Well 2008 is almost upon us and here I sit on New Years Eve day working on how to increase my client base, how to attract potential clients and general day to day stuff that business owners all have to deal with. When I founded Motivational Steps I knew that I would be working 24/7 some days in order to succeed. As the years have passed I now work smarter, instead of harder and find that being organized definitely helps in my quest to keep the scales even in my work/life balance.
Networking was one of the first key areas I concentrated on after the basic foundations for my business were set. By that I mean ensuring my website was up and running, my business cards and any other promotional material was ready and, more importantly, I was ready! Imagine if you were starting a business and everything is in order; your first client comes along and you are not mentally or physically ready to take on the responsibility of running your own business. What do I mean by mentally or physically you may be asking yourselves. Take me for an example, I believed that I could succeed, I knew it would be hard work, but I had a belief system that kept me strong. Mentally I knew that whatever challenges came my way I could be strong and also, I would be able to ask for help if needed. Asking for help is so hard for some people and they struggle on, sometimes giving up, which is such a shame. I also knew that once I was at work, in the sense that I went into my office and shut the door, I could not focus on family matters, or other such things. Being a business owner with a home office is somewhat challenging unless you are in the right frame of mind. The other thing to consider if you have a partner is whether they are supportive of your quest to be in business for yourself. Mentally this can be quite draining and can lead to stress if your partner does not agree with what you are doing or is not supportive.
Being in good physical health is a very important part of any work,whether you work for someone else or own your own business. Taking sick time off frequently can lead to many challenges, even dismissal from a job. If you have started your own business and have no insurance for times when you are sick this can be disastrous. Obviously not everyone can afford insurance at first so maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be half the battle to keeping fit. I must admit over the past 5 years since I started my business I have had health challenges and not being able to work has been hard for me. Luckily I was able to diversify and do things to help my business when I was not able to be very active, such as write my first book as a tool for my business. Obviously I also had to be in a good place mentally and spiritually in order to achieve my goal of becoming an author, so I took one day at a time and it worked for me.
Owning my own business is still a joy for me, I love every minute of it, but I do have my moans and groans like any normal person. I voice my concerns, any stress I am feeling to my family or friends and this alleviates some of the pressure from me. Sharing our challenges is a very healthy way to go. At times it can be lonely being a sole proprietor and this is where networking can also help. Networking not only leads to prospective clients for us, but is a fantastic way to make new friends, business and otherwise.
Next time I will explain how networking really paid off for me!
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