Entrepreneurs often start their careers in high spirits, believing that success is just a couple of years away. Sure, life might be tough right now, but in the end, it’ll be worth it.
Unfortunately, that’s not how it usually pans out. For many entrepreneurs, the end of the road is the failure of their business and the sudden realization they’ve wasted time. For others, their companies don’t take off how they expect. Even years later, they still find themselves doing dogsbody work and unable to afford to delegate.
The good news is that a lot of the problems that entrepreneurs encounter are entirely avoidable. It’s down to their habits, not the trials and tribulations of the business world.
Some entrepreneurs hate their work. Here’s how not to join them.
Don’t Sweat It
All Entrepreneurs Face Failure But the Successful Ones Didn’t Quit
Nobody should go into entrepreneurship with the idea that their project must succeed. Nothing is ever certain in life, especially in the business world.
For this reason, the healthiest and happiest founders admit to themselves that their business is an experiment. It could work out, which would be great. But it could also fall flat on its face – that’s a real possibility too. Failure must always be an emotionally palatable option. If it’s not, you’re in the wrong line of work!
Never Do Logistics In-House
Some entrepreneurs think that they can take care of logistics in-house. At first, it seems like they can, but after a while, it inevitably becomes untenable as orders rise. Eventually, companies have no choice but to bring in third-party providers.
Fortunately, you don’t have to approach individual 3PL companies by yourself. Some website offers freight quotes from top shipping carriers, allowing you to see the prices in the market in real-time.
Our advice: stop wasting time trying to ship goods yourself and pick a scalable, third-party provider. You’ll have far fewer headaches to deal with this way.
Always Set Aside “Me Time”
The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship
Despite what Elon Musk might tell you about his 100-hour-plus weeks, all entrepreneurs – including Musk – need time out to do other things. You can’t work seven days a week for months on end without it having a detrimental effect on your output. Plus, it kind of goes against the whole point of becoming an entrepreneur in the first place. Presumably you did it because you wanted freedom, not to spend all your waking hours chained to your desk.
If possible, set aside at least one day per week where you do nothing but what you want. It’ll recharge your batteries and make you enjoy the rest of the process of building a quality business.
Have A Vision
Finally, some entrepreneurs fall into the trap of thinking that they do what they do because of the money. It’s not about that at all for happy business leaders. Instead, they’re more interested in their vision – what they want the world to be like in the future. If you have an idea, never lose sight of it: it’ll motivate you to succeed.
