Small Business Survival Guide: Essential Tools for the Journey
Being a small business owner is truly a journey. Along the way, one will experience seasons of bountiful success and seasons of drought. In both situations, challenges will arise and your ability to sustain will be tested. However, your endurance is less likely to falter if you're properly equipped for survival. Below, we've highlighted some key items to pack as you journey along.
Rest and Relaxation: Recharge for Resilience
Everybody needs a recharge. As business owners, the demands and ever-changing environment can create conditions where lack of sleep becomes "par for the course." Despite popular (or even your own) belief, we are still human. While 8 hours of nightly rest may not be realistic, identify an optimal amount of rest that re-energizes you and be diligent about obtaining it. If all else fails, regular napping can help to supplement scarce hours of overnight rest.
Regular Exercise: Nurturing Your Well-being
Exercise goes hand-in-hand with the aforementioned point. In addition to improving the quality of sleep, exercise yields significant benefits ranging from physical health to emotional health.
Resources: The Gold in Your Arsenal
Resources - financial, human, technical - are the gold. We need them to do what we do. Simply stated. Protect them and manage them responsibly.
Relationships: Easing the Burden Together
The pain of procuring resources can be eased a bit by sustaining strong relationships. In a healthy small business ecosystem, pooling resources can lighten the burden (and budget) of procurement. Furthermore, building a sense of community can serve as an outstanding support system. It is always comforting to know that you are not alone in the struggle. Additionally, by way of our relationships, we can glean wisdom from each other that will ultimately strengthen our influence and impact in the global marketplace. Find founder communities like Goodie Nation or Switchyards that can offer connection and support along the way.
Real Friends: Guardians of Your Well-being
In business, it can be difficult to discern motives and identify who truly has your best interest in mind. Therefore, it is important to have a few real friends who care about your holistic wellbeing and are truthful with you at all costs.
Equipped for the Journey Ahead
As a small business owner, you're on a journey full of challenges and triumphs. By embracing rest, exercise, resource management, nurturing relationships, and valuing genuine friendships, you're arming yourself with essential tools for navigating the unpredictable terrain of entrepreneurship. Remember, endurance is about more than just surviving – it's about thriving.
