(Add to Favorites | View All Articles | Resource Directory)
|
|
|
Are You Running Your Business or Is Your Business Running You?
Being a small or home-based business owner can be loads of fun and very rewarding. You may have decided to go into business because of your need for personal freedom or to fully unleash your creative genius. You may also have decided to go into business to supplement your existing income, to make yourself available for young children or aging parents, or because the organization you were working for downsized, leaving you to fend for yourself. There are hundreds of different reasons why we become business owners, but the results we aim to produce remain the same ? - You want to be your own person, doing something you love. - You want to generate a profit that will provide you with the lifestyle you desire. - You want to be recognized, respected and acknowledged for your contributions. - You want to help others solve problems or fulfill needs. - You want to make your own decisions instead of having them dictated to you. - You want to pick and choose whom you work with and how you work. - You want to experience freedom ? freedom to travel, enjoy quality time with family, set your own agenda, eat when you want, sleep when you want, etc. Running your own small or home-based business can be immensely rewarding, yet if you get too involved with the routine daily matters and finer details of each task, you can get pulled into the vicious cycle of working "in" your business instead of "on" it. When this happens, you become misguided and stop focusing on the tasks necessary to move your business forward at an optimal pace. Whether you are a solopreneur or have a small team working for you, it is important that you don't allow yourself to get caught up in every fine detail of your business operations. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't be aware of what is going around you, but simply means you only have so many hours in a day and how you spend your time will determine the rate your business grows, the profits you earn, the quality of service your clients and customers receive, and your overall happiness and personal satisfaction. Are you the only person working your business at this time? If anything were to happen to you, for example, if you were to become sick and unable to work for a month, would your business operations come to a grinding halt and would your cash flow be brought to a standstill? Do you arrange your own appointments, handle your own e-mail, do your own word processing, create your own marketing materials, keep your own financial records, manage your own web site, provide customer service and enter all prospect and client data into your database? Do you package, label and ship your own products? If you answered yes to several of these questions, you may want to take some time to sit back and think about what these responsibilities are costing you, particularly if you are still working full-time while trying to get a business off the ground. If you have been in business for several years and if you are still performing all functions within your business, how might this be holding you back? Are you working a 40-50-60-hour week, seeing little of your loved ones, feeling exhausted, and neglecting your health and nutritional needs? Is the fun no longer there? Evaluate your current situation and determine whether you are running your business or whether it is running you. If you are being run by your business, consider the options of automating, delegating, bartering, leveraging and creating multiple streams of income. When thinking long term, how do you see your business serving you? What kind of results do you want to create? If your current activities are not moving you towards these results at an optimum pace, change your actions so you can free yourself up to do what is necessary to move you in that direction in the most advantageous way possible. Laurie Hayes works with small and home-based business owners who are struggling to maintain a healthy work/life balance. To receive valuable tips, strategies and techniques designed to grow a successful business without sacrificing quality of life, subscribe to her free bi-weekly newsletter at http://www.wheretheheartis-lifecoaching.com
MORE RESOURCES: News provided by Yahoo! News and Google News Small Biz: New shop strives for global connection - Online Athens Online, Direct to Grow as 26% of Small Biz Ups Ad Spending - Media Buyer Planner US Celcos Urged To Create New Small-Biz Programs - Telecomweb 26% of Small Biz Raises Ad Spend, Precipitating Online Growth - Marketing Vox News Smallbiz Brain Presents America’s Best Companies - PressReleasePoint (press release) Poll: 25% of small-biz owners worry about survival - Bizjournals.com $1M goes to Mass. small biz supporters - Bizjournals.com Wage Increase Will Hit Some Small Biz Hard - NBC4i.com Apple Reworks iWork for Small Biz - bMighty.com |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Small Businesses - Big Obstacles Everyone is talking about small businesses. In 1993, when it was allowed, more than 90,000 new firms were registered by individuals. Naming Your Business: 3 Tips To Ensure Success If you are just starting your business, or if you have just developed a new product or service for an existing business, one of the first questions you need to answer is, "What should I name it?" And while you may feel pressure to make this decision quickly, I caution you to not make it lightly. What kind of things should you take into consideration when choosing a name?