Managing Yourself First
Running a business obviously can be tough–there’s so much to worry about and take care of, often we forget that our business wouldn’t exist without US. Conceptual management implies the management of other people–either in our workplace, our clients, or our personal relationships. These are most certainly important considerations, but we can’t forget about ourselves–the key ingredient in our small business!Personal management to me consists of everything from personal hygiene, to spiritual health and everything in between. While there are other great blogs out there that can help with the personal health side of things, I want to focus here on personal business management.
As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you need to be a sort of jack-of-all-trades. While in the startup phase, it’s important to be able to at least understand every aspect of your business–even if you outsource some of the work, for example–data entry jobs online can help with the mundane, repetitive tasks that take up much of your workday. My biggest setback in starting my first company was a lack of knowledge regarding accounting and finance, and it eventually led to my business’ failure. As a manager of my own life, I knew what I needed to do to improve. I’ve taken accounting classes, stock trading classes, and purchased a copy of Quickbooks, and now I can at least navigate a balance sheet. I’ll never be an accountant, but while I don’t have the resources to hire one, I know the basics needed for my business.
Managing your knowledge is only one aspect of personal business management, however. A common problem with small business owners, especially young entrepreneurs, is developing solid habits that lead to success. Things like waking up early, doing small tasks every day that advance your business, and making at least two or three sales calls a day can be easy habits to implement and can result in huge gains immediately.
Finally, emotional health is another important aspect of personal management–you need to be able to keep your emotions in check! If you are dealing with employees/contractors, your emotions are key to maintaining healthy work relationships. Taking a yoga or meditation class can help greatly with stress and emotional balance.
Above all, managing time is essential to being able to handle life’s curveballs–remember: time doesn’t manage itself, and no one has extra time–we make it. Make time for your business duties, family concerns, health, welfare, and lifestyle, and you’ll be better prepared for each day.
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