Fall In Love With Your Business Again

Everyone falls in love with their business again at one point, but let’s be honest: it can get a little stale. Your routine is well-practiced, your vendors are familiar and reliable, you know where the cash flow is coming from. But all of that familiarity breeds routine and repetition.

It’s a situation that can lead to stagnation and boredom, which means you’re not running your business the way you should be.

Changes are hard, but they can actually give your business new life. Here are some tips to get yourself back on track:

Establish your goals - Knowing where you want to go with your business is an essential first step in moving forward. Without it, you’ll flounder at sea because you won’t be focused. If you don’t know what you want from your business in the coming year, take the time now to figure it out. Put down on paper what it is that will help drive your company forward. Decide what you want to accomplish, and then work backwards - How can you do that? Start by identifying the things that are in your way. This means digging into the nuts and bolts of your business by listing everything from actions you need to take every day to break routines to how much time it takes for everything to happen. When you get back with everyone who’s involved in your business – clients, vendors, coworkers – ask them how they can help reach new heights.

Put a deadline on any task that is holding up your progress. It should be an easy one: "By March 13th I want this completed.” Push yourself to get it done so you’re motivated to keep the momentum going.

Re-assess your vision - If you already have an annual review process in place, this is a great time to run through it again. You may find that the goals you had written down last year aren’t being met, or that priorities have changed. Identify what things are most important now and list them down. This can be just a snapshot of where you want your company to be at a certain point over the next year; remember, details can still be added later on.

Check your attitude - If you find that you’re tired and stressed out all the time, it’s time to do something about it. You start your day with a set of tasks that need to get done, but being in a bad mood can sabotage them. The best way to see progress and make headway is by being productive in a positive frame of mind.

Make sure you’re getting enough sleep every night. Take some time to step away from your business each week and have fun (yes, even if it feels like there’s no time)! Keep an open mind – being flexible will help keep you from getting frustrated by changes that need to happen. Know when to ask your partners and clients for help – ask them what they need (and keep in mind that they’re telling you now so you don’t have to wait for an emergency) and do what it takes to get it done. When you’re not making progress, communicate with your partners and ask if there is anything they can do. Don’t get caught up in feeling overwhelmed – you won’t know how to make changes until everything is clear, so let them guide the way. Create a plan of action that accounts for schedule conflicts or things that come up on their own. Don’t be surprised when something happens that you didn’t expect.

It may be hard to get started, but when you do, the results will be worth it. You fall in love with your business again because a process that worked once will work again, if you make adjustments to it. Whether it’s one of these tips or something else entirely, take some time to figure out what needs to change and then see where you can go with it.

You have a plan now – even if everything isn’t set in stone yet – and once you put that plan into action, you should begin seeing results right away.

FEATURED ARTICLE:

Take a closer look at this featured article to learn more about the difference between business owners who are fatigued and those who are refreshed.

The 4 Types of Business Owners - Which One Are You? [ARTICLE START]

If you’re a business owner, you probably have a lot on your plate. From sales and marketing to product development, there’s always something that needs to get done, and it never seems to stop. Before you know it, time is flying and you’re quickly overwhelmed. It can be easy to feel like you’re the only one dealing with those kinds of problems – after all, running a business is just part of the job description. But it isn’t, and the reality is that you need to find a way to deal with it.

Getting enough rest should be a full-time job in itself, but how do you find time for it?

When business owners are fatigued, they are never at 100% of their potential productivity. But when business owners know how to recharge their batteries, the possibilities for their businesses are endless.

Substituting an Incomplete Schedule for a Real One

In many cases, business owners can fall into routines that make them feel like they’ve got everything under control – even if they don’t have time to take care of it all.

After work, they head home, rush through their meal prep, then watch TV while they eat. Then they crawl into bed at night, exhausted and thinking that there’s no way they’ll have time to get up again in the morning.

But when you’re functioning on autopilot, there’s no way you can do everything you should be doing. You need to find a way to wake up and make some space for yourself so you can give it your all from the first moment of the day.

So the question is – how do you accomplish that?

While those who show signs of fatigue are often okay with continuing to take care of business and get it done as quickly as possible, those who are refreshed always know what they need to do and when, without having to overthink it.

Below you’ll find a list of personality traits that are common among business owners who are tired and those who aren’t. That way you can determine whether you’re more like the latter group or the former, so you can make changes accordingly.

Methodical Type: Tired Business Owners Methodologists have a very orderly approach to everything they do.

Conclusion: If you find yourself flourishing by having a set routine that you stick to, and if you can take the right steps when it comes to prioritizing your tasks, then these are some of the warning signs that you need to get some rest.

Persistent Type: Tired Business Owners Persisters are people who think everything needs to be done as soon as possible.

Conclusion: If you’re constantly wearing yourself out, it’s going to affect how well your business runs, so in order for them to be at their top-performing ability, they need to prioritize by delegating and finding replacements for the work that doesn’t need to be done today.