There
are so many things that a business owner can control. You can control your
finances, budgets, expenses, cash flows, schedules, and many other activities
within your reach. But there are scenarios you cannot control. Events such as,
a business hitting a rough patch. Problems that come from external factors. The
macro elements of a business are complex. They are mostly beyond your control
by the mere fact that, they are external. And you have nothing to do with them.
These external factors might result in business struggle. A typical business
could be impacted by both internal or external factors. But let’s focus on you
as a business owner managing a struggling business. Running a struggling
business is perhaps, the lowest moment of any business owner.
It
is the least exciting times. This phase impacts people emotionally and
psychologically. You really want to fix the problems that you have identified. However,
the nature of the problem is complex. The solutions that you developed are not
working. And you are feeling frustrated because you had goals. These goals
whether income or growth are feeling the impact of the problems in the business.
Each passing day without a solution is hurting goals. You are not feeling well.
Your business is struggling and you are the person in charge. You are feeling
some level of guilt. You are not doing good. You are also struggling. You were
supposed to have it together as the leader. However, the challenges are proving
persistent. The risks are serious. The solutions you have, do not serve the
current threats. You must have interpreted the risks and threats wrongly. You are
not happy.
The
mere fact that you are not getting the results you expected means that more action is needed. Your methods need to be more proactive. You need an outside-the-box approach. Yet, you are tired. And tempest gets worse. Now you are
feeling overwhelmed. You have tried everything you know. Your problem solving
strategies that you thought were perfect solutions have yielded nothing. You are
still running in loses. You are spending a lot of money on expenses. And you don’t
like the new trend. You need this problem gone. However, by the look of things,
it will take time. Solutions will take longer. You are trying to keep it
together. You are struggling to keep things running in the business. You want
the excitement back. You want to meet your business goals. So, how do you
remain disciplined?
Knowledge
The
discipline that you need during this period is knowledge. The knowledge that
you are a great business person. The knowledge that through your experience
running a business, you have come across several information and people. This is
the time to lean into these resources. Use them to make your journey less
painful. Knowing that you are a good business owner helps you to remain
disciplined. Knowing that you are a good problem-solver reduces the level of
nervousness. It helps you to focus on the business and the problems that you
are facing. You direct your energies and mind on finding right solutions,
instead of panicking. Knowledge keeps you grounded. It tells you to pay attention
to how things are unfolding in the business. It helps you learn when things
started changing in the business.
Knowledge
helps you retrace the journey that has led to the current circumstances in the
business. Sometimes, the best way to solve a problem is through reconstruction.
Going back to the scene that led to the current struggle helps you to see the
bling spots. The experience opens your eyes and helps you see the mistakes that
you made along the way. Whether factors affecting your business are internal or
external, there is always something wrong that usually slips out of hand. This is
the right time to notice things that have slipped out of your mind. Use your
knowledge to connect scenarios. For example, how did you solve a similar
problem before? What steps worked, which one did not? Compare notes and determine
if, the current problem is connected with previous problems.
You
need to know where the stubbornness is coming from in the present struggle. You
need patience to do this. You need to be disciplined as a business owner to get
to the bottom of the problems affecting your business. Being in an awkward
situation in business can easily make you desperate. You might want quick
fixes, which are easy. Solutions that seem less painful. When the current
problems are calling for something else. You need to be disciplined during
turbulent times in your business to remain honest. You need to be honest with
yourself. You need to acknowledge when things are not working. You need to see
that the solutions you thought were right are not right. Look for something else,
away from what you thought you knew. You need to work for new solutions. And this
might be hard. But remain disciplined.
Be Calm
Being
calm is the best weapon you can find when your business is struggling. It is
hard to be calm. But you need to be calm. Find the discipline to remain calm. You
have a problem right now. And you need to focus your energies on solutions. Don’t
waste your time developing a bad attitude. Do not waste your efforts being
angry. You also don’t want to be worried all the time. Instead, you want to be
focused. You want to be strategic. You want to be thinking. You are interested
in finding working solutions. Calmness will help you achieve these ends. You think
better when you are calm. You see better when you are calm. And you mastermind
well when you are also calm. Be calm. Forget that you are facing a serious problem
and just focus on how to fix it properly. Think of people you can partner with
or the person who can help you solve it better.
When
you have problems, you are overworking. You are overworking even when you are
not doing it practically. So, be gracious with yourself. Remain disciplined
even in this difficult times and make progress. It might take months or even
years. However, if, you keep the discipline and focus on solutions, you will
end up with best solutions. You will figure out the problem. You will get to
the ugliest part of the problem. You will learn how to fix it. You will develop
a new approach that will work. You will find people that have solutions you are
looking for. Remain the leader. The disciplined leader that does not give
attention to the problem but rather solutions. Don’t amplify the problem in
your mind. Instead, find peace in your mind. Peace will energize you. It will
strengthen you. You will be a new person each morning when you are calm.
As
a business owner, can only do so much. You cannot prevent life from taking its
course. Just live prepared. Understand that running a business have faces. It is
not always about profits only. Sometimes, you will have to deal with an ugly
part you don’t like. The ugly phase is a normal life occurrence. You will learn
so much from it. Allow the struggle in your business to teach you something. Learn
something from this experience. Bolster your response rate. See everything in
your business. Smell threats before they actualize. See the uncertainties. Identify inconsistencies. Fix them. Prevent a
downfall. Guard your business. Learn everything. Be better in the future. Position
your business well. Interpret events correctly. Take action sooner. Remember
the discipline that got you through the first tempest. And don’t allow
circumstances to determine how you react or behave. Be in control. Be calm.
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