The How To Of Becoming An Entrepreneur – Things You Need To Consider
Most entrepreneurs do not even recognise that they are one until it is too late and you have made all the mistakes an entrepreneur can possibly make.
You are an entrepreneur if you have had an idea for a business and have put the plan in to action in any way.
If you decided that you wanted to make money online from an interest or niche you are interested in then you are an entrepreneur. If you have simply started a blog without knowing the direction you are going in then you are on your way to becoming an entrepreneur. If you have started a bricks and mortar business then you are an entrepreneur.
I could go on but the point of this post is to help you to become an entrepreneur you recognise yourself to be and to help you not to make too many mistakes along the way. The odd mistake isn’t too hurtful, we often learn great things by making mistakes. You will learn the how to of becoming an entrepreneur by making that odd mistake.
The Biggest Mistake Entrepreneurs Make
When it comes to starting out in business, most entrepreneurs will foresee how busy they are likely to be. At least for the first year or two, your life will become more work-oriented than it ever has before. The simple fact is that you need to put in the effort to see results. And, that can take its toll on your home life and even your health.
This is especially true of online businesses. Online, your customers will expect fast responses and immediate services 24/7. We do live In a “I want it now society” and your customers may be worldwide so when you are off to bed they are just getting up !
If you aren’t careful, your life and health could start to suffer due to your efforts to keep on top of things. In no time at all, you could feel a lot like you are tied to your desk just to keep your customers happy. And, that is bad news for obvious reasons.
If this sounds familiar, please take a step back. If you push yourself too hard, your efforts will start to suffer and you will make mistakes. Remember you are also human as well as being an entrepreneur.
Instead, consider the following ways to keep up with an online audience without actually shackling yourself to that office chair.
Get Other People Onboard.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that getting other people onboard can lessen your workload. It can also help you to keep on top every hour of the day. All you need to do is look into employing remote workers who live in different time zones. Get this right, and you can rest easy that they are working a regular day while you sleep. That way, no one has to push themselves into unsociable hours. Yet, your late-night customers can still receive the help they need, whenever they need it. This step will go a huge way towards helping with time management, and could be the answer to your work stresses.
Use Cloud Services
Of course, it’s not only your sleep pattern which could suffer. You probably went it alone to be able to manage your work/life balance better. Now, you struggle to leave the house for days on end. That’s terrible news for both your physical and mental health and also for your personal relationships.
But, how can you leave when you need to keep a constant eye on things? By taking your business with you, of course. By investing in something like the Cloud Virtual Desktops offered by Yorkshire Cloud, you can access everything you need on any computer. So, you can leave your desktop and office behind and hit a coffee shop with just a laptop.
The change of scenery will work wonders. And, your business doesn’t have to suffer because of the time you took out. It might be frustrating having to just watch your kids at a pool party when you are largely ignored and not needed. Taking that laptop or even your smartphone with you can mean you are there but can also work. Now I’m not suggesting you ignore your family or children. This is a terrible mistake but we all know there are occasions we have to be there but are not really required.
This could also benefit any remote workers you choose to take on board, so it really is a good idea all around.
Offer An Out Of Hours Contact Form
Sometimes, you won’t have any choice but to shut up shop. While being there 24/7 is a good idea in theory, it doesn’t always work. Customers understand that, and it shouldn’t harm your business if you provide an out of hours contact form. If you reply to your comments or emails first thing, it is unlikely that customers will turn away because you were not around to answer their query immediately. This way, you can achieve the distance you need without risking sales too. So, go easy on yourself. Even entrepreneurs deserve a break sometimes.
Final Thoughts
Being an entrepreneur can be a very difficult job when you first start out but you knew that anyway. Hopefully your entrepreneurial spirit will get through the initial hard slog and you can achieve that work / life balance you are aiming for. Using services that can help you rather than trying to go it alone is the answer to becoming a true entrepreneur. True entrepreneurs know how to manage the business and people to get the most profit will allow you to eventually work when it suits you and not your customers.
You may not have full time employees but you can employee freelancers that have the skills you do not. My first choice is a company called a Fiverr who have a huge amount of very cost effective people who offer me services that I cannot or do not have the time to do,
I hope you have found this post useful and given you some food for thought. If you have please give it a share on your favourite social media platform.
As ever if you have any questions or just want to share your thoughts, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
With Grace and Gratitude
Karen
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