Becoming an entrepreneur and starting your own business can be one of the most rewarding, challenging and back-breaking things you’ll ever do in this lifetime. The fulfillment you get when your brain child is well-put together, functions and pays your bills and vacations is so great, it fuels back your enthusiasm for more work. However there comes a time in every entrepreneur’s life when the passion seems to dim a little bit. You may not pay attention to it at first, but as soon as the first big problem sets in, you’ll find yourself strongly discouraged, wondering if you did the right thing by starting the business. Fortunately, you can reignite the passion and infuse your business with more life by following these tips:
1. Address the Guilt
This is probably the biggest roadblock entrepreneurs face once they find themselves between a rock and a hard place with their business. It can be extremely difficult to admit the passion that once burned so brightly has now lost its shine or that your business is on its last leg and treatment is urgent. This is where most entrepreneurs give in to the guilt and shame that are closely associated with the feeling that they have failed – themselves, the dream and the employees. It’s alright to assess the severity of the condition, but instead of dwelling on it, you need to take quick action, so as not to let the problems fester.
2. Change Your Morning Routine
You’d be surprised to find out just how much can change in the way you see and do things by diversifying the way you start out your day. If you push your brain to follow the same route every morning – waking up, pouring that cup of coffee and jumping into work, you can’t expect it to simply fall outside the comfort zone and think differently. Instead try to mix it up by taking a walk first thing in the morning, changing your wake-up time or meditate, so you can set your intentions for the day. Alternately, you can also try journaling – it’s just as powerful in clearing your mind and shaping up your vision for the future.
3. Inject Your Business With Knowledge
Any honest entrepreneur will tell you the learning process is never over and there will always be new information to acquire and to bring back into your business. So if you feel you’ve lost the spark for your business, take some time away and focus on furthering your education. Try this online courses website and remember that your business could always do more with additional information in accounting, business administration, social media marketing or web development.
4. Find Yourself a Mentor
A business coach or a mentor will always have the right tools to help you identify your faulty patterns and motivate you to get right back on track with a new approach. If you go with an open mind and feel ready to collaborate with them, you will be thrilled to see just how much they can boost your energy and confidence. If it’s not an actual professional, you can always turn to someone in your field of work you’ve always admired and invite them for a talk over coffee. By being honest regarding your struggles, you’ll also inspire them to offer you advice and insights on how to rise above them.
5. Overcome Your Fear and Start Delegating
As an entrepreneur, you’ll often find yourself doing menial work that’s taking away from the time you could use to actually create new opportunities for your business. This is where the tricky part comes in. A lot of entrepreneurs out there are simply not accustomed to delegating, fearing that someone else just won’t get it right or that they may be dishonest in their work. A simple intentional mind shift should do the trick and allow you to focus on more high-value tasks for your business.
6. Innovate As Often As You Can
It’s true what they say. Staying in your comfort zone will produce the same results over and over again and you’ll need to go against your initial impulses and start asking uncomfortable questions. ‘What’s the one part of my business that could do with a different approach? What’s the one technique I keep hearing about, but never tested it in my own business?’ Don’t be afraid to ask and don’t be afraid to implement the answers. At this point, you won’t have too much to lose by risking and introducing innovation, since your business is already in need of a change.
It’s ultimately not easy being responsible for either the success or decline of a business, but it’s important to remember that every entrepreneur goes through the same ebbs and flows. Their enthusiasm will be through the roof at first, then they will hit a plateau, after which they will either abandon ship or rekindle the passion for their business. This cycle is not unique and will repeat itself over the years, so it’s up to you to decide what action will set the pattern for future struggles.
