May is National Small Business Month, so it’s a great time for business owners like you and me to pat ourselves on the back for pursuing our passion. It’s not always an easy road, but as many of us know, there truly is nothing sweeter than the taste of making it as an entrepreneur!
To celebrate our choice to reach for the life of our dreams, here are six tips to help you keep on keepin’ on. Enjoy!
1. Appreciate your peeps
Take a break from number-crunching and ground yourself in an equally valuable and tangible asset: your clients and customers. Think of ways you can show them you value them, whether it be a gracious Tweet, a customer appreciation sale, a coupon to your loyal clients, or a handwritten note.
2. Get your team excited
It’s important for you to be excited about your business, but your employees should also be equally invested in and excited about the future of the company. Share often with your employees about new developments, where the company is going and what can be done to get there. Make your team feel like an active part of company culture and lead by example.
3. Take a risk
It can be scary to break away from a model that has proven successful, but it’s your own passion for your business—rather than any particular model—that drives its success. Think of some add-ons you can create to enhance your current offerings or new ways to package your services or products. The bottom line is: when things are getting a little dull, don’t be afraid to shake things up!
4. Invest in yourself as you would your business
Take the time to feed yourself as an entrepreneur by investing in classes, conferences, networking events, and coaching. And don’t forget that taking good care of your physical health is another investment. A business needs a healthy leader, both emotionally and physically, so be sure to make time for daily exercise, proper nutrition and plenty of sleep.
5. Get networking
There are few better ways to get excited about your business than by forming new business relationships or simply meeting fellow entrepreneurs in your local community. Join a local nonprofit, attend a conference, or go to a networking event in your town. You might learn some new strategies from your new connections, and open the door for new friends, mentors, and of course, potential clients.
6. Look to the futureWhen you get bogged down in the day-to-day details of running your business, take a moment to breathe and imagine what the future holds. Visualize the type of success you’d like to see for your company, and map out the action plan you need to get there. It might not happen overnight, or exactly the way you planned, but your persistence will pay off, as long as you stay the course.
Love and success,
