Being or becoming a business owner takes a specific type of resolve and mental sportsmanship, which is why it’s important to remember to mind your business and not just run it.
There are many tools readily available to teach you the basics of business through the internet, eBooks, magazines, podcasts – take your pick! It is easy to get distracted by the influx of celebrated tech startups and multi-million dollar businesses and mentally begin to compare your business success to their highlight reel. You weren’t privy to all of the hardships, pitfalls, mountains, and fires that almost caused them to walk away. Their success isn’t because of a few quick business sprints or marathon wins but because of solid and concerted efforts of strength and discipline — the type only seen in endurance sports.
The key to igniting a thriving business is “Endurance.” We are not talking about excelling for a few minutes; that’s easy; the trick is making it last. ENDUREpreneurship may not be a word in the dictionary, but it does have a meaning in context to business and mental balance. Both demand time, precision, and calculated risk.
Minding your own business is not about how you operate your business — instead, it’s about mental preparedness to navigate the challenges of business ownership. As business owners, it’s easy to zone in on what the company requires and put our mental health on the back burner. Forgetting that to make sound business decisions, mental clarity, and inner peace is a primary life principle transferable into a business.
So how do you stay on target to build your business with mental endurance? Here are the areas on which to focus:
- Preparation
Races, games, and contests — they are all won by the best-prepared team. To go the distance takes disciplined prep time — for weeks or even years before the main event. Believe it or not, your success is measured by how customers experience your business. Planning takes the stress out of business ownership and provides clarity to those working with you. Knowing where you’re going in advance helps to relax your mind that even if adjustments are made along the way, you have a plan to follow and are prepared.
- Surround yourself with support
Exhausting your endurance is done when you continue to push the limitations of your stamina. Building a support system protects you from yourself. There is a fine line between giving a reserved effort and going overboard. Most people who start a business began as a Solopreneur and became an Entrepreneur, and while both are fantastic stages of growing a business, they are very different. Failure to put a support system in place will drain you mentally and physically and enforce negative energy that you are the only person who can do the work. Creating a business island of single “You” is a typical business mistake easily corrected by hiring or collaborating with a skilled team with strengths outside your own. Don’t be afraid to trust the people around you to help you push through boundaries and get past obstacles. Training and trusting your team allows you to focus on decisions that require you to maintain mental sanity. When you’re crushing it, they’re right there with you. When motivation wavers, just being in your team’s presence can be enough to inspire you.
- Refuel frequently
To keep moving and improving, you have to feed the need. We’ve found that the best refueling tip is to get some rest. nap-time, as a kid, was never wanted, but it was needed. Remember how refreshed you felt when you woke up and had all the energy in the world to run and play a little harder and faster? A short hour nap when you are overwhelmed is medicine to the mind and resets your endurance. It’s up to you to make the most out of your breaks from the business. Preparation and support keep you from having to perform when you’re not at your best. To avoid any crash, keep a mindful cadence. You are your best judge of fatigue, so be honest before your body or mind forces you to be honest. Being proactive about nourishment, reenergizing, and refueling is always rewarded sevenfold.
- Constant fine-tuning
Competition is where the magic happens. Folks like billionaire businessman Mark Cuban agree that business is a sport where you are constantly competing. If not for the rights to a project or a new client, then it’s for recognition within your industry. Remaining competitive requires constant fine-tuning of your craft. Day in and day out, the glory will be in the journey, not the seconds spent on a podium. Being able to see where improvements within your business model and the team can grow is the only way to have peace of mind. An essential key to business longevity is to perform an internal Business Market Analysis to ensure you are meeting all of your targeted goals. Mental endurance helps to keep what’s essential at the helm. Stay humble through it all. And rise to the challenge that every new day presents if you want true lasting success.
