Being a Business Owner Can Bring up Powerful Feelings, Both Positive and Negative. And That Can Often Mean Stress. Here are a Few Tips for Dealing With It.
By Paula Demers
Owning your own business can be stressful. Since you're in charge, you have the option of keeping stress down to a minimum. Here are seven tips I use to make my business more enjoyable.
1. Don't Allow the Business to Own You--Many businesses operate right at home. And it's easy to work at it day and night, forgetting what's important. Set aside times that you work at your business. Then when the time is up, stop.
2. Make a Priority List--This could be a daily or weekly list. List the most important things first. Check off things on this list as you get them done. If you don't get them all accomplished, at least you have the most important things done.
3. Look at Your Correspondence Through Business (Not Personal) Eyes--Though it doesn't happen often, when you own your own business you'll receive "not so nice" letters. It might be your fault, then again, it might not be. If it's your fault, fix it. If that's not good enough, there's nothing more you can do, so drop it. If it isn't your fault, there's nothing you can do about it...period.
4. Don't Try to Please Everyone--Just be honest and do your best. No one can do better than that.
5. Don't Overwhelm Yourself--Since you're in charge of your business, you can decide when, where and how you want to run your business. If you start to become overwhelmed, adjust your business accordingly.
6. Keep Friendship and Business Separate--Since I have been in business, I have worked with thousands of people. I know hundreds across the country. I have made many friends. Some I've known for years.
It's very easy to expect friends to do things for you (advertising, printing, etc) for nothing. Or to try to get them to invest in something you have. Or for them to expect it of you. It's very important, if you become friends, to have your business relationship separate. When the two meet, many problems arise.
Everyone has different goals for their business so they will need to make the decisions that are best for themselves.
7. Don't Be Afraid to Take Time Off--Do something you enjoy. Bring the children to the park. Go to the beach. Or out to dinner. Taking a couple of days off for a "mini" vacation is nice. Don't worry--your work will still be there when you get back.
It's so easy to spend every waking minute on your business. To let everything that happens in it affect you. To let it run your entire life.
How do I know? I did it when I first started. My husband reminded me that I had a family that was growing up very quickly. I had a life. To work constantly and worry about it did not make my business grow. It did not make me more money.
Since then, I have decided to run my business instead of it running me. I work less and make more money. I enjoy the relationships I have and what I have chosen to be my business. I don't feel obligated to anyone except to do the best I can for my customers.
Bottom line? It's fun.
Paula Demers has been running a successful mail order business since 1990. For more of her offers, send $3 to:
Home Profits Business Builders P.O. Box 280 Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32549-0280
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