Excitement, independence, earning potential, to live “the American dream.” These are just a few of the reasons people start up businesses today. It IS exciting to see ideas come to fruition. It IS fulfilling to be able to say you’re the president of your own company. Earning potential can indeed be limitless, and the American dream is yours to be lived. Entrepreneurship offers an incredible up-side IF the stars align.
But along with the good things we reap from entrepreneurship come the “hidden spiders, ghosts and goblins.” You know what I’m talking about. I can see you nodding your head now. But rest assured: a lot of these surprises are NORMAL and should really be expected from the beginning.
Stress
We’ve all felt it. It is normal. It not only affects us–and potentially our health–but it can affect everyone around us: Our family, co-workers, employees, the DOG. But the truth is, you probably didn’t go into business thinking it would be stress-free. So it’s important to be able to identify and recognize the triggers that cause stress and make changes in your business to reduce it. If there are no changes to be made in your business to reduce stress, then maybe you’re in the wrong business.
Bad Partnerships
It’s tough to start a business on your own. People sometimes lack the skills or talent to go solo. That’s why many entrepreneurs partner with others to get their ideas off the ground. But what happens when you’re not quite seeing eye to eye with your business partner? It happens time and time again, and businesses head south because of partner riffs. It’s a great idea to create an operating agreement ahead of time and lay down the ground rules of the business; define the responsibilities of the key players; and discuss expectations ahead of time to avoid conflict down the road.
Self Doubt
Let’s face it, we all hear those negative voices that tell us we’re never going to make it or be successful. And they usually get louder when we’re down. When the voices do creep in, it’s important to remind yourself why you went into business in the first place. There are no greater motivators than things like your children or dreams of retirement. Go for it! Do it, and don’t give up! Trust your core values and keep moving forward.
Excuses
Avoid them and do the work. Plan and execute. Enough said. Excuses will get you nowhere. Only YOU can be blamed for your failure and only YOU can be blamed for your success.
Workload
Owning a business is a LOT of work, especially in the beginning. There will be times when you forget what it’s like to sleep, and this is totally normal. Expect long hours, and when you do get to enjoy some freedom, really enjoy it, because freedom is what entrepreneurship is all about.
Slow Times
Raise your hand if your business has ever had a slow period. Yes, all businesses have slow periods. What’s important is how you prepare for those slow periods and take advantage of your busy periods to compensate. Create busy periods. (Thank you, Infusionsoft!).
Marketing
No one ever told you that you needed to be an expert marketer in addition to being the expert in your field. Driving constant leads is the lifeblood of the business. If that function of your business isn’t operating correctly, then those slow times we just talked about keep coming around.
Technology
Every day our technology gets more and more advanced. And every day, there are more cool tech tools to help you grow your business. But navigating those tools, getting them to work together, and being able to master them all is a completely different story. Our motto here: Keep it as simple as possible.
If some of these hidden “spiders, ghosts and goblins” are getting the best of you, you might want ask yourself if you’re getting the most from your marketing efforts. If you use Infusionsoft, are you getting the most from it, guiding your clients through all of the stages of the Complete Customer Lifecycle™? If you are, you just might not have to worry about the demons, or at the very least, you might worry a lot less.
If you’re not really sure what the Complete Customer Lifecycle is or how it works, make sure to check it out here. We’d be happy to get you going in the right direction.
Have an awesome week!
