Are you Disciplined Enough to Start your Own Business?
With the daily grind of travelling to and from work taking valuable time out of every day – whether it involves sitting in traffic jams for hours on end, or braving the railway system – it’s no wonder more people are deciding to go it alone and start their own business.
The attractions are obvious, especially if you are intending to set up a business from home. There are no travel costs, you can spend more time with your family, and you won’t have a boss looking over your shoulder every minute of the day. But before you dive in, it’s a good idea to make sure you are fully prepared for every eventuality. Setting up your own business means giving up the regular pay cheque every month and working hard to bring in your own income. This requires discipline and determination – especially in the early days.
Discipline is more easily attained when starting a small business if you keep a timetable of your working week. When you are working from home one of two things can happen – you will either find you are distracted and don’t get the required amount of work done, or you will continue working all hours even when you should be relaxing and enjoying some time off.
Having a schedule will ensure you learn to manage your time effectively and give priority to the most important tasks. Decide on the start and finish times for your working day and block out the time in between, in half hour segments. Allow an hour for lunch and make sure you get a break from your office during that time. You might feel you get more done by working through your lunch, but taking a break will lead to a more productive afternoon.
Discipline isn’t just about putting in the required hours; it’s also about making sure you prioritise the jobs at hand. At the end of each day, make a list of the three most important jobs you have to do the next day. You can then focus on completing these before tackling anything else.
It’s important to remember that when you have your own small business venture, the chances are you will be taking on more than one job role. Unless you are employing staff, you will be responsible for accounting, winning new business, promoting and advertising your business, and much more besides. It takes discipline to learn about these new roles and transfer those skills to your work – but that’s what marks out the successful small businesses from those that fail.
Research your business idea thoroughly before you dive in and be prepared to follow a steep learning curve. Working for yourself can be a hugely rewarding experience in more ways than you can imagine.
Adam Singleton is an online freelance journalist from Scotland. His hobbies include travelling and hiking.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Are you Disciplined Enough to Start your Own Business?