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6 Easy Ways To Become A Stress Free Entrepreneur
Join the Greats
James Caan, Anita Roddick, Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks are examples of people who fired their bosses and become entrepreneurs on a serious scale.
They started small and probably made mistakes along the way, including losing money, but most importantly they persevered.
What about you? Are you managing to reach your entrepreneurial goals?
Running your own business can be both rewarding and fun but what the Reality TV shows may not tell you, is that along with the the joys and rewards can come pressures, sometimes mighty ones.
Finding a Balance
As an entrepreneur you may initially find yourself working twice as long and twice as hard for a lot less pay than your previous day job.
Don't be deterred. The freedom that comes with working for yourself should be the incentive which keeps you going.
Make your life easier if you're working from home and caring for children by delegating some of the regular and simple household responsibilities to them. Once they understand that they're contributing to the overall welfare of the family they'll be happy to be included.
Finance can be a big cause of stress and it's normal for new businesses to experience debt. Loans are granted and have to be re-paid. Funds have to be balanced. Expenses have to be converted into income and investments should have some guarantee. Press on, no matter how daunting. Soon you'll be over the hump and reach a plateau where you can mentally rest for a while.
Decisions have to be made accurately and often quickly. If you're not used to this role, this can be stressful at first. As with anything in life, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
What Do You Think?
What's the best way to be a stress free entrepreneur?
1) Start with your desk
- Clutter contributes to stress.
- Set up an effective filing system of ring binders with adequate shelving.
- Make sure each folder is clearly labelled.
- Deal with the paperwork on a specific day or at a specific time of time of day and make sure that you handle each piece of paper only once.
- Ideally your desk should be clear of clutter and a pleasant place to be.
- Simple things like a potted plant and a picture of something or someone that puts a smile on your face can make all the difference.
2) Devise a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly planner.
- Preferably a large one that you can see at a glance, placed in a permanent space on your office wall.
- Schedule tasks to be started and completed at different times so that you are not overwhelmed when running your business.
- Use different colours on your planner, colour coded to make it easier to see what has to be done and when.
- At the end of the week, month or year this is a great tool which allows you to track what you've achieved.
3) Outsource and/or hire help.
- Just because it's your business doesn't mean that you have to do everything yourself.
- There will be some things you don't know how to do or don't like doing, so outsource those jobs or hire temporary help.
- This then leaves you free both mentally and physically to get on with the parts of the business that you enjoy and do best.
4) Make a business plan before you start.
- Think of it as a guide during your first few years in business.
- It can be amended where necessary but if you've thought it through well enough any changes should be minor.
- In business, time is money and a business plan keeps you on track, enabling you to make the most of your time.
- Consider it to be an organic, working document which evolves over time and refer to it often.
5) Expect to learn new things on a daily basis
- Even if you have a good idea of your product and prior experience of the market, being an entrepreneur means that you'll be seeing things in a whole new light.
- Be open to learning, it's part of growth and expansion.
6) Make time to relax.
- One of the biggest antidotes to stress is simply closing your eyes.
- Take a power nap for twenty minutes in the afternoon to re-charge your batteries.
- Have a regular massage to free your body of tension.
- Take a walk in the fresh air and breath deeply.
- Make sure that your phone is on silent while you're relaxing.
- Afterwards you'll be able to face entrepreneurial challenges with a clearer, relaxed mind.
Final Thoughts
When combined these tips, though initially simple, can have a powerful cummulative effect on how you work and consequently succeed.
Having said that, it's also good to recognise that being an entrepreneur isn't for everybody.
If you try and realise that it's not the best option there's no harm in choosing another path which allows you to feel happy and fuifills your needs at that time, such as being part of a team for another entrepreneur.
The failure would be in not trying at all, besides you can always change your mind and try again if the desire resurfaces in the future.