When the going gets rough in business, you’ll need the motivation to keep moving. Motivating yourself can be hard but practicing consistent habits such as reminding yourself of why you started can be a major boost. A network of friends and partners can also serve as a great assurance and reminder that you’re not walking.
Here are the various ways entrepreneurs and business owners stay motivated in business.
#1- Having clear objectives
Most entrepreneurs start their businesses with specific aims and objectives in mind. They may even develop a set of basic ideas by which they wish to live, but they fail to develop their own specific ambitions. This is not something you can afford to disregard because you most likely have reasons for being an entrepreneur in the first place. It doesn't matter if you write these things down on paper, or on your phone; so you can refer to them when you've lost inspiration. Having goals in various areas of your life will help you live the greatest life possible.
Thanks to Tanner Arnold, Revelation Machinery!
#2- Maintaining work-life balance
On days when I need motivation, I try to remind myself that I am exactly where I hoped to be and running my own company. Moreover, I allot for myself some guilt-free days where I reward myself for all my hard work. One of the main things that I try to practice is always advising my employees is to strike a work-life balance. Spend time with your loved ones and maintain healthy relationships. And last but not the least, always be open to innovations and new learning experiences as they make you learn new relevant skills!
Thanks to Dan Ni, Messaged.com!
#3- Choosing my passion
Enter a field that you’re passionate about. This will ultimately provide a sense of purpose and consistently motivate you to push your company forward even on the toughest days. It will also enable you to overcome failures and be more committed to managing difficult situations. Purpose goes way beyond profit. Of course, money is a huge incentive, but it can’t be the end all be all. Having a sincere affection for your work translates to your client/consumer base and allows you the patience necessary to
problem solve, creating positive outcomes.
Thanks to Nick Shackelford, Structured Agency!
#4- Getting into action
I create a significant structure to make it easy to get into action and my clients and I partner to do the same for their work. There are a bunch of different approaches: Scheduling all tasks you plan actually to do; creating alerts that tell you when to stop and start; scheduling even non-professional stuff like working out or walking the dog. There's much more. But the key point is this: Motivation is a red herring. Find structures that get you into action -even grudgingly. Motivation will take care of itself.
Thanks to Amie Devero, Amie Devero Coaching and Consulting!
#5- Giving high-quality service
When you are committed to providing the highest quality of service to your customers, motivation comes naturally. Likewise, when you are committed to delivering the solutions your customers need, it energizes you to improve daily. Therefore, we prioritize our customer's needs, demanding that we continually evolve and grow. When you give your best, customers are loyal and appreciative. As humans, we thrive when we are appreciated.
Thanks to Bernadette Gold, Bernadette Gold!
#6- Customer focus
What motivates me is a well-oiled team of players, knowing that they can implement my ideas and do them well. There were many lean years when I had to do everything myself, Though I experience some limitations still, simply because I have more ideas than I could possibly accomplish in a lifetime. Another thing that changed me is having a purpose beyond the business. When I shifted away from being all about money and more towards making life better for my customers, everything changed.
Thanks to Eric Rhoads, Streamline Publishing!
#7- Doing a home project
A bit simple, but not a lot of leaders do so. Doing one home project at a time can relax my mind and keep me from overthinking messy work matters. However, what people don’t know is that because I’m calm and “in the present,” my mind gets so unknotted that in just a split moment, I can find inspiration to solve a current problem out of the blue. The resulting inspiration gives me a working idea that drives me to immediately find ways on how to effectively apply it, no matter how bizarre and crazy it is.
Thanks to Jay Whitacre, Aquion Energy!
#8- Redefining goals
For me, staying motivated is about defining my goals regularly. Every three to four months, I sit down and write out my goals under two categories, short and long term. The short-term goals provide me with immediately actionable tasks that can be completed in a limited amount of time. By doing this, I am always moving forward, which in itself, motivates me to keep going. Each short-term goal is connected to the overall long-term goal and that success motivates me to go after the bigger ones.
Thanks to Yuvi Alpert, Noemie!
