Running a business is no joke, especially during the critical first few months. Inevitably some challenges will come your way and leave you feeling defeated. This is normal. What’s NOT normal is STAYING defeated! Here are three ways to protect yourself from getting demotivated while building the business you love.
Rule #1: Get Your Business Organized!
Perhaps the easiest way to NOT get shocked when problems come your way is by simply staying organized. Track everything: Marketing dollars spent, sales, test results, expenses, time spent on various tasks, everything. Having that data handy will help you zoom into the root causes of whatever business problem comes your way, allowing you to come up with a solution quickly.
According to Inc.com, conscientiousness (or the ability to be super organized, disciplined, and forward-thinking) is the one personality trait that’s most closely linked to success – not just in business, but in all other areas of life, as well.
My advice? Get into the habit right now. Get organized, develop self-discipline, and start planning ahead. Once you do, your odds of achieving business success skyrockets.
Rule #2: Stay on Top of Your Business’s Taxes
Speaking of getting organized, you’ll also want to stay on top of your business’s taxes. It’s really up to you how you want to feel when tax time comes around: Do you want to feel stressed and harried, or do you want to breeze through it because you’ve prepared for them in advance? I think we know the answer to that!
Your taxes will depend on your location and the type of business you’re building, but you MUST stay on top of your taxes even before tax time rolls around. It’s a simple, practical way of reducing the amount of stress you’ll have to deal with all year.
Rule #3: Your Business Must Always Over-Deliver
Finally, you should be ready to trip over yourself to deliver on your business’s promises to your customers. This may not sound very motivating, but it’s not the action itself that’s rewarding – it’s the result. When you under-promise and over-deliver, your customers will keep coming back to you. They’ll become raving fans of your business, simply because their first experience with you made them go “Wow.”
And as the owner of my own businesses, I can safely tell you that having a healthy “fan base” is one of the most motivating, most enjoyable aspects of your business. With a good number of fans, your business will market itself, and your profits will soar.
So if you want to stay motivated throughout the whole business-building process, remember: Stay organized, develop discipline, and “wow” them. Your business’s momentum will be your motivation.
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Photo: Getty Images
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