The hard reality is that running a business isn’t easy- at all. It’s one of the most difficult things anyone can ever subject themselves to doing. Even with intense planning, some things will not go your way. There will be tough moments and adverse climates, but when they do come, it doesn’t mean it’s the end for you.
A smart entrepreneur knows that a setback is simply just that: a small pebble on your way to success. It shouldn’t hinder you from achieving your dreams. Yet, it’s always easier said than done so here is some practical and conceptual advice.
You Need to Be Resilient
First and foremost, any business owner must be resilient and tough. Running a business is far from easy, and even the most successful entrepreneurs struggle every now and then. Many often fall into either a pit of despair and feelings of inadequacy, while some resort to blaming external forces for their failures. But the wise entrepreneur always sees the value in being resilient and enduring.
Be realistic and acknowledge that what you’re doing is difficult in the first place, and failure is always a feasible result. And even through failure, one must learn not to give up. Walt Disney suffered numerous setbacks before he was able to find success- a reminder to everyone that even the greatest have felt failure before.
Prepare for Everything
A good entrepreneur knows that the going will get tough eventually, and would have prepared for it in multiple aspects. It’s not just a matter of financial preparedness- although admittedly, it’s a large part of it. Preparing for everything means covering all your bases: improving your physical security and cybersecurity to make sure that both your data and your premises are safe.
It also means investing in a good small business disaster recovery plan should any natural disaster occur. Always remember that prevention is better than a cure, but sometimes, you can’t prevent certain things from happening. And with these things, it’s best to have an emergency plan if they ever occur.
Bolster Your Staff Through Everything
Whenever the company is experiencing difficulty, the staff will always feel after. They’re the ones manning the stations after all. Or perhaps, the problem might even stem from your employee’s poor performance! Regardless of what’s happening, it’s important to bolster your staff no matter what. To do this, you need to find the root cause. If it’s because of external factors, such as a volatile economy or tight competition, it’s best, to be honest, and direct towards them so they would understand the increase in demand or even upcoming pressure.
If the cause is coming from a personnel issue, don’t get angry. Neither should you issue punishments. Instead, understand what it is that affects their performance. If it’s a personal issue, offer to allow them to sort it out before they can focus on their job. It doesn’t have to be that they stop working for weeks at a time- you can offer to reduce their required working hours so they can attend to whatever it is they need to do. It could also be a professional issue, such as lacking the tools and equipment necessary. If that’s the case, provide the prerequisite equipment and you will immediately notice a boost in their performance.
Learn to Fail Forward
However, it’s important not to mistake resiliency with sheer stubbornness. Failing at something and picking yourself back up is perfectly understandable- what’s not is when you’re failing at the same thing multiple times over. That simply means you didn’t learn your lesson. Whenever you fail, the first instinct shouldn’t be to wallow in defeat but to analyze where you went wrong.
Look back at your actions and pinpoint the moment where you made a mistake. Learning to spot your errors and coming up with ways to solve them is a good mental exercise and will help you improve your business operations. Moving forward, it will also serve as a guide in making critical business decisions.
Look for Inspiration
We’re not just saying to pick up a self-help book written by successful entrepreneurs. What we mean is that you should look at successful establishments in your industry and study them. Perhaps they’ve gone through a similar experience to your company and have found a way to succeed through it. Or perhaps there’s an industry-standard response to whatever it is you’re experiencing right now. Looking for inspiration means studying your peers and studying history- learning both from everyone else’s mistakes or failures.
When the going gets tough, the toughness doesn’t back down. And neither should you. All it takes to survive a tough part of your career is to address it wisely.