(1) Don't Use Your Own NameWell, first of all, use a name other than your own name. How to Avoid the Most Common Reasons for Small Business Failure The life cycle of the typical small business is short and painful. It starts out with a dream and ends with a whimper. Hard Money Lenders -- No Money Down The Easy Way Would it help you as a real estate investor to be able to "Close For Cash in Days," even if you're tapped out financially?Hard money lenders are perhaps the best way to get 100% financing with easy qualifying, money for fix- up, and fast closings.So what can hard money lenders do for you? Hard money lenders make relatively short term (12-24 month) loans to real estate investors for the purposes of acquiring the property and rehabbing the property. How to improve customer trust The stock market is still on a wild roller coaster ride. Trust in business is at an all time low. Business Debt Collection Letter Writing Secrets Debt collection letters--an overview"Debt collection letter" in the singular may be an oxymoron, since unfortunately, one is rarely enough. You should have a series of letters to send to deadbeat clients, each one becoming a little more insistent. Small Business Opportunities Magazine Business A Small Business Opportunities Magazine is one of the new small business opportunities opening up everyday. More and more companies are looking to outsource for basic services, cutting their budgets in the process and increasing profits. Looking for a Business to Run in the New Revitalized Downtown Area? Looking for a place to add a Quick Lube away from your Super Wal-Mart Competitor? Down Town Revitalization, Why You Should Be Part of Such a Committee.A study showed that within the next five years 20% of LOF- Lube, Oil and Filter Independent Owners said they had plans on adding one or more facilities. Franchise Territories for Mobile Businesses; Why Limitations In franchising an individual desirous of their own business will sign on with a franchising company and use their brand name, know how and expertise to make a living. The franchisor will generally assign an exclusive territory with limitations. Yeah, It IS Lonely At the Top Sometimes when you run a business you feel as lonely as the Maytag repairman. Loneliness and isolation are very common problems for business owners. Earn More Money in Your Small Business by Creating a PIG If you really want to earn more money with your small business than you need to strongly consider adding a P.I. Bogus Investor and Consumer Complaints and Consumer Misrepresentation Like most regulatory bodies in the United States, the Federal Trade Commission gets investor and consumer complaints. But how much of these are actually real? These agencies then act on such complaints and increase regulations. Business Valuation is Critical What is Business Valuation? The term business valuation is the method by which the business worth is determined. This usually happens when the business is for sale, when the business is looking for extra funding from the banks, when the business is considering taking on extra investors, or where the business is looking at merging with another organisation. Things to consider when it's time to hire some help As a successful small business owner,you're accustomed to long hours; non-existent holidays and weekends spent working.When was the last time you went to your dentist? When was the last time you had an uninterrupted night out with your partner?Whether your goal for 2005 is to find more time for family or personal enrichment --like attending classes and conferences -- you'll want to consider bringing on some help. How to Start a Carpet Cleaning Company Opening a carpet cleaning business is a great way to earn money as your own boss. This is a relatively simple business to start, with low overhead, and little experience required. A Key to Success: Be Consistent Over the years I heard the best way to learn something is to to teach it. Well, this week's topic, practicing consistent behavior, is definitely something I need to learn and practice more effectively. How To Write A Business Plan Writing a business plan is a fundamental step to ensuring your business has every chance of succeeding. Common statistics state that 9 out of 10 businesses fail on the first 5 years of operation, and of the remaining 10%, 90% fail in the following 5 years. Small Business Vendors; Getting the Best Service If you are a small business you know that you must rely on your vendors to make sure you have everything your customers need. Lack of vendor support can lead to upset customers or even loss of your business. Secrets to Washing Fleets of Trucks from a Nationwide Fleet Washing Service Washing the exterior of a truck. Sounds easy right? Well, it's not really. If You Want To Be Remembered... Send handwritten notes. That applies whether you're a guy or a gal.
|
| home | site map | articles |
| © 2006 |