For an entrepreneur, every turn of the calendar year brings a lot of promises and a feeling of promise. We most people we promise to lose weight or concentrate on love. We consider a change in lifestyle or a change in work environment. We set goals for ourselves and strive to achieve those goals. A big goal for an entrepreneur is financial independence, the ability to rely on yourself for your money and not some boss that you may or may not like.
Remember, Your Day Job Comes First
My kid loves superheroes. He’s a DC fan and big on the DC Universe. One Halloween he dressed up as Superman, which meant I had to learn everything I could about Superman. Superman, or at least his alter ego Clark Kent, has a day job as a reporter for the Daily Planet. He’s an ace reporter. And even though Superman’s passion and the reason for living are saving the world, he never fails to make a deadline and get a story in on time. Superman/Clark Kent is always aware of his day job.
Use Technology
We live in a pretty cool time. There are apps and computer programs out there to help us juggle all kinds of things. Some help us pay bills while standing in line at the grocery store. Others help us make inventory purchases while pumping gas. Take advantage of technology to make running your business easier. I used the notepad on my phone to write most of this article while I sat in the cell phone lot at the airport waiting for my husband’s flight to arrive.
Make Use of Freelancers
Do the Bare Minimum
It’s tempting to try and do it all from the beginning but trying to do a 40-60 hour a week job while still holding down your regular 40 hours a week job is completely unrealistic. Start small and grow from there. If you’re building an app, then build the app before you start thinking about sponsorships and advertising. If you’re launching a marketing business, take on a few clients at first and then grow from there.
Doing the bare minimum doesn’t mean you’re doing it halfway, it just means you’re being realistic about growing your company. It is important to be realistic as an entrepreneur.
Set Aside Business Time
Don’t Forget to Sleep
As I think you have seen being an entrepreneur is stressful. It’s going to be tempting to work long hours to get your business going. Don’t. It’s only going to make your work worse and it’s going to make you too tired to do your regular job. In other words, no one is going to be happy! Remember to make sleep a priority too.
Entrepreneurship is not an easy road to walk. It takes dedication and discipline and it’s not for everyone, but with the right planning and the right mindset, it can be done.
I have faith that you can get it done!
Good luck!