This story happened to me in the beginning of my business path. My partner and I wanted to sell printable curtains. A new type of business at that time, it was a small competition and a minimum budget for promotion. We launched an advertising campaign on Google, and that’s all the work we did with marketing. Our first money in business was earned in that month. Small money, but first money. In June, we had a 500% Return on Investment, in July we had losses that covered all June’s profit, and in August we closed the business for one day without trying new sources of traffic or anything else. Although it was already a well-developed system of production for the curtains, there were a few clients and the first good reviews. I am sure that if we did continue our work, we would definitely be entrenched in this market and would be working now.
The main conclusion I made from the experience is to fight to the last and try all the options. It sometimes happens that the business stops working for some reason that is not related to you. Unfortunately, nothing can be done here, and you can only rebuild the business model or start something new. But when you observe the systematic deterioration of the core business indicators such as traffic, clients, and profit, you do not need to immediately include youthful maximalism, as we did, and without bringing it to completion, strive to build something new. After all, you will always have many ideas, especially when you just start out this way.
Perhaps, these one and a half months of losses were associated with a simple “non-season”, as it is called when demand is getting smaller. After all, the business was already built and was understandable, no unexpected situations that could so affect it happened. And we did not even try other marketing techniques, which there are quite a lot.
Some of our competitors are successfully working even now, significantly expanding their assortment. At that time, we could fight them and get new customers at a low cost; now it’s much harder to do that. Therefore, if you succeed in something, have already begun to make money, and even when the first difficulties have appeared, do not rush to leave everything. You just need to sit down and make a plan of action, a plan of various experiments. It’s much easier than creating something new.
Motivation comes first.
All excuses come from one global problem: “I don’t want”. If you lose interest in any business, then the work efficiency will drop dramatically. Therefore, it is important to keep motivation at all times for stable results. There’s nothing difficult in this outlook, and the willpower can be trained just like muscles. And you don’t even have to visit a gym!
Firstly, you should fight procrastination in everyday life.
Motivation in business is inseparably linked with motivation in everyday life. If you know how to finish a book or regularly go for a run, then you can build an international corporation. Here are 3 main principles of motivation:
1. Pass the “extra mile”.
Never give up a business which has already begun. If you start something, it’ll be a bad idea to stop, because you will lose obtained results. Try every day in every week to move forward, at least a little. So in time you’ll overcome a considerable number of tasks and you’ll be satisfied with this progress.
“Extra mile” is a technique that allows you to move forward more effectively. Imagine that you need to finish a book on self-development, but it is boring. Set a goal – one chapter per day, but in addition read one more page every day. This will be an “extra mile”, a bonus percentage of success and a contribution to the future.
2. Don’t listen to anyone.
Even to yourself! It happens that common sense says: “You don’t need to exercise, fat will still come back”. Or friends discourage you: “Let’s go to the club, leave that programming”! Do not react to this; know your goal and strive for it. You want to lose weight by summer? Exercise every day. Want to become a game developer? Learn to code every hour.
Failure can reduce your motivation and self-esteem, but remember that there’s no development without failures. JK Rowling was denied publication many times but she didn’t give up. Today the whole world admires the Harry Potter books and movies as a result.
3. Master the situation.
Control your affairs and feelings, know what you want and move toward it. Think not about problems, but about possible solutions. Let’s suppose that your bicycle has been stolen. Don’t complain, but think about this situation. How can you return the bicycle? How can you punish the thief? How will you avoid such problems next time? Maybe it’s better to buy a car?
The same principle works with feelings. Get rid of negativity and complaints with an exercise called “21 days of positive”. Find an elastic band or silicone bracelet, hang it on one hand and start thinking only about the good. If you notice a negative thought, lightly flick yourself with the elastic band, put it on the other hand and start 21 days again.
So, how do you never give up on a business?
Principles from everyday life are quite suitable for business success. It’s important organize the tasks based on level of priority. You’re risking not only an unread book or excess fat, but you’re also risking your own money and reputation in business. Business coaches can show you hundreds of tips on business motivation, but I offer only the most effective:
- Highlight the main task. You can’t complete all projects at once. Choose your goals wisely, but when you have decided, work on them until the victorious finish.
- Don’t hurry. It seems that your energy is enough for everything, but this is not true. Don’t waste all resources; increase the pace gradually and then you won’t burn out.
- Don’t force yourself. Constant overworking will only kill interest. Instead of forcing yourself to work, find a pleasant motivation: money, fame, pleasure, etc.
- Do it right away. When the idea has come, do not postpone it, but implement it. Write down your thoughts, think through the development and start working.
- Be able to rest and rejoice. Constant work tires you out, so plan your vacation. Have you achieved the goal? Relax, rejoice, and move on.
Motivated businessmen succeed faster and more often. If you have motivation and if you are able to control your mindset, then internal conflict will go away. You’ll know that you won’t lose interest and will get a guaranteed profit.
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