How to Regain Motivation When Your Small Business is in a Slump
If your small business is in a slump, find out how to regain motivation with outsourcing, refocusing, a and reaching out for help.
Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster. It’s not for the faint of heart, and its twists and turns can burn out even the most ambitious. Sometimes, amidst all of the craziness, you can start to lose your motivation.A period of struggle can be one of the defining moments of your small business. The question is, how do you respond? Do you keel over, hoping for something miraculous to pick you up out of your slump? Or do you actively dive in, jumpstart your motivation, and start crushing it again? Here are 4 ways to beat your small business slump and do just that.
Get Your Work Done Earlier
Often times, one reason for a lack of motivation is the feeling that you aren’t getting enough done – at least, not enough of the important stuff. Well, waking earlier can help solve that problem.Multiple studies have shown that people who start work earlier are both more productive and proactive. If you hit the snooze button, “you’re telling yourself that the work you do isn’t vitally important. Snooze means it can wait,” says SmallBizClub.Honor your intentions and set some goals! Aim to get 30% of your work done within three hours of waking up. We’re not talking about the easy work, either. We’re talking about the creative, “put your mind to it” work that’s so easy to put off.When you tackle your hardest tasks in the morning, it’s easier to maintain motivation throughout the day – while also performing your most important tasks to the best of your ability.
Refocus on Your One Thing
It’s easy to spread yourself too thin. There are so many tasks to do and so little time. You can end up focusing on the wrong things – the things that aren’t really going to drive your business forward.“As an entrepreneur, you definitely are living with high levels of stress,” reports SmallBizClub. “The United States has a work culture built on uncompromising dedication. It can feel like a badge of honor to brag about how little sleep you got or how hard you’ve been working, but this attitude will inevitably lead to burnout, and can have long-lasting effects on your health.”Running a small business feels like you have to do everything, all the time. Instead, start your day by asking, “What’s the one thing I can do today, such that by doing it, everything else will be easy or unnecessary?”By focusing on this one thing, you can quickly “80/20” your small REGAIbusiness and truly make every other task easier.However, you have to make sure that you have time to make that happen. This means that tasks like scheduling and answering the phone can’t be your priority. Good news: outsourcing for small business is easier than ever.By hiring a service like a virtual receptionist, you can ensure your calls are handled, while you focus on the big picture of your business. See more regarding call center solutions for small business.
Dig Into Your Deeper Motivations
Why do you want the things you want? What’s behind your desire to succeed in business?We all have deeper motivations for why we became entrepreneurs.But all too often, we confuse our surface-level motivations (i.e. making more money, hitting a quota, etc.) with our real motivations.The problem is, those surface-level motivations don’t light a fire within you.You need to dig deeper and discover your deeper motivations – these will drive you to succeed in business and life.Why did you become an entrepreneur in the first place?You need to keep asking yourself “Why?” until you’ve gotten to your root motivation.Perhaps it’s to make enough money to support your family. Perhaps it’s to make an impact and change people’s lives.Just keep asking yourself “Why”, and don’t let yourself off the hook with easy answers. This exercise can get a little uncomfortable, but that’s just another reason why it’s important to do. Most people never discover their deeper motivations, and that’s why most people don’t have the success they want.
Consume Inspirational and Relevant Content
When you’re slumping, sometimes the right book or podcast can be just what you need to get up and start crushing it again.Podcasts are a great way to do just that since you can listen on the go and maximize productivity on your commute or just throughout your day. Inc.com has a list of 8 podcasts every entrepreneur should follow in 2018 for a solid starting point.You should also never underestimate the power of a good book.Addicted2Success shared 5 books you need to read if you want to become a better leader. “Books are a great way to learn more about the skills necessary to lead your team to success”, they report.Feed your soul and get re-energized! Let your creativity flow and get right out of that slump.
Move Out of The Slump and Into Success
You can use these strategies to jump-start your motivation when your small business is slumping. Handling adversity is your defining moment – so you need to handle it the right way!Have you used any other good strategies for regaining motivation when your business is struggling? Connect with us on social media and let us know!
