If you run your own business, chances are you’re probably a sensitive soul. After all, running a business is a lot of hard work. Making sure everyone on your payroll is paid on time, tracking revenue to make sure you’re making the money you’re supposed to be earning and balancing customer feedback so that you can continue offering them what they want at an affordable price are only some of the challenges that come with running your own business as well.
In other words, running a business requires a lot of grit and resilience in order for it to succeed — no matter how sensitive you may be.
That being said, many businesses don’t have the best luck when it comes to trusting their instincts and taking things personally when things don’t go their way.
But if you take this mindset too far and start believing that everything bad that ever happens to your business has something personal behind it, then you won’t be able to grow your business any further either…
But why is taking things personally so bad?
Let’s say your business experiences a dip in revenue and you’re convinced that the reason is because a customer left a bad review on your site. One way to look at this situation is that they have nothing to do with you personally, which can be incredibly freeing. Even if you don’t believe this, it’s important to remember that even though the world doesn’t revolve around you, there isn’t anything wrong with thinking that it does.
If you take things personally and get too wrapped up in what others think of your business or personal brand, then not only will your business stagnate, but more importantly, so will your mental well-being.
Don’t jump to conclusions.
The first step to growing your business is to stop jumping to conclusions. You don’t want to take anything personally because if you do, then you won’t be able to make sound business decisions that will help your company succeed.
When people are really passionate about a topic and they feel like something bad is happening because of them (even if it’s not), they immediately jump to conclusions without getting all the facts.
This means that instead of looking for new opportunities, you’ll be stuck in an endless cycle of comfortability where you would rather stay in a rut than try something new.
So, if you take things too far and start thinking everything is personal, then it’s time to find some perspective. Perspective helps us see the big picture when you’re too in your feelings about certain things. The more perspective we have, the better off we are at dealing with challenging situations and learning from our mistakes…
Stop assuming the worst.
If you get burned by a customer or an employee, for example, it’s easy to assume that the experience was one-sided. When a negative event takes place, it can be easy to assume the worst without thinking twice. But if this happens too often, then your business will never grow and you’ll just be happy with how things are now because you only have what you have right now.
For example, if a customer doesn’t buy from you in the next week, then you should politely follow up on why they haven’t purchased yet.
You might also want to take this as an opportunity to ask them if they are interested in any additional services like consulting or training that your business may offer. If they aren’t into those things, then perhaps there’s something else that is causing their hesitation to purchase from you such being short on cash. We’ve all been there. My point is to stop assuming it’s you.
Be objective and analytical.
The most important thing you can do to grow your business is to remain objective and analytical. Take the time out of your day to sit down and write down everything that happens in your business, good and bad. Then, analyze each situation and determine if there’s a personal motivation behind it.
Once you have determined what’s going on, put thought into making sure that you don’t let personal feelings affect your decisions going forward. The only way any business can succeed is by being objective and analytical when it comes to decision making…
Stay flexible.
The best advice for entrepreneurs is to stay flexible and trust their instincts. It’s important to remain open-minded and patient when dealing with the challenges of running a business.
Keep your ear to the ground, pay attention to what people are saying about you online and make sure you’re offering your customers value in return.
Don’t get too defensive when someone criticizes your business or takes a shot at it; rather, take a guided look at where they may be coming from so that you can address the issue before it escalates into something bigger.
These are difficult skills to learn, but by taking these steps, you will eventually train yourself to stop taking things personally and start trusting your instincts in order to grow your business.
Take a break from your routine.
If you’re feeling stressed out, taking a break from your routine can really help.
For example, if you’re working on a big project, take a break and go for a walk outside or go lift weights.
A short change in routine can be very refreshing and is often the key to finding the inspiration you need to keep going.
Taking time for yourself is so essential. If you feel like you don’t have enough time to work on yourself and your business, then it’s time to reassess what’s important in life.
Wrapping Up
At the end of the day, you have to remember that running your own business is a part of your professional and personal life as it can take a toll on your mental health.
If you allow yourself to take things personally, then you’ll never be able to grow your business because you’ll be constantly letting emotions (like fear) rule over logic. But if you stay grounded and continue trusting your instincts and focusing on the task at hand, then your business will grow quickly and become successful in no time.
So, as long as you can keep this in mind and use it as motivation for when things don’t go well for your business, then everything will be just fine for you!
Let me know how you get back on track after a bit of disappointment. I would love to hear it.
Talk soon!
Andie