Be an equal partner with your business It’s easy to get caught up in the needs of your business. In fact, if you allow it to happen, your business will take as much as you are willing to give. But remember, you’re the boss! If you don’t look after your needs, who will? Make it a priority to create a work environment that balances your needs with the needs of your business. If you’re not gettingwhat youwant fromyour business, don’t be afraid to change. Change is good and it will help you reach your goals, so don’t be afraid to make them. Develop Win-Win Relationships Surround yourself with people you like and respect and treat them accordingly. The success of any business is highly dependent upon other people. Examples include employees, key suppliers, and professional advisors. Choose wisely. Working with people you can count on allows you to focus on doing your job and reduces stress. If you’re working with people that you can’t trust, or whose negativity is dragging you down, act immediately. You need to have the right people on your bus to success and if you have someone that is always pulling the brake then you need to replace them. Ask for Help or Advice One of the biggest mistakes an entrepreneur makes is waiting too long to ask for help. If things aren’t going according to plan, or you’re not sure what to do next, find someone you trust and ask for help. Most problems in business can be solved, as long as the root cause is identified in time. Getting objective advice from someone that has faced similar
challenges can save you time, money and a whole lot of stress. You do not have to go it alone and most entrepreneurs have gone through the growing pains and are more than willing to offer advice. Accept and Learn from Failures For most of us, trial and error is a big part of the entrepreneurial journey. It’s a given that some of the things you try won’t work. It’s easy to say and harder to do, but you must condition yourself to accept failures and to move on. Don’t pay lip service to do this. You did your best and it didn’t work out. That’s the life of an entrepreneur. Accept it and keep moving forward. Learn when to say No! Most entrepreneurs are hard wired to say yes, especially to customers. This can be true, even when faced with near impossible deadlines or unreasonable demands. It can be equally difficult to say no to an employee’s request for a raise. Always take a step back and analyze what saying yes will mean to you and your business. To survive as an entrepreneur, you have to learn how to say no as well as say yes. Accept Responsibility for your own Happiness We’re all human, and there will be days when happiness gets away fromus, we know that everyday is not filled with sunshine. The key is to not let it become your long-term reality. Take the setback, analyse it and adjust your attitude. As a business owner you need to make a conscious effort to be a happy entrepreneur. You are the boss, you’re in control. If you’re not happy do something about it because no one else will. •
How do be a Happy Entrepreneur
by Jamie Barrie D own deep, everyone who chooses the life of an entrepreneur does so with the belief it will make them happier. We’re convinced that our business will give us things we can’t get working for someone else, like freedom, creative abilities and more money. That belief makes it easy to get up in the morning and helps new entrepreneurs overcome the many obstacles on the road to success. However, the reality is, the freedom of being your own boss comes with many obligations. You’re working absurd hours, new challenges seem to appear every day, and the joy will start to slip away after awhile. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. People sometimes joke with me and ask if there is any such thing as a happy entrepreneur - YES there is! I am living proof that it is possible, you just have to program yourself to be that way. I want to share some things that you can do to help you be a happy entrepreneur regardless of the business or industry that you are in.
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2019
77 AUGUST 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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