Business 101: Is your business running smoothly or running on empty?

By The Smart Start up Coach for Moms
Britt Michaelian

Were you up again last night, unable to sleep, unable to think about anything other than all of the things you need to do with your business? Are all of these tasks and ideas based on an overall strategy or are they pieced together from things you’ve read and heard about things you “should” do to be successful in business?

If you are losing sleep over it, you are not operating from a place of strategy. This is what I call reactive entrepreneurship and it is the cause of a lot of unnecessary stress.

When our business takes over our thoughts, it is usually because our mind is working on overdrive trying to fix everything at once. We end up feeling overwhelmed, confused, doubtful and stressed because our wheels are spinning in circles and we feel as if despite all of our efforts, we are getting nowhere and we are losing steam.

Stop trying to build a business running on empty!

The single most important part of building a business is taking care of you, the CEO, or risk entrepreneurial burnout. Why? Because you are an integral part of your business success, you are the driving force behind your business. Your business needs you to be fully functioning.

Schedule downtime. Setting aside time for inspiration, social activities and personal care is part of being a successful entrepreneur. Consciously playing a role in your own personal happiness by integrating inspiration and support will help you to be a driving force in your company’s success.

When we neglect any aspect of our personal happiness, it will be reflected in our businesses. Look for three ways to recharge your creative and spiritual batteries every day. Not only will it help you fuel up in the soul department; it will definitely help you catch more zzz’s.

Repeatable systems are the key to running smoothly

Life just runs smoother when we have processes in place to make sure all of our bases are covered. In your home, systems can look like routines that happen around meal times and bedtime. Look for ways to simplify and organize everything in your home. It will help you to manage what can easily get out of control (ie: the laundry).

In business, systems reduce anxiety and help you focus on customer care and financial growth. The key features of a smooth system are ease of use, repeatability, scalability (meaning it is just as easy to operate with 10 clients as it is with 10,000) and documentation.

For example, when a new lead enters your client attraction system, you can set up autoresponder messages to welcome them, let them know about a gift you are sending them and how this offering will benefit their life. Then, subsequent messages will inform them of other products and services that you offer. If they purchase a product, you can automate client satisfaction surveys and testimonial requests to make sure your clients are happy.

The key to integrating systems into your business is to write down each step in every process so you can easily share it with your team. The system can then be flawlessly repeated with each new incoming client, which will reduce your anxiety as a business owner.

When you take the time to ensure that your business includes systems for you to be inspired as well as systems that cover all aspects of the client experience, you free up your mind to think creatively. With this load off of your back, stress will no longer steal your sleep and you will be able to relax into your success.

Britt Michaelian, M.A. is an exhibiting artist, bestselling author, award-winning filmmaker and a mom entrepreneur. With a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and Art Therapy and as the Founder of Responsible Family Company and several other businesses, Britt has experienced firsthand the many ups and downs of starting and running a business while raising a family. Known as The Smart Start-Up Coach for Moms, Britt is now guiding moms through the start up phase of their entrepreneurial journeys. Sign up for free monthly Smart Biz Start-Up Q&A calls & the Work Smart Mompreneurs newsletter at http://brittmichaelian.com

Want to know more about how to build a foundation for your business? Visit the MOMeo E-learning Campus today!