4 Ways to Pushing Through the Frustration of Building a Business
The stats tell us that eight out of ten businesses fail according to Forbes. I don’t believe those stats for many reasons, but we all know owning and growing a business is hard work. Despite it seeming impossible at times, you can push through those frustrations.
In March of 2012 I was frustrated. I had a guest post for Michael Hyatt that brought 20,000 visitors to my blog and 6,000 email subscribers. I went from being unknown to having a decent size audience.
You would think this led to great income for my business, but it didn’t! I was selling my first book, and I thought with that bigger audience at least 5,000 of those people would buy that book. It didn’t happen.
I did get some book sales, but not enough to quit my day job, which was extremely frustrating. I hated that job and wanted to leave so bad, but the money just wasn’t there yet. I was frustrated!
I think most entrepreneurs reading this can relate. We want to grow our business to support our family, but it seems to take forever! The problem is that frustration could end up forcing you to quit. How do you push through that frustration?
1. Take a step back
The first month after guest posting for Michael Hyatt I had a ton of traffic. Even though people came, they didn’t buy. As I was getting frustrated, I had to take a step back, and remember why I started writing in the first place and it wasn’t money.
Why did you start your business? Taking that step back can give you some clarity and help you focus. Is there a lesson to be learned from the frustration you’re going through? We always have to learn, and especially during rough times. That’s when we learn some of the most important lessons.
2. Tweak your plan
If things aren’t going well there’s probably a reason. For me, I didn’t have a simple website, and I was too pushy selling the book. Those people didn’t know me yet, so there was no reason for them to buy from me.
I realized that I didn’t to tweak my plan to convert and make a little money. If you’re going through a frustrating time in your business, you may need to tweak some things. As you take a step back, see if any part of your business needs to be tweaked.
3. Leverage opportunities
Sometimes we’ve gone as far as we can go on our own. After I started to get a few book sales from guest posting, I took a step back and tweaked my plan.
I realized that I needed to leverage writing. I reached out to other larger blogs letting them know that I had written for Michael. It wasn’t long before I landed many more guest posts and my book sales started to increase.
Leverage opportunities in your business to help it grow, which will relieve some of that frustration. All you need is that first opportunity to open doors to many more. Don’t let your fear hold you back from reaching out for those larger opportunities. I’m writing for some of the largest websites in the world right now. It started with that first yes.
Leverage and innovate. If you need help with innovation in your business check out my what my friend Steve is up to.
4. Be flexible
I’m sure you know this, but not everything works out how we planned. There were many times when I experienced rejection building my online business. There were many times when my plan just didn’t work out. It will happen for you as well.
Being flexible helps you handle those set backs better. It helps you to explore other possible avenues you can go down. In the online world, you have to be flexible. Interviews get rescheduled or canceled; it can be the same way for guest posts.
Building a business is hard, but once it supports you, and gives you freedom, you’ll realize that it was worth all the frustration. Remember these principles and you’ll make it through them. Always remember why you do what you do and you’ll be ok.
Has there been a recent frustrating moment with your business?
This week’s articles:
The 7 Toughest Startup Lessons You Don’t Want to Learn the Hard Way
Entrepreneur Magazine
Before you read this article, I should warn you that it’s really raw. This is the hardest and most honest thing I’ve written. I lost friends over this article this week. It is specifically written as a wake up call to *some* men.
I totally understand if you unsubscribe because of this article but I had to share my truth. As a writer, you can’t fear putting yourself out there.
7 Things I Wish I Had Never Done to You
The Good Men Project
Watching the GMO Debate as a New Maui Resident
The Huffington Post
4 Ways to Deal With a Horrible Boss
The Good Men Project
