The Top 5 Signals That Your Business Is Running You

Starting your own business is a great undertaking but running the day-to-day aspects of your business is the true challenge you will face as an entrepreneur. Do you find that the business you started to suit your lifestyle somehow taken over your life and home? If this sounds familiar, then your business is running you. Learn how to run your business again with these top five warning signs and helpful tips.

Stop Complaining And Take Control.
A common lament of the entrepreneur or SOHO business owner is if they knew then what they know now, they'd never have started their own business. The truth is that if they thought then about what they're buried in now, the story may have been quite different. It's never too late to take control. Here are five signals that your business is running you - with a quick tip to combat each.

1) You Find Yourself Ignoring Your Inner Voice.
You know, the one that keeps saying, "I'm too busy" or "I'm swamped". Listen to your inner voice. It's usually got a clearer handle on things. When you make a plan to change things you'll feel more in charge. Clients entrust you with their business daily. Learn to respect yourself and your clients by delivering on your promises.

2) Your "Creative Space" Has Become Your Procrastination Pit.
Creative space is a great thing. It's the zone where you develop and brainstorm new ideas. Next time you're procrastinating, do something useful. Go for a walk. Make a call. Play with your children. Don't acknowledge procrastination and it will cease to exist.

3) Hearing Your Cell Phone Ring Is Annoying.
The same goes for the other bells and beeps in your busy life like email or call waiting. These technologies are all very well, but you need to establish boundaries. Set-up reasonable times for your own life and stick to your decisions. Boundaries are only respected when people know they exist. Raise your boundaries and you'll raise your standards.

4) You See Clients As Alien Invaders.
If you're not relating well with clients, you're probably not working with the right people. Getting clear on your ideal client is pivotal to creating a business you can love. Go through old records and note the characteristics and attributes of the people you enjoyed working with. How can you attract these types to your business? What do you need to change?

5)You're Reading The Want Ads.
Let's face it, not everyone can run their own business, but since you've read this far let's assume you want to stick with it. First you need to acknowledge two simple facts: You're only one person and you can't do it all. Accepting this simple fact can be the key to formulating a new and productive business pattern.

Outsourcing As A Solution.
Sometimes the best solution is the obvious solution: hire more help. However as a small business owner, this may not be the best answer financially. Hiring an employee requires overhead. The solution is to hire an assistant but not an employee; hire a Virtual Assistant. By outsourcing, you can control costs and pay per task basis. Some of the things that can outsource include appointment setting, marketing, writing, web design, customer service and research.

Take Heed And Good Speed To You
So now that you know the warning signs, take note and heed them. By using our quick tips and in combination with outsourcing, you can gain control of your business, become more productive and be happier while running your business.

© Yvonne Thompson, Assistance For You All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use this article, as long as the entire article is posted and the "About the Author" section and all links remain intact.

About The Author Yvonne Thompson owns and operates Assistance For You, a Virtual Assistant Support Service where our motto is: Run Your Business, Don't Let It Run You! For more information visit http://Assistance-For-You.com

---

Is ISO 9001 2000 Right For My Business?

Firstly you should decide your own reasoning behind considering ISO... Read More

The Cheapest, Forget It !

Wouldn't it be great if we got get the cheapest... Read More

Communication: Managements Responsibility

I've just watched, again, an episode in the Back to... Read More

Burger on a Bun Decision Making

When approaching any decision, it's important for individuals to maintain... Read More

Does Your Management Style Remind People Of Something They Read In Dilbert?

With thanks to Jeff Foxworthy, the comedian who does the... Read More

Well-Defined Processes ? How to Create

Interested in learning how to reduce development time, save money... Read More

The Crisis of Modernity

Since the beginning of the industrial era our world has... Read More

Hiring Great People And How to Be One Yourself: Five Secrets

Bad news.Your senior vice-president, your marketing director or your accounting... Read More

Knowing versus Doing - Execution In The Workplace

Have you ever worked with someone who always seemed to... Read More

Delegation for Business Leaders - How Letting Go Works

A leader's role is to focus on those areas of... Read More

Dealing with Difficult People

You know, this would be a great business if it... Read More

The 20/60/20 Rule Of Leadership. Dont Go Solving The Wrong Problems

Several decades ago, a passenger jet approached a Florida airport... Read More

Allowing Employees Responsibility

Merely assigning a task with detailed instructions is not effective... Read More

Let the Intern Do It - Affordable Help for Your Business

Do you have more projects than time? Help might be... Read More

25 Great Ways to Find the Right People and Not Break the Bank

Are you trying to hire dozens of hourly workers or... Read More

Inspirational Power ( Part 1 )

The Fundamentals of Strategic Marketing, Some Key Traits for Greater... Read More

Internal Communication: 12 Essential Elements

There are 12 essential elements of a successful internal communications... Read More

So, You Want to be in Management? Five Essential Factors that Will Determine Your Chances

The following information is based upon over 500 interviews with... Read More

Lawyers With 2 Hands And Everything Else

I heard this back a few years ago. The boss... Read More

What Is Business Sense?

What is the principal thing you need to succeed in... Read More

6 Ways to Keep Things Simple

Six Ways to Keep Things Simple We can have greater... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? Competition versus Collaboration

There is much confusion as to whether competition or collaboration... Read More

Phone Sex is Bad for Business

On August 3rd/2005, Reuters reported that a German man had... Read More

The Measurement of Manager Training

THE MEASUREMENT OF TRAINING: Evaluation is one of the most... Read More

Communicating In Chaotic Environments

How do you, or would you, communicate in a chaotic... Read More

Bye-Bye Boring Meetings! Make Yours Remarkable!

It's the middle of the night. You've woken up with... Read More

Weaknesses of Wishing

When you're starting a business, you might wish for a... Read More

How To Learn Great Management from Our Kids

Learning comes from many places. And one of the most... Read More

Successful Business Decision Making

Some people make decisions without any difficulty, while others struggle.... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: The Role of Character in Leadership

This article relates to the Senior /Top Level Management competency,... Read More

How Businesses Can Stop Wallowing in Bad Debt and Prevent It in the Future

"Become the Squeaky Wheel", a new book just published, explains... Read More

A Leadership Screw Driver: The 90 Day Improvement Plan

I was talking with first-line supervisors in a utility company... Read More

Motivating Employees - Ten Ways to Start You Off

Yet there is a place for those external 'raft-build's', 'away... Read More