It is not uncommon for business owners to lose passion or drive for their business. Over time, the stress of owning a small business, balancing finances, working to hire good employees, and managing clients can get to be too much. If you are a business owner and are struggling to move forward and stick with it, below are some actions to take right away.
Wasatch ActionCOACH wants to help businesses of all sizes and offers resources for business owners who feel underqualified or overwhelmed. Our team is here to serve you so that you can continue to best serve the state of Utah.
1- Take Time To Focus On You
Burnout can be a real contributing factor to your lost passion. Taking a step back and focusing on your needs (mentally, physically, and financially) can help you gain some more motivation.
Taking some time for yourself can look like a long vacation, taking a step back from certain duties, taking part in a hobby you haven’t had time for recently, or leaving business duties behind right at 5 o’clock. Taking time for yourself is always important, especially when you constantly need to be creative and use critical thinking.
2- Remember Why You Started
In order to grow a successful business, you need to have a why behind what you are offering. If you are losing sight of why you started a business in the first place, looking back on your why can help reignite your passion.
Many businesses offer something to customers that they were lacking. They fulfill a need, cater to those less fortunate, or support the local community. All of these reasons and more can help give you a positive push to reinvest in your business strategy.
Lost passion in business may also come from a lack of a strong reason. If passion is lacking or your business is not moving forward how you envisioned, try coming up with a new why statement or mission.
3- Experience What Similar Businesses Are Doing
Visiting the competition may not seem like a good idea when you are losing vision for your company. But checking out similar shops, or talking with owners of other companies can help remind you to want you do like about the industry and what you are trying to change. Noting what other businesses don’t have will help you gain a better action plan of how to include them in your own.
4- Work To Break Self-Doubt And Grief
Imposter syndrome, anxiety, and fear can all creep up when you are trying to run a business. Working to overcome these feelings can help you feel more joy in your business. Working with a therapist to talk about your feelings may be a source of relief and can help you gain new ideas to implement.
Making mistakes is something that will happen in business. It is all about how you handle them and how you come back from them. Mistakes can be a learning experience and provide you with the opportunity to show your true values to your customers. If mistakes have caused you grief or to feel like a failure, try reframing how you see past and future shortcomings.
5- Talk To Others Who Are Passionate
Finding a mentor or talking to friends who own businesses may help you feel more validated. Speaking with a mentor can also help spark new concepts and ignite a fire to implement new practices.
6- Find Joy In An Unrelated Activity
When something starts to get overwhelming, taking a break and doing something completely unrelated to your stress can really help. As a business owner, you have drifted away from family or lost joy in certain hobbies. Pick up a new hobby or go back to an old one and find joy in doing that activity.
Getting away from your business when it is draining can help you mentally reset and come back to the office refreshed.
Increase Business Passion With Wasatch ActionCOACH
No matter what business stage you are in, our business coaches can help you get back on a better path to success. If you have lost passion for your business it does not make you a bad business owner. The ebbs and flows of running a business can take a toll on anyone. With our peer support programs, one on one coaching, and great online resources, Wasatch ActionCOACH is here for you every step of the way.