#9- By making to-do lists
I have found that I stay motivated whenever I see that I am ticking off items from my to-do list regularly. It tells me that I am not stuck and that I am making progress. That being said, what I do to stay motivated is convert big goals into smaller ones and individually put each into my list. This way, my journey is clearly documented and I do not only feel, but I literally see that I am moving. Knowing that I am moving closer to my goals each time I tick off items from my list is more than enough to keep my going.
Thanks to Hays Bailey, Sheqsy!
#10- Time management
Working remotely is not easy for everyone as it requires you to be very strong-willed and responsible about your time. However, you can make every single day more manageable by breaking it down into repeatable tasks. Humans depend on routines for productivity because giving structure to our days helps us concentrate and perform better than tackling situations as they come at random. You should plan your day according to the time you can allocate to work vs. the tasks you have to complete.
Thanks to Stephan Baldwin, Assisted Living Center!
#11- By setting goals
I chose this career path when I decided to quit my cushy corporate job and start my own business. In this journey, there have been some times when I have wanted to quit no doubt but I figured out how to not burn out under the intensity of this role and stay motivated. I set personal goals with the business goals that I have each month. This makes me feel internally satisfied while watching my business flourish. Also reading up on the entrepreneurial journey of fellow founders gives me a lot of perspective into my issues and concerns.
Thanks to Lattice Hudson, Lattice & Co.!
#12- By visualizing
We all have days when everything is out of focus, and the negativity is loud. I have found that visualization is my key to staying motivated. Some people choose to journal their aspirations – I ‘pin' mine! I have a private Pinterest board where I have added little reminders of every goal that have worked towards. From the dream house to public speaking engagements, eating well, even photos of checks. I head over to that board whenever I need to stay motivated!
Thanks to Ashley Lands, Stuff Oui Love!
#13- Keeping objectives in focus
Eyes on the price, as what they always say. This phrase completely explains why my motivation never left me. I have established in my mind the things I want to achieve, may it be a short-term or long-term goal. Knowing your objective is such a powerful driver for you to keep on going and that is what I am experiencing. This is not just about personal desires but a mixture of such and a vision for my business. My motivation is basically rooted in my objectives and the prize that comes with them
Thanks to Keenan Beavis, Longhouse Media!
#14- By listening to success stories
If you thrive on success stories and love to knock the ball out of the park, finding TED talks featuring highly successful entrepreneurs is easy these days and is food for the soul. When you listen to like-minded individuals talking about their personal life and business experiences, you will undoubtedly be inspired to jump that hurdle. After 30 minutes you will have a completely different mindset and will welcome the hard work and obstacles with open arms, ready to take on the world!
Thanks to Saskia Ketz, Mojomox!
#15- Connecting with like-minded people
You must be connected to a community of like-minded individuals who are on the same journey as you and that is led by someone who has accomplished what you are working toward accomplishing. This journey has been difficult, wonderful, rewarding, and uncertain at times and I've managed to not lose my motivation because I've stayed connected to a community of amazing people. People who understand the highs and lows, people who share their experiences, and people who motivate and support me when it really matters.
Thanks to Gwendolyn Young, Your Virtual Admin Expert!
#16- Prioritizing positive habits
I know that to run a profitable online business filled with numerous distractions, shiny objects, and my own fleeting human emotions, I've learned to cultivate the daily habits instead that I need to thrive. We tend to believe that motivation is what will drive success, but I have found instead I have to focus on being in peak performance or in flow instead. This in a nutshell means prioritizing meditation, gratitude, plenty of sleep, water, minimizing distractions, time blocking, and good people around me to keep me accountable and on task. It absolutely beats relying on when I feel motivated.
Thanks to Carrie Veatch, Set Yourself Free!
#17- By making a difference
Besides the money, the way I touch other people’s lives is what keeps me motivated. As a website founder and blogger, sharing my ideas and knowledge with people gives me the feeling of achievement. Whenever my readers comment that my tips have helped them with their problems, I feel more eager to learn more about my expertise to share more with them. These things, in my opinion, are more precious than my earnings which helps me continue striving hard not only for myself and my employees but also for those who support my blog.
