When you begin to work for yourself, it can be incredibly stressful. The safety net of a regular salary is gone and suddenly you are alone, trying to make opportunities for yourself, plan everything yourself and do all the tasks yourself. Particularly if you also have a family, kids, parents to look after and, if you’re like me, an ever increasing number of animals too. Anxiety, depression and stress is very common amongst small business owners. Although they might have started with wonderful dreams of their perfect work life balance, the reality of running a small business can be very different, with so many demands on your time.
It can get overwhelming very fast. So I’ve put together my top ten tips on running a small business without stress and anxiety.
It’s super important to have it very clear in your own mind what your priorities are. When you know that, you can focus your limited time and concentration on those priorities and don’t do low priority work. If it needs doing, get other people to do that stuff.
Begin to work out who is on your team. I don’t mean just who is on your payroll, I’m talking about who supports you in carrying out all the things that need to be done in your life. So, it might be the cleaner you take on, your childcare, your accountant, IT support, your mentor or coach and so on. You’re going to need everyone to play a part. Include your life partner in discussions about what they can do to help support you.
Spend time working on your goals and visioning what you are wanting to achieve. Get clear on why you are doing this and who it is for. It helps when things are tough, if you are really crystal clear on the reason you are focusing every day on this goal.
Keep going. Patience and consistent work will pay off. It never feels fast enough, but if you do something often and stick to it, you will see results.
Don’t expect other people to understand what you are doing or why. It’s your journey, not theirs and they might not encourage you or help you on the way. Instead find people who understand what you are doing and spend time with them. Other small business owners are more likely to understand you and what you’re doing.
Remember to rest. If you’re tired you need to rest and recharge. It doesn’t mean that you are not succeeding, it means that you are a human being and need to stop for a while, refuel those batteries and get back to it when you feel rested.