and sometimes, our decisions are just wrong. Sometimes, our employees have better ideas than our own. Realizing that you don’t hold all the answers allows you to reach out in search of the right ones. And it helps everyone grow.
8. Acknowledge your Strengths
Whether you’re great at keeping track of invoices or you’re better at motivating and inspiring the troops, recognize what you’re good at. Build on your strengths in order to further yourself in business and in life.
9. Stop Placing Blame
Much like making excuses, placing blame simply hinders the process of resolving the problem. Instead of focusing your energy on assessing ‘who’, ask more productive questions like ‘why’ and ‘how’ and concentrate on resolving the issue.
10. Create your Own Expectations
Although you are serving your customers, remember this is your business. Make it everything you want it to be. Set attainable goals. Expand your horizons, and create an environment where you and your customers will both be comfortable. Remember, this is your business. What do you want it to be?
Although these are only suggestions to get you started, hopefully they will also serve as steps towards easing the stresses of everyday business life.
Small Biz Trends