It’s February, the month of love and the time of year when we are full of optimism, as we see the signs of spring. Of course, the most notable day in the month is Valentine’s Day, when we think about our loved ones and treat them to a special card or gift to show them how much we care. I thought that this would be the perfect time to give you some tips on what to do if you fall out of love with your business.
Over the last couple of months, my blog has focused on small business annual reviews and why perhaps January is not the best time for New Year’s Resolutions.
Hopefully, you will have taken some time out of your business during January, perhaps taken on board some of my tips and renewed your energy ready for February’s new beginning.
Behind every small business there is love, passion, resilience, and determination, but sometimes it can all just become too much, resulting in demotivation.
In this blog, I am going to talk about what you can do to regain the passion and focus you had at the start, setting SMART goals showing you the steps you can take to fall in love with your business again.
What to do if you fall out of love with your business
Five steps to regaining your mojo!
It is all too easy to become over-involved when running a business, especially as it starts to grow. But your focus should be on business growth, and not the daily processes involved.
If your enthusiasm is slipping away and you are finding that daily optimism has turned into a daily grind, here are my tips for regaining passion so you can fall in love with your business again:
1.Why did you set up your business in the first place?
Did you put a vision board together?
Is it now under a pile of papers on your desk, or at the back of a cupboard somewhere?
Remind yourself of the reasons why you set up your business, what the original goals were and whether you need to amend or reassess them for where your business is now.
2. Celebrate your achievements!
As I highlighted in my December blog about small business reviews, it is important to celebrate your successes.
When work becomes drudgery, we concentrate on just getting through the day.
The days blur into one another and you become time poor.
These are tell-tale signs that you are no longer loving what you do.
What to do if you have fallen out of love with your business?
Give yourself a metaphorical pat on the back, celebrate with your team, mark significant steps forward on a chart, whatever it takes to demonstrate what you have achieved.
So, if you feel you have lost your way, just look how far you have come since you started!
3. Set SMART goals
Last month, I talked about the dark days of January and how it wasn’t the best time to think about making resolutions.
But more than that, I have a problem with the whole subject of resolutions.
They are just too vague, and this is what makes them hard to stick to for any length of time.
The same can be said for business goals.
The trading landscape is constantly changing, but do you review and assess your goals against these changes?
This is why it is far more effective and satisfying to set SMART goals.
What do I mean by SMART goals? Let me explain:
S is for specific. Be more specific about what you want to achieve, it will help to focus your mind. For example, instead of saying that you want to increase your sales, say by how much, and by when!
M stands for measurable. If your goals are quantified, it will be easier to track progress and stay motivated and on target to meet your goals.
A means achievable. So many of us fail to reach our goals because the ones we set are simply unachievable! Like resolutions, it is easy to become discouraged by setting impossible goals.
R is for relevance. When goal setting, remember that your goals should align with your strategy and long-term business objectives. They should also echo your company values for consistency and resonance.
T is for that old chestnut, TIME. There is nothing like a deadline for improving focus. Resolutions fail because we don’t give them deadlines. With a business goal, you need to have something to work to, otherwise it is easy to become distracted and lose sight of it.
You need to be smart about tracking, reviewing and measuring your progress against your business goals, and once you have reached your target – celebrate!
But you don’t have to do all this yourself!
When you are too involved in the day-to-day running of your business, it is hard to take a step back and evaluate goals against a business strategy.
An online business manager has the skills needed for business management to fulfil the daily running of your business.
They can take care of all the problems, set SMART goals, establish KPIs and report progress to you, so you can concentrate on business growth.
4. Break tasks down into manageable steps
When running a small business, it is easy to become overwhelmed and feel responsible for everything.
It is, therefore, important that you plot how you are going to achieve your goals, breaking the tasks into manageable actions or steps.
5. The art of delegation
You will be able to focus on the parts of the business you are good at and that you enjoy the most if you learn how to delegate to someone else those tasks you
- Are not good at
- Don’t enjoy
- Shouldn’t be doing
In the blog ‘How to stop doing everything in your business’, I explored the topic of strategic delegation and how effective business management is about having people in place with the right business skills, and giving them the authority to use those skills to help you.
If you have lost your way because you are responsible for every single business decision, an online business manager can use their skills to provide a solid business foundation.
They bring objectivity and clarity to business structure and processes, so you can concentrate on strategic decisions for business growth.
I hope you find my five top tips on what to do if you fall out of love with your business useful in getting back on track and motivating you for the year ahead.
However, if you are feeling overwhelmed, your to-do list is growing and there aren’t enough hours in the day, you need to call in an expert with the skills needed for business management to implement systems and procedures that will take your business forward.
Talk to Elaine of Spero Solutions on 07846 754 747 to discuss how an online business manager package can help you to regain motivation and clarity and fall in love with your business again!