Thanks to Jeneva Aaron, The House Wire!
#18- Creating an impact
Knowing my why is how I stay motivated. When things are not going as planned or I'm feeling overwhelmed, I remember the bigger vision and my true reason for creating my business. I don't mean the surface layer of why I started my business but the deeper reasons of wanting to create an impact in the world, creating time freedom to spend traveling with my family, and my deeper purpose in life. When I remember the WHY I can get remotivated and make it through anything.
Thanks to Jacquelyn Rodriguez, Enlightened styles!
#19- Connecting with others
What keeps me motivated is my connection to others. Whether I am connecting with my team, clients, or outside partners, I am consistently driven by the idea that I am making an impact and inspiring others. At the end of the day, nobody can hold you more accountable than yourself. While I sometimes work too hard, I am also grateful for the work ethic my parents instilled in me at a young age. I have high expectations for myself and will do whatever is necessary to not disappoint me once I've set expectations and have goals on my radar.
Thanks to Charlie Saffro, CS Recruiting!
#20- Remembering challenges I overcame
I think back to all the times in my life where I overcame challenging situations and what it took to get to where I am now. That gives me confidence and courage to keep going. My son also keeps me grounded and gives me the trust and the resilience to know that at the end of the day all I can do is try my best and however things turn out, I will make the best of them. I want to make sure I set the best example for my son, that I inspire him to grow into a strong man who dares to take chances and be vulnerable, even when he’s unsure of what comes next.
Thanks to Jennifer Revello, Averal!
#21- Celebrating success
Set up rewards for yourself for when you complete certain tasks or accomplish certain goals. For example, if you are a first-time entrepreneur, you can establish certain goals for the year such as setting up a website or creating job descriptions for the roles you want to hire for. Whenever you reach important goals such as these, you can reward
yourself with a nice meal or some time off. Being supportive and congratulatory towards yourself will help you to stay motivated.
Thanks to Mike Clare, Mood Health!
#22- Counting my blessings
Maintaining a consistent morning routine is important to keep motivated as an entrepreneur. I program my coffee maker to make coffee in the mornings as soon as I get up, and place my alarm right beside it. So the first thing I do in the mornings is having a cup of coffee. I then get ready and meditate for 15 minutes. Before starting work, I write a couple of sentences about how grateful I am. This reminds me that many people are in unfortunate circumstances around the world yet manage to achieve great things. This is very motivating for me.
Thanks to Felipe Vernaza, Your Coffee & Tea Essentials!
#23- By customer focus
As a marketing agency owner, I have found the best way to stay motivated is to not think about the bottom line so much but to focus on more how you can push the dial for your clients. I know it sounds a little bit schmaltzy I find, but seeing all the leads coming from our efforts (we monitor responses on all our client’s landing pages), and knowing how much that helps customers grow their business is really motivational, and it makes me want to come into the office every day and do it for more people.
Thanks to Shane McEvoy, Flycast Media!
#24- Planning big
When I find myself losing motivation, it usually means things have gone stagnant within the business. Things aren’t necessarily bad, but there’s just nothing new and exciting going on. So, I’ve learned to use these moments to start figuring out the next big thing for my company to do. For example, right now, I’m working on completely upgrading our website so we can add more services and features that will benefit the business as well as our clients. Figuring out the next way to move my business forward, improve my customers’ experience, and make life easier for my employees gets me motivated again!
Thanks to Kate Williams, People First Content!
#25- Having a winning attitude
I’m not the most laidback person when it comes to working, and I have my perseverance to thank for whatever struggles I’ve led my company through. Failure simply isn’t an option for me. I refuse to be daunted by ongoing problems and challenges. Instead, they fuel me to work harder. When something doesn’t go well, I know I’ll come up with a solution, and ultimately, I do, backed by my strong team. We’ve had clients ghosting us
without pay, and crucial employees quit at the busiest times due to family emergencies, but a winning attitude is all it takes to survive the toughest challenges.
Thanks to Anjela Mangrum, Mangrum Career Solutions!