How to Overcome the 4 Most Common Struggles of Every Entrepreneur
While the message and the market of your
business may be different, there are some
stumbling blocks that seem to pop up
for even the seasoned entrepreneur.
Here are four of the ones that I've been coaching clients on during their private
planning and strategy retreats lately:
1. Not moving ahead even when they know what to do.
Almost always, this is a fear-based immobility. Whether it's fear of failure or fear of
success (the latter seems more prevalent for entrepreneurs, including myself). We
come up with all kinds of excuses as to why something isn't getting done, but most
often it has nothing to do with anything other than fear of the possible result of moving
forward.
If you're afraid of failing, remember that in our online world, we get to test things out
with very little risk. My favorite strategy is to "fail fast." Put it out there, see what
happens, tweak until you get the result you want.
If you're afraid of success, then you need to take a look at your Big Money Why (BMW
-- see #5) to see how you can make it more powerful and motivating (tip: money is
never enough of a motivator, believe it or not). And you need to put in place a process
for how you will handle the abundance that's too come.
2. Being self-disciplined enough to make and stick to self-imposed deadlines.
The wonderful thing about being an entrepreneur is that you're your own boss. The
tricky thing about that is most, if not all, of our deadlines are self-imposed. Which
makes them very easy to move, doesn't it? I know because I've struggled with this one
more than once.
If we go back to knowing what your emotionally driven motivator is for the success
you desire, you'll be more likely to stick to those self-imposed deadlines - but only if
that BMW is strong enough.
Here's a simple but very powerful tip for you in sticking to your own deadlines: Make
them public. When I launched my first info-product, I told my ezine list that they
would be able to buy it on a certain date, which gave me about 3 weeks to get it done.
And done it was.
3. Claiming leadership status and fulling stepping into the role of the CEO of your
business.
Once an entrepreneur gets the foundational pieces in place for their business, it's
actually easy to stay in the start-up phase, because it's comfortable. And because often
they don't know what the next step is, what the next layer of the business should look
like, to take them to the next level.
The sooner they can take on the leadership role, by becoming the CEO of their
business (even if they don't call themselves that), the faster the growth of both the
entrepreneur and the business.
One of the ways you can step more fully into that role is by delegating. So if you've
been in business for a couple of years and you're still doing too much of the managing
of it, and especially if you're doing all the administrative work, and you haven't hired
an assistant yet, it's time. Start with one small project and add from there,
For every task in your business, ask yourself, "Is this something I should be doing?"
Because remember, even if you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD.
If the answer is no, then pass it off to a capable assistant.
4. Having an emotionally driven motivator for your Big Money Why (BMW).
This is probably the most important one. Money is NOT enough of a motivator, no
matter how much you want it, or are attached to the "6-Figure" or "million-dollar"
mark. There has to be a reason behind wanting it, something that is so strong that it
drives you and the business forward, no matter what.
If you find things aren't moving as quickly as you'd like, or it feels too hard much of
the time, or you just aren't using your time and talent effectively, take a look at your
Big Money Why. And if you haven't done this before, then that's your coaching
homework.
In as much detail as possible, write out why you want the financial success you do. Is
it to give to your family, is it to give to others, is it to create a charitable foundation, is
it to take care of elderly parents, is it to enable your children to get the best education
you can give them, is it to travel and expand your world view, is it to buy a nicer home
for your family, is it to give experiences to those you love - they are a thousand
reasons why, but you need to be very clear of what they are for YOU before you can
make them happen.
Alicia M Forest, MBA, 6-Figure Business Breakthrough Mentor, teaches self-employed
professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more
sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create wild
abundance in your business, visit Client Abundance.
While the message and the market of your
business may be different, there are some
stumbling blocks that seem to pop up
for even the seasoned entrepreneur.
Here are four of the ones that I've been coaching clients on during their private
planning and strategy retreats lately:
1. Not moving ahead even when they know what to do.
Almost always, this is a fear-based immobility. Whether it's fear of failure or fear of
success (the latter seems more prevalent for entrepreneurs, including myself). We
come up with all kinds of excuses as to why something isn't getting done, but most
often it has nothing to do with anything other than fear of the possible result of moving
forward.
If you're afraid of failing, remember that in our online world, we get to test things out
with very little risk. My favorite strategy is to "fail fast." Put it out there, see what
happens, tweak until you get the result you want.
If you're afraid of success, then you need to take a look at your Big Money Why (BMW
-- see #5) to see how you can make it more powerful and motivating (tip: money is
never enough of a motivator, believe it or not). And you need to put in place a process
for how you will handle the abundance that's too come.
2. Being self-disciplined enough to make and stick to self-imposed deadlines.
The wonderful thing about being an entrepreneur is that you're your own boss. The
tricky thing about that is most, if not all, of our deadlines are self-imposed. Which
makes them very easy to move, doesn't it? I know because I've struggled with this one
more than once.
If we go back to knowing what your emotionally driven motivator is for the success
you desire, you'll be more likely to stick to those self-imposed deadlines - but only if
that BMW is strong enough.
Here's a simple but very powerful tip for you in sticking to your own deadlines: Make
them public. When I launched my first info-product, I told my ezine list that they
would be able to buy it on a certain date, which gave me about 3 weeks to get it done.
And done it was.
3. Claiming leadership status and fulling stepping into the role of the CEO of your
business.
Once an entrepreneur gets the foundational pieces in place for their business, it's
actually easy to stay in the start-up phase, because it's comfortable. And because often
they don't know what the next step is, what the next layer of the business should look
like, to take them to the next level.
The sooner they can take on the leadership role, by becoming the CEO of their
business (even if they don't call themselves that), the faster the growth of both the
entrepreneur and the business.
One of the ways you can step more fully into that role is by delegating. So if you've
been in business for a couple of years and you're still doing too much of the managing
of it, and especially if you're doing all the administrative work, and you haven't hired
an assistant yet, it's time. Start with one small project and add from there,
For every task in your business, ask yourself, "Is this something I should be doing?"
Because remember, even if you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD.
If the answer is no, then pass it off to a capable assistant.
4. Having an emotionally driven motivator for your Big Money Why (BMW).
This is probably the most important one. Money is NOT enough of a motivator, no
matter how much you want it, or are attached to the "6-Figure" or "million-dollar"
mark. There has to be a reason behind wanting it, something that is so strong that it
drives you and the business forward, no matter what.
If you find things aren't moving as quickly as you'd like, or it feels too hard much of
the time, or you just aren't using your time and talent effectively, take a look at your
Big Money Why. And if you haven't done this before, then that's your coaching
homework.
In as much detail as possible, write out why you want the financial success you do. Is
it to give to your family, is it to give to others, is it to create a charitable foundation, is
it to take care of elderly parents, is it to enable your children to get the best education
you can give them, is it to travel and expand your world view, is it to buy a nicer home
for your family, is it to give experiences to those you love - they are a thousand
reasons why, but you need to be very clear of what they are for YOU before you can
make them happen.
Alicia M Forest, MBA, 6-Figure Business Breakthrough Mentor, teaches self-employed
professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more
sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create wild
abundance in your business, visit Client Abundance.
Home Office Weekly is a BackPorch Publishing site Join Us Today! Marcia Passos Duffy, Publisher & Editor Author of Be Your Own Boss 301 Moved Permanently |
|
| home | business tips| office space | time tips| home life|inspiration|art|books|tools|site map|about us |
