The entrepreneurial spirit has been tested over the last few years. As a business owner, navigating COVID-19, supply chain disruptions, changing customer behaviors, and other hurdles has been incredibly difficult.
While there may be little that you can do to control the external situation, there is quite a lot that you can do internally to stay motivated. If you are going through periods of doubt or uncertainty or facing setbacks, the following tips can help you keep the momentum going and uplift yourself and others when business is down.
Seek Inspiration
What inspires one entrepreneur may not motivate another. Some may derive inspiration from consuming a relatable story where the protagonist overcomes a pressing conflict to inch a step towards a “happy ever after.” For others, podcasts and networking events spark new ideas. Find inspiration outlets that work for you and seek new ideas. You can keep a journal to record ideas and observations whenever creativity strikes.
Find Your Accountability Partner
An accountability partner is a peer who helps you grow and achieve your goals. Business owners can double as consultants and mentors who give you direction for meeting your goals and sticking to your commitments.
The symbiotic relationship develops a growth-focused environment, tunes out the negativity, and focuses on solving problems. This accountability partner could be another entrepreneur outside of your industry, an upstanding member of the community, or even a family member.
Write Down Your Goals
It is easy to slip up and forget your primary goals when engulfed with the day-to-day operations of your business. However, in difficult times, revisiting these goals can be an excellent reminder of why you started in the first place. More importantly, you can also view it as an opportunity to recalibrate your goals with the existing market conditions.
If you wish to utilize this time to market your business, focus on the channels, obtain the requisite materials, such as custom vinyl banners and banner stands, and formulate a strategy with a defined timeframe.
Learn How to Improve
Customers love businesses that pursue continuous growth, development, and improvement. Slow periods can be a much-needed break from the flurry of sales and marketing-related activities to focus on the product or service you offer and improve it.
Encourage customer feedback and incentivize input with in-store signs and flyers. Use customer feedback to help improve your business. May this be improving your products or services, redesigning your store, or simply going over you and your employees customer services skills.
Identify Gaps in Competitor Strategy
Competitor analysis is another strategy that you can master during a slow period. List out businesses in your sector and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Once you have a holistic understanding of their USPs, you can adopt strategies that work within your business model to reinforce your performance.
At the same time, you can focus on areas where they fall short and fill in those gaps to capitalize on such demands. For example, if your target customers want options like curbside pickups or home deliveries while the competition only offers in-store shopping, you can meet these expectations and earn customer loyalty.
Remember Why You Started
Negativity can be overwhelming to the point where you forget why you started in the first place. Remembering your primary motivator for starting your business can be the instant negativity detox you need to get up and move again. After all, nostalgia is a powerful emotion that can help you reconnect with the passion that drove you in the first place to take on this ambitious project.
When you’re feeling discouraged, take time to sit down and reflect. Think back on the community you’ve built and the customers you’ve helped. Remembering this positive impact will sustain you during tough times.
Share Your Story
While seeking inspiration is great, acting as someone’s source of inspiration is the ultimate act of service. Share your success story, the current challenges you are facing, your approach to overcoming obstacles, your thoughts and aspirations, the overall experience – there’s so much that you have to offer!
You can start a blog, join startup forums, become a part of your local community, or network on LinkedIn. You do not have to be a wordsmith to captivate readers and keep them interested in your brand. All you need is an authentic story, and the rest will follow.
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