“It’s a little wild and a little strange, when you make your home out on the range.” Okay, so that’s a lyric from the theme song for Hey Dude, which was a popular Nickelodeon show when I was a kid. It’s also strangely applicable to running your own business. Being responsible for your business’s future can get wild and it feels pretty strange sometimes being your own boss. Pressure and stress can burn you out and leave you wholly uninspired to continue running your own business. So how do you stay inspired as a business owner? I have 3 important tips to share:
Do Something you Love
Your passions should be at the heart of your business because if you love what you do, then you’ll be able to keep doing it day in and day out. Running a business is not all rainbows and sunshine, so when you hit the slow times or barriers to your success pop up, being able to lean on the thing you love is really important.
If your business isn’t built around your passions, find a way to incorporate them into what you do. There’s no substitute for really caring about what you do. It will keep you upbeat and driven while working.
Get Out and Talk to People
It’s easy to get wrapped up in your own little world as a business owner and forget about everything else. Becoming a hermit or workaholic isn’t sustainable – eventually you’ll sizzle out. This is why it’s important to get out of the office and talk to people.
Spend time with your friends and family, go to networking events, be present in your community – allow yourself to connect with people outside of the office. Even if you just interact everyday with vendors, partners, bank tellers and other job-related staff, stay social and it will keep you inspired about what you do.
Don’t Forget your Vision
When you started your business, you had a vision of what you would be doing and where it would take you. Never lose that! It’s easy to get pulled in a bunch of different directions once you get started, but being able to say no to continue on with your vision is key to keeping your inspiration level high.
What about you? What do you do to stay inspired? We want to hear from the business owners out there who have this figured out. Leave a comment or send us an email!
Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web Consulting for small businesses, Copywriting and Local Online Marketing. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and enjoys cooking, watching sports and spending time outdoors. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about marketing theory and SEM trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!
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