Article by
rebeccadickenson
If like me, you just love running your own business, then downing tools and leaving the place that you have worked so hard to create can feel like a real wrench. Along with financial worries there can be a real feel of ‘separation anxiety’ – having to be away from the businesses that we love and the customers that we are so committed to.
It’s only been a matter of months since I opened my latest venture and the team and I were smashing it! Happy clients, happy stylists, happy hair!
But now that I find myself staying safe at home it’s given me time to reflect on the last six months, take a step back and decide what the next chapter of my story is going to be, once we can welcome our customers back.
We all get so busy making our businesses successful that we can overlook the little things. Now that we have the time, let’s use it to devise our business strategies for the future, decide what type of business we want to be and use the time to read, research and learn.
Whatever field or industry you work in you may find that your relevant professional organisations have plenty of online content that can support you in your learning and planning goals.
The Federation of Small Businesses has some great practical content which can really help business owners to find their focus. It’s also a great time to think about how your business and brand is perceived? Is now the time to update your website or put together a marketing and PR plan? Arguably, promoting your business now, will help you emerge stronger and more prepared once things begin to resume an air of normality.
Being a small business owner has it challenges on a typical week, but remember, no one could have predicted this latest raft of challenges. It is therefore very important to keep perspective, focus on the future and appreciate what elements we can control.
One way to do this is to create a new daily routine and don’t forget to take time to care for your physical and mental wellbeing.
Remember too, that there is help out there for small businesses and the self-employed.
Whilst we may have to rip up our original 2020 business plans, the journey is far from over. Being self-employed or owning a small business is still a great career choice. By continuing to approach our challenges with the drive, determination and creativity that made us prosper in the first place, we will succeed, and we will meet again.
