9 steps to reducing the stress of business ownership
9 steps to reducing the stress of business ownership
There's stress around money. Stress around deadlines. Stress around customers. Stress around employees, I could go on and on but I think you get the picture...
Getting that stress under control is one of the most significant challenges facing business owners today. It's also one of the best things you can do for your business and for yourself.
It doesn't have to be hard to eliminate some of that stress, here are some simple steps to help you do just that:
1. Revisit the reasons you started the business. Why did you go into business? What were the things you loved about it? What had you hoped to accomplish? Get back in touch with those things now and make sure your daily activities include the things you really want to be doing and that you enjoy.
2. Get your business finances under control. Don't be an ostrich! Face up to what's happening with your cash flow, receivables and payables. Take action to remedy any problem areas before it eats you up alive.
3. Create a personal game plan to take care of yourself while you're getting things under control. Most businesses produce casualties and often those casualties are to the business owner. We're the ones who have to sacrifice on a myriad of fronts: you take no money when things are tight, you lose out on time with friends and family when work has to get done, you skip the gym or exercise class because a deadline has to be met. But, how long can you sacrifice before it catches up with you? Take time to create a personal game plan to take care of yourself so that you don't burnout.
4. Enhance your sales and marketing skills. No business can survive if it doesn't have enough sales, period. And, the businesses who find it easiest to succeed are the ones whose owners have good sales and marketing skills. Sure, salespeople can help, but if you're serious about achieving business success and reducing your own stress level, don't risk the future of your company by ignoring these essential skills.
5. Improve time management and work performance. It's the rare business owner who doesn't need an additional 10 hours in the day. If time management and productivity are an issue in your business, take action to make sure you've got this critical area under control.
6. Replace crisis management with strategic planning. If there's one thing that really creates stress and backfires on you it's the lack of planning. Many business owners feel they're too busy to stop and plan. For some "shooting from the hip" has become a way of life. As a result, they get caught in the vicious cycle of crisis management. They're so busy putting out fires, that they never do any fire prevention. If this sounds familiar, please, take some time to do some planning right now. It's possible to stop the cycle if you put your mind to it.
7. Create systems and procedures to manage growth. Without them, things quickly get out of control. No company can grow properly if they don't manage what's going on. This crucial area can make the difference between success and failure. From managing production to dealing with money, employees, inventory or whatever; every business needs systems and procedures to help them manage growth.
8. Eliminate the personal issues affecting your business, and the business issues affecting your life. It's hard to get your business under control if your life is out of control and vice versa. Deal with the problems that exist in all areas of your life, and you'll find your stress level will drop dramatically.
9. Get your business on track and stay there! If things have gotten out of control, it may seem like it's impossible to change them, but take it from me it's not. Get centered, take time out and start developing a plan to get things back on track. You'll soon find that the stress starts to melt away
9 steps to reducing the stress of business ownership - To learn more about this author, visit Susan Martin's Website.
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If there's one thing I've learned in all of my years as a business owner and business coach is that there's a heck of a lot of stress that goes along with running a business. As a result, many business owners have a really hard time making things work and feel as though they have to sacrifice time and time again.
There's stress around money. Stress around deadlines. Stress around customers. Stress around employees, I could go on and on but I think you get the picture...
Getting that stress under control is one of the most significant challenges facing business owners today. It's also one of the best things you can do for your business and for yourself.
It doesn't have to be hard to eliminate some of that stress, here are some simple steps to help you do just that:
1. Revisit the reasons you started the business. Why did you go into business? What were the things you loved about it? What had you hoped to accomplish? Get back in touch with those things now and make sure your daily activities include the things you really want to be doing and that you enjoy.
2. Get your business finances under control. Don't be an ostrich! Face up to what's happening with your cash flow, receivables and payables. Take action to remedy any problem areas before it eats you up alive.
3. Create a personal game plan to take care of yourself while you're getting things under control. Most businesses produce casualties and often those casualties are to the business owner. We're the ones who have to sacrifice on a myriad of fronts: you take no money when things are tight, you lose out on time with friends and family when work has to get done, you skip the gym or exercise class because a deadline has to be met. But, how long can you sacrifice before it catches up with you? Take time to create a personal game plan to take care of yourself so that you don't burnout.
4. Enhance your sales and marketing skills. No business can survive if it doesn't have enough sales, period. And, the businesses who find it easiest to succeed are the ones whose owners have good sales and marketing skills. Sure, salespeople can help, but if you're serious about achieving business success and reducing your own stress level, don't risk the future of your company by ignoring these essential skills.
5. Improve time management and work performance. It's the rare business owner who doesn't need an additional 10 hours in the day. If time management and productivity are an issue in your business, take action to make sure you've got this critical area under control.
6. Replace crisis management with strategic planning. If there's one thing that really creates stress and backfires on you it's the lack of planning. Many business owners feel they're too busy to stop and plan. For some "shooting from the hip" has become a way of life. As a result, they get caught in the vicious cycle of crisis management. They're so busy putting out fires, that they never do any fire prevention. If this sounds familiar, please, take some time to do some planning right now. It's possible to stop the cycle if you put your mind to it.
7. Create systems and procedures to manage growth. Without them, things quickly get out of control. No company can grow properly if they don't manage what's going on. This crucial area can make the difference between success and failure. From managing production to dealing with money, employees, inventory or whatever; every business needs systems and procedures to help them manage growth.
8. Eliminate the personal issues affecting your business, and the business issues affecting your life. It's hard to get your business under control if your life is out of control and vice versa. Deal with the problems that exist in all areas of your life, and you'll find your stress level will drop dramatically.
9. Get your business on track and stay there! If things have gotten out of control, it may seem like it's impossible to change them, but take it from me it's not. Get centered, take time out and start developing a plan to get things back on track. You'll soon find that the stress starts to melt away
9 steps to reducing the stress of business ownership - To learn more about this author, visit Susan Martin's Website.
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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