Integrated Business Growth

The Success Labs
( An entrepreneur’s blog about experimenting with proven ideas to succeed )

4 Personal Challenges of an entrepreneur

4 Challenges in the Personal

Life of an Entrepreneur

The traditional workplace is stressful, but entrepreneurs face even greater demands that are heightened by the unique responsibilities and relative isolation associated with business ownership. Entrepreneurs are individuals with unusual drive and purpose, which often lead to long work days, detailed preparation, and a sense of apprehension related to unforeseen competitive threats. Since the focus on the business is so intense and consuming, many entrepreneurs encounter difficulties in their personal lives. By recognizing and understanding the source and solutions to the most common personal issues, entrepreneurs can take preemptive steps to ensure that they strike the right balance between their business and personal responsibilities.

Family Issues

In order to run a successful business while preserving