Often there may be a number of reasons why retailers can fall on tough times. There could be a shortage or an absence of customers or a lack of resources, outside events may also affect things beyond their control.
However, there is one thing that a business can never fall short of and that is, ideas. One can always come up with new strategies to help accelerate the business. Whether the times are good or bad, a good idea can turn around the fortunes of your business. In fact, ideas are more essential in bleak times than when times are good, for necessity is the mother of invention.
The sad reality is that in spite of a number of different opportunities available, some business owners aren’t able to use the existing circumstances to their advantage. The fault for this lies with the owner alone.
Too many owners are guilty of not completing the challenges that they take up. Truth be told, if they were working under someone, the average business owner would have a hard time getting away with the “lack of following-up”. However, when you are self-employed you are accountable to no one. The staff does as they are instructed, but who will keep the activities of an owner in check? It is very tempting to postpone tasks that don’t require immediate action and get distracted.
Lack of a definite goal or objective is often the main problem. When you are in a seminar or highly motivating conference, it is easy to get excited about your future and you are automatically motivated to achieve your goals and take your business forward. The harsh reality is that when caught in the rigmarole of earning a livelihood, one is swept away in the monotonous routine of life, and forgets about the underlying purpose behind all their efforts.
It is necessary to have a tangible goal in sight to obtain this. Motivation can be of two kinds: positive and negative. A strong negative emotion can push you a lot further than a positive one… no matter its strength! You can test this by asking a group of people to earn $20,000 and the result will be mixed depending on the people who are part of the group. On the other hand, if you told the same people that they were at a risk of losing $20,000 they already possessed, you’ll see more determination in them taking action. It is human nature to put in more effort to prevent our self from losing something than we would if we had to gain the same thing.
So how can a storeowner compel himself to follow through whatever tasks he begins?
Have a clear goal and purpose. You need to keep reminding yourself why you’re doing something in order to motivate yourself.
Ask yourself, “Is this the perfect use of my time?” Remember, time once lost cannot be regained! Thus, make sure you spend every minute judiciously on the tasks that make a difference to your business.
Keep asidetime for thinking and planning. The key to achieving results is effective preparation and planning all your tasks. It makes it easier for you to follow up.
Don’t over-burden your to-do list, start small. You can’t start training for a marathon with a four-hour run. Get into the habit of completing tasks before adding on new ones.
Keep the appointments that you make with yourself. Don’t let yourself down. Make yourself a promise that you will do everything to see a task to its completion.
Don’t give up easily. Whether or not you achieve the desired result, make sure you follow up until a particular activity is finished.
When you complete an important task, treat yourself. Take a moment to praise yourself. You’ve earned it! Go out for a drink, a weekend trip or reward yourself with a massage, but make sure to gift yourself something for all the effort.
