You’re doing it. For years you’ve wanted to work from
home and you are finally doing it. You are no longer an employee who
has a “J O B”; you are now a business owner, self-employed, ruler of
your own destiny AND you have inherited all the responsibilities that
come with owning a business:
* You are the manager
* You are the marketer
* You are the service provider/widget maker
* You are the bookkeeper
And the list goes on. We often get so busy running our businesses that we forget why we started them in the first place.
So what does a small business owner do to stay motivated while working from home?
1. Remember the “why”.
Take
a step back to remember the reason you went into business in the first
place. What was your inspiration? It helps to focus intently on how you
felt when you first realized you wanted to be successfully
self-employed. For me, it was the sense of freedom and independence
that I knew would come with success as an entrepreneur.
2. Give yourself a deadline.
If
you’re procrastinating about a project, you may be motivated by the
self-imposed pressure of a deadline. Try giving yourself a deadline
that you won’t want to back down on: send an email to friends
announcing a new product launch, email your client with a due date for
that big project you’re working on, take reservations for your first
teleclass, you get the idea.
3. Maintain a support system.
One
of the hardest parts of being a solopreneur can be the sense of
isolation. When things go right (or wrong), we no longer have the
“water cooler” to go to. Be sure there is someone who you can share
with, someone who is available for a quick motivational chat when you
need one.
4. Keep the goal in sight.
A simple, yet
effective motivational tool is to keep your goals in sight – literally.
I’ve taken a picture of my dream house and made it the background
wallpaper on my computer. One glance at it is a megadose of motivation
for me!
5. Take a nap.
As counterintuitive as it
sounds, taking a powernap is one of the best ways to rejuvenate your
body AND mind. So the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed or low,
slowly and intently read each of your goals and then go take a
powernap. Let your subconscious work on ways to manifest those goals
while you rest.
When you wake, you’ll be raring to go!
6. Reward yourself.
When
faced with a large project, unpleasant task or anything that overwhelms
you, plan a reward for once it’s done. The reward can be as simple as a
quiet bath with candles or as exciting as a professional sporting
event. Just be sure to plan a reward that YOU want and will enjoy!
7. Take a break.
You’ve
most likely never worked harder than when you are first starting your
own business. In addition to actually “doing” all the work, you need to
work on marketing, invoicing and other overhead or “non-billable” tasks.
Don’t
get caught in the trap of “all work and no play”. Be sure you take days
off and breaks throughout the day to rejuvenate and gain some
perspective. Whenever I’m stuck on a project, I grab one of the dogs
and go for a walk…by the time I return to the office, things have
usually sorted themselves out in my head.
It doesn’t matter how
successful your home business is or how much you love to work from
home; both new and established entrepreneurs face the motivational
dilemma at some point and while some of the above motivational
strategies may seem conflicting on their face – giving yourself a
deadline versus taking a break for example – they all have their place
in the life of a successful entrepreneur.
For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing
self-employed business owners how to get more clients consistently by
implementing processes and systems to put their marketing on autopilot.
Visit Sandra at www.SandraMartini.com
for details, compelling client testimonials and her free audio series “5 Simple
and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot”.