Remember the day you got your first client? You were ecstatic, thrilled, and feeling confident that your new business might actually make it. What is it they say? Careful what you wish for because you just might get it. Weeks, maybe months later, this 1 client has turned into 5, then 10, then dozens.
It happened so fast that you weren’t even remotely prepared. Suddenly, you’re waking up at 5 a.m. to plan your day, skipping lunch, making calls over a mouthful of food, surviving on caffeine, and just barely keeping your head above water.
“A bit more than 50% of small businesses fail in the first four years.”
Small Business Trends
Sure, this sounded like a good problem at first, until one day you realized you were too exhausted and stressed to keep going. I don’t want you to be the burnt-out entrepreneur. I want you to be the startup that succeeds…that flourishes. This is why I’m going to give you a few tips on how to get out of your hustler mindset, reduce stress, and reclaim your life!
Put Yourself Out There
Part of owning a startup in the digital age is being on the Internet all the time. While it’s fun at first (#dreamlife), it can quickly become a nightmare. This is because we have our phones on us everywhere we go, so it’s easy to let work overlap into our private lives.
As an entrepreneur, you want to avoid getting bogged down in the digital world. Instead, get out there and start making personal, face-to-face connections with other business owners. Not only are you growing your startup and skill set, but you’re keeping life fresh. How do you do this? With real-life events!
Go To An Event
It’s time to switch things up a little. Don’t just go to an event to listen and learn, but go to teach (even if you’re not the teacher!). Suit up, practice your pitch, and get crystal clear on what your startup does. While you’re there, talk with others, make connections, and even hand out some business cards. This is also an amazing way to become well-versed in your product or service. Even if you’re nervous at first, you’ll get more confident the more people you talk to.
Host An Event
My ultimate advice for any new entrepreneur is, Fake it till you make it! It’s so easy to doubt yourself with thoughts like, “I don’t know enough” or “I have such little knowledge.” The reality is, the more confident you act, the more you’ll realize you actually know…and then true confidence manifests.
Whether it’s an in-person workshop or an online webinar, be sure to get a solid program together covering a subject that people want to learn about. Then, advertise the event on every online platform out there. Even if no one comes to your very first event (which…chances are, they will), it’ll be a great way to practice your speaking skills. Use this event as a way to convert viewers into clients. They’ll see you as the expert and soon you’ll have scheduled one-on-one’s and created long-lasting client relationships.
Establish a System
Tired of fighting through a sea of emails on Mondays or updating your Facebook page every 15 minutes? This is where a system comes in. “How do I do this?” you ask. Well, I’ll tell you. It’s called Automation. Marketing automation is basically the use of certain software to help you cut down on daily, repetitive tasks. Honestly, it’s an entrepreneur’s miracle.
Email Automation
A great example of this is email automation. If you want to build your client base, try an email automation tool like ConvertKit or Buffer to schedule your social media posts. Create something awesome that people want to look at like a free webinar or PDF with useful information. The catch is, viewers have to subscribe to your email list to access whatever you’re offering. This is how you build your email list and you can use automation to follow up with subscribers. Now, the software automatically sends out emails to your subscribers for different purposes. It can even target a group of subscribers that haven’t yet purchased your services and encouraging them to buy in.
Automation is an incredible modern invention because it keeps your audience engaged with relevant content, and you don’t even have to lift a finger!
.Delegate to Save TIme & Your Sanity
Delegate Your Work
Congratulations! You’ve finally reached a point where you have more work on your plate than you have time for. What does that mean? It’s time to hire a team.
There are so many reasons why I recommend delegation for any startup:
Ability to focus on what’s important
When you’re not bogged down with simple day-to-day busy work such as responding to Facebook messages or scheduling meetings, you can focus on higher level tasks that only you can do. This includes a little something called growing your business!
Business goes on
As a startup owner, you might have to be out in the world, traveling and meeting other entrepreneurs. Instead of hopping on your computer every 5 seconds, you’ll feel at ease knowing that things are being taken care of by your amazing team.
Higher quality work
When you’re spread thin, the quality of your business output easily suffers. When you have a team of, say, 5 people, every little aspect of your startup is covered. Assign an administrative pro to your email correspondence and a copywriting genie to your social media needs. This way, you’ve got an expert on every front.
Life will be easier
Most importantly, your startup life will become much easier. Stress levels will hit their all-time low. With the knowledge that you have a trusted team covering daily operations and bringing in results with high-quality work, you can finally take a break. Work will go on as your business continues to grow, but you can catch a breath whenever you need it most. This is why delegation rocks.
Are you as excited as I am? If you’re reading this blog, you might be feeling overwhelmed right now. When you start to gather your dream team, begin seeing things running more smoothly, and finally feel like you can take a nap without missing a beat, THEN you’ll be excited too.
It’s an incredible feeling when you start noticing that your startup is running itself and you have all the free time to expand your business. Try out these 3 simple strategies and feel your stress melt away. You’ve got this!
Ready to learn more about how you can reduce startup stress while boosting your business? Get on a free call now!
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