The entrepreneurial journey is hard even in the best of times. For over a year now, small business owners have had to battle and overcome some pretty serious obstacles….and to put it bluntly, we’ve lost a lot of absolutely amazing small business owners due to the impact of Covid.
If you’re still here and still fighting for your business, we wanted to take a moment to say congratulations, and fantastic work! We have been faced with challenge after challenge, our resiliency has been tested, and our minds forced to take our business in new and creative directions.
BUT YOU. DID. THAT!
Don’t let anyone tell you differently, and don’t let the stress of your decision making change the fact that you’re still here and still pushing on!
Here are 7 ways that you can pause, breathe and recognize that hard work that you’ve put in…because let’s face it, you deserve to toot your own horn a time or two!
Compare now vs. then
Take some time to look back on where you started, and compare it to now. Look at old pictures and posts, analyze your data and appreciate your growth. While you’ve certainly had some setbacks, that doesn’t meant that you haven’t seen success. If you aren’t see quite the results that you would have liked, then what can you do to make that happen?
Acknowledge the hardships and feel the emotions associated with that
We are not fans of when people always try to sugarcoat things. This past year has been hard. Like really, really hard. It’s okay to recognize what you’ve been through and feel those emotions. Anger, sadness, frustration, desperation. All of these emotions are 100% valid, and you are doing yourself a disservice by not acknowledging and truly feeling them in order to progress.
Write down what you’re grateful for…and share it!
Keep a gratitude journal so that you can write down what you’re grateful for. Share it with your followers, your network, your family and friends, and thank them for their support.
Make time for family
We cannot stress this enough. Family time is a great way to practice self-care, and doesn’t make you feel guilty as a business owner for taking time for yourself. Take time to just enjoy your loved ones.
Online network
We certainly miss our in-person networking events, so why not create one via Zoom? Round up your fellow entrepreneurs and have a networking session. Take this time to talk about your business, your frustrations, success, etc. There is a comfort in being able to get things off your chest and relate to others’ stories that may be going through something similar.
Just enjoy the entrepreneurial journey
It sounds cliche, but it’s true. Every night we ask that you sit back and just enjoy what you’ve accomplished that day. Big things sometimes require little steps, so it’s okay to not have your days constantly jammed packed with tasks. You’re doing great, and you need to recognize that!
Keep your mind (and heart) open to new possibilities
This is another cliche, but it’s so important. It’s been incredibly difficult for most small business owners to open their mind and hearts to new possibilities where their business is concerned. Covid has made us all question our journey at some point, and we’re all still here fighting. So try to have a go with the flow attitude and be open to new possibilities. You never know where a new idea or concept might take your business!
The team at Simple Desk just wants to recognize how incredible you all are in navigating this pandemic and continuing to persevere despite bad news after bad news. We are here for you in any way that you need, whether it be outsourcing, educational resources, or just to vent.
Keep fighting, we are behind you every step of the way!
PS, don’t forget to follow our Youtube channel for more helpful small biz tips!
