Starting your own business can be incredibly exciting! It can also lead to stress, when you become overwhelmed by the responsibility. The good news is, YOU are in charge of how you maintain the stamina to keep up with the requirements and motivations of your company.
As a small business owner, I have had my fair share of ups and downs. Sometimes, things seem harder than they truly are. You may find yourself wanting to give up. It’s okay. We are human. But I am here to help you find the motivation that worked for me during the launch of my company SAINTWULF.
I have maintained my enthusiasm, with the help of a few simple tricks! Hopefully they will work for you, as well. When push comes to shove, the only person that can hinder your success is the one staring back at you in the mirror. Being driven is a huge factor on maintaining incentive and progress. We will go over some of the simple ways you too, can reach your finish line.
#1 CREATE A VISION BOARD
When I first started my company, I was spilling over with incredible ideas. Unfortunately, creative blocks are REAL, and sometimes it can get the best of us. I found myself being inspired, but quickly dismissing ideas, for they did not seem beneficial at the time. I am a visual learner. In order for me to understand things, I need to see them in real time. I found myself creating vision boards often. They helped immensely. I usually start off with a blank presentation board. (You can use whatever material you like, but the size and clean look of white posters really allowed me to flourish my ideas.) I didn’t rush my board by filling it up with photos and quotes immediately. If I found something that interested me, I would either print it out, and attach it to my board, until another idea constructed in my mind. The idea of the vision board is simple. You create a visual concept that inspires you, and you make it grow. With time, you will see what speaks out to you, and what doesn’t. This tip is great for those who aren’t sure which route or marketing strategy to advance their business. When you are able to see what innovative ideas speak to you, it allows room for the mind to grow into something much larger than what you have intentionally planned.
This could also work for people who inspire you. Do you find yourself admiring the success/product that has already been created? Aspiration is healthy. It shows us that people have achieved what we hope for ourselves, and lets us put ourselves in the shoes of our successors. Starting a business is hard for everyone. The brands and companies. you look forward to have also had hard times. Use this for when you feel stuck.
#2 SURROUND YOURSELF WITH LIKE MINDED INDIVIDUALS
Nothing is worse than being the only motivational source of your environment. The company we keep, (no pun intended) is an incredible factor in the practicality of our mindset. When it comes to business, having a group that is also driven can help you water the ideas you have planted in your head. Wether your group of friends, peers or coworkers are starting their own ventures or not- inventiveness can be spread through one another. This will allow you to push yourself to the success you are striving for.
Allowing unmotivated people in your circle can be detrimental to your growth. They may see you as already successful. That is a block in the road to progression on behalf of your work ethic. We don’t need “yes-men”, we need peers who are focusing on the positive aspects of becoming better and stronger with entrepreneurial aspirations.
#3 WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN
The laws can be confusing, ideas can become lost. That is the downside of creating something on your own. Most people find themselves keeping notes on tablets, phones or computers. For me, it never helped me advance my way of thinking or operation of ideas. I always find myself sticking to a plan when I physically jot down things on paper. Physical writings can help you implement and remember your duties much stronger, than typing them out.
By writing things down, it may take longer, but that embedded moment in time is a major brain responder. Sure you can print things out, and write notes down. But humans (no matter how advanced in technology) have a human history of physical text composition.
#4 READ SUCCESS STORIES
Reading the prosperities of like-minded business owners can help you feel less stuck. Not only do they give you insight on how to properly function in times of establishment despair, but they can guide you from making some of the mistakes that they had come across while starting their company. There are plenty of self-help books, I’m sure. But I find it more fulfilling to read about certain entrepreneurs that I look up to, in order to guide me on this very new path of accomplishments I have organized for myself.
This is great to do whenever you have any spare time or want some sort of stimulation. The key is to never be bored, or chore-less during your business venture. A stagnant mind has never let anyone reach their upmost potential.
#5 CREATE CONTINUOUSLY
Creating and constantly finding ways to expand your brand or point of sales is very important. This does NOT mean to put out or release every thing you come up with. Simply enough, it just allows you to focus on your creations or endeavors and see what really speaks to you. When you leave room for empty space and time during the beginning stages of your new entrepreneurship, you may get too comfortable and lack the incentive for future launches or creative sources to expand.
Wether or not your business sells goods or is strictly consulting, it is very important to keep the juices flowing. You always have something to do. The list is never ending. Being a CEO is not a 9-5 job. It is a new lifestyle, that doesn’t get any breaks in between. Perhaps, in the future you can start to take time for yourself. But the risk is far more damaging when you are just starting to get things off the ground.
Create something with stimuli. Maybe a new business plan? Future ideas? Or even create a life plan for your new company that you would like to see in fruition.
I am so excited to share my tips with the future entrepreneurs of the world! I wish you all the upmost success, and hope that this article helped you find new ways to amplify your drive when it comes to your new business. We know being your own boss is tough, but in the end it is incredibly rewarding.
Katana Selby of SaintWulf LLC
SAINT WULF: THE blog 