Venturing into entrepreneurship, especially
for the first time, can be a bit overwhelming. The
Recognizing the Source
With the inevitability of stress lurking
around the corners of entrepreneurship, it is important to be able to recognize
the cause of your heightened emotions. If you can locate the source, you have a
greater chance at a successful resolution. For example, if you find that you
are regularly stressed around deadlines, assess the situation to determine
whether or not it is a time-management issue. If it is, create a schedule that
accommodates checkpoints at least two weeks prior to your deadline. In doing
so, you reduce the pressure to complete everything in a short time frame and
you have the flexibility to make changes or re-evaluate your decisions within
reasonable time. In totality, knowing the source of your stress leads to the
alleviation of it.
Change your Environment
Sometimes your work environment can be stuffy.
You become accustomed to the space that you think, create, and close deals in
day after day. This repetition can result in a feeling of entrapment, stagnation,
and overall fatigue. Business owners advise on changing the scenery to keep
your mind fresh and elevate your productivity. Whether it’s renting a space for
a month or taking one or two days out of the month to work in a coffee shop or
a quite conservatory, a new environment stimulates your brain and maintains
your sanity.
Get a Team
Business owners are overprotective of their
projects and rightfully so. Unfortunately, that over-protectiveness, in some
instances, breeds a ‘one-man show’. Consequently, your business, in its
entirety, becomes your responsibility. You are in charge of accounting, sales,
marketing and advertising, and productivity. While this methodology works for some
people (many start-ups begin this way), after
a while it becomes stressful. Add someone to your team to lighten the load.
Even a single person makes a difference. Further, it is beneficial to have
someone to bounce your ideas off of and company to decompress work tension. You
can still maintain the integrity of your business with a team. Hire individuals who share your passion so
you can worry less about their performance and concentrate more on being a
successful business.
Healthy Work and Lifestyle Balance
Working is great, but so is not working.
Take regular breaks when your body gives you warning signals. Engage in
external activities that allow you to recharge your batteries. Many entrepreneurs
play sports in their down time to stimulate their brains and heart rate in a
healthy and beneficial way. Spend some time outside to breathe in some fresh
air. Become intertwined your family and attend as many family-related events as
possible. The most successful entrepreneurs understand this balance and
actively work to achieve and maintain it.
This list is not exhaustive and is an
essential starting up for reducing the entrepreneurial stress of starting a
business. In closing, don’t just work hard, work right.
