Dont Let Stress Run You Out Of Business
Dont Let Stress Run You Out Of Business
From Steven: "Tim, I started my business about a year ago and things are going fine, but the stress of running the business is really starting to get to me. I spend more time worrying than working. I’m starting to think that I’m not cut out to run my own business and that I should just close up shop and get a real job. Do you have any advice that might help me decide what to do?"
I’m full of advice, Steven, and it’s totally free. Just remember, you get what you pay for and I can’t be held legally or morally responsible if my advice somehow lands you behind the counter at McDonalds. I’m not Dr. Phil, for petesake. I’m shorter, have far more hair and far less money.
The first thing you need to do is take a few deep breaths and take comfort in the fact that you are not the first entrepreneur to feel the weight of the business world on your shoulders.
Every business person, including yours truly, has felt the way you do at one time or another. For some, it’s a constant feeling; especially when things aren’t going as well as we’d like them to. And don’t think the stress will magically disappear if your business takes off. I know people who run multimillion dollar corporations and they will tell you that the stress level goes up in proportion to the size of the business. These same people will also tell you they love what they do and would never consider doing anything else.
The difference between these entrepreneurs and you, Steven, is that they have learned to not only handle stress, but to transform it into a driving force. They feed off the stress. It fuels their creativity and innovation. Stress challenges them; it makes them think and makes them better entrepreneurs.
I think the real question isn’t whether or not you have what it takes to run a business. The real question is do you have what it takes to handle the stress of running a business. These are two very different questions and the answers depend totally on you.
Even on the best of days running a business can be incredibly stressful. It’s only natural that there will be times when you wonder if you’re really cut out to handle the pressure.
It sounds to me like you’re having what I call a "garbage truck moment." That's when the pressure of running your business starts getting to you and you begin to question whether the entrepreneurial life is right for you. Even when things are going great, there is stress. And when things go bad, the stress multiplies a hundred fold.
The debts are mounting, your staff is shrinking (or growing), you get that nauseous feeling in the pit of your stomach and you find yourself longing for the apparent simplicity of driving a garbage truck.
Note to garbage truck drivers: save your hate mail, boys. I know you work very hard and I respect what you do. Without you the world would be a very different, very smelly place, indeed.
What’s happening to you, Steven has happened to us all. The stress is causing you to doubt not only your decision to start your own business, but your ability to run it, as well.
There's no magic bullet for dealing with stress and you certainly can’t eliminate it altogether, so you must learn to handle it. I’ve talked about managing stress and worry in past columns (visit timknox.com and click the "Columns" tab), so I won’t go into great detail here other than to say you need to catch your breath and learn to revel in the things that are going well, not dwell on those things that are causing you stress.
You must learn to worry only about those things you can control, take action against those things you can’t, and be prepared to deal with those things that may stress you out tomorrow.
And remember this: very few things in life are without stress. Just ask any garbage truck driver.
Dont Let Stress Run You Out Of Business - To learn more about this author, visit Tim Knox's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
I wanted to share with you a question that came in this week from a local entrepreneur named, Steven, who is having a tough time dealing with the stress of running his small business. I’m hearing from a lot of stressed-out entrepreneurs these days, so hopefully sharing Steven’s question and my response will help others learn to cope with the pressure that comes with running your own business.
From Steven: "Tim, I started my business about a year ago and things are going fine, but the stress of running the business is really starting to get to me. I spend more time worrying than working. I’m starting to think that I’m not cut out to run my own business and that I should just close up shop and get a real job. Do you have any advice that might help me decide what to do?"
I’m full of advice, Steven, and it’s totally free. Just remember, you get what you pay for and I can’t be held legally or morally responsible if my advice somehow lands you behind the counter at McDonalds. I’m not Dr. Phil, for petesake. I’m shorter, have far more hair and far less money.
The first thing you need to do is take a few deep breaths and take comfort in the fact that you are not the first entrepreneur to feel the weight of the business world on your shoulders.
Every business person, including yours truly, has felt the way you do at one time or another. For some, it’s a constant feeling; especially when things aren’t going as well as we’d like them to. And don’t think the stress will magically disappear if your business takes off. I know people who run multimillion dollar corporations and they will tell you that the stress level goes up in proportion to the size of the business. These same people will also tell you they love what they do and would never consider doing anything else.
The difference between these entrepreneurs and you, Steven, is that they have learned to not only handle stress, but to transform it into a driving force. They feed off the stress. It fuels their creativity and innovation. Stress challenges them; it makes them think and makes them better entrepreneurs.
I think the real question isn’t whether or not you have what it takes to run a business. The real question is do you have what it takes to handle the stress of running a business. These are two very different questions and the answers depend totally on you.
Even on the best of days running a business can be incredibly stressful. It’s only natural that there will be times when you wonder if you’re really cut out to handle the pressure.
It sounds to me like you’re having what I call a "garbage truck moment." That's when the pressure of running your business starts getting to you and you begin to question whether the entrepreneurial life is right for you. Even when things are going great, there is stress. And when things go bad, the stress multiplies a hundred fold.
The debts are mounting, your staff is shrinking (or growing), you get that nauseous feeling in the pit of your stomach and you find yourself longing for the apparent simplicity of driving a garbage truck.
Note to garbage truck drivers: save your hate mail, boys. I know you work very hard and I respect what you do. Without you the world would be a very different, very smelly place, indeed.
What’s happening to you, Steven has happened to us all. The stress is causing you to doubt not only your decision to start your own business, but your ability to run it, as well.
There's no magic bullet for dealing with stress and you certainly can’t eliminate it altogether, so you must learn to handle it. I’ve talked about managing stress and worry in past columns (visit timknox.com and click the "Columns" tab), so I won’t go into great detail here other than to say you need to catch your breath and learn to revel in the things that are going well, not dwell on those things that are causing you stress.
You must learn to worry only about those things you can control, take action against those things you can’t, and be prepared to deal with those things that may stress you out tomorrow.
And remember this: very few things in life are without stress. Just ask any garbage truck driver.
Dont Let Stress Run You Out Of Business - To learn more about this author, visit Tim Knox's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
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 |
|||
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 |
|||
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 |
|||
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 |
|||
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 |
|||
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 |
|||
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 |
|||
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 |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Tim's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 |
|
|
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
|
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 9 Questions From New Marketers Confidentiality Agreement Buying 2.0 One Size Success Sample Press Release |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Marketing Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
 |
Top 50 Raising Capital Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
