How to stay motivated as a business owner.
Owning and actively managing a small business is no easy feat, it usually involves navigating extremes. On some days, everything is great and you feel like you are on top of the world while on other days, things just seem uncertain.
Having to constantly cycle through these moments can leave you feeling burnt out and unmotivated as a business owner. We empathize with that and it’s what spurred us to put together this list of helpful tips that can help you get back on track and juice up on motivation for those moments when you are feeling uninspired.
How to stay motivated:
- Find your why: It might sound cliche but having clarity regarding why you are running a business is extremely helpful in keeping you going.
If you don’t truly know why you are doing something, it’s nearly impossible to keep going when times get tough.
So think about it: Why did you start your business? Is it a hustle to supplement your primary income? Are you in it because of the flexibility or you see it as an opportunity to build wealth for yourself?
Whatever your reason, it’s important to be clear on it and remind yourself of it each day. This will help when things get tough because you’d know there is a reason why you need to keep grinding.
2. Appreciate yourself: Comparison can be devastating when you are stuck on comparing yourself to other people or other business owners but it can also be a force for good when harnessed positively — when the only person you compare yourself to is yourself.
If you look back at when you started your business, you are sure to find all the tell-tale signs of growth that let you know that while you might not be where you want to be yet, you are not where you used to be.
Appreciate the mistakes you have made that have shaped you into becoming a better business owner, appreciate your growth.
3. Actively source for inspiration: There is no shortage of amazing entrepreneurial stories out there in the world and one thing you get to learn from actively following these stories is that successful entrepreneurs aren’t much different from you.
They are also humans who shared your fears and aspirations when building their business, they weren’t flawless individuals who always made the perfect move.
They were gritty and relentless like you so take heart because you are creating your own story.
4. Find a support system: The best kind of support system you can have as a business owner is other business owners like you who genuinely get what it’s like trying to build a business because while a lot of people can empathize, few can truly understand what it’s like on a day to day basis.
So actively look for and join communities of fellow business owners who get you.
5. Listen to your body: As a small business owner, there is always this need/pressure to work harder, to put in more hours and that’s fine, anything good comes at a cost but it’s not fine if the cost of “success” is your health.
Take time to get rest. If you are able, find ways to get physical activity and care for yourself both physically and mentally.
You’re the boss of yourself — be a nice one.
On a parting note, It has to be said that there is no perfect list or playbook for how things should play out. You are your own person on your own journey so not every tip listed out might be a fit for you. Take the ideas that make the most sense and apply them to your life.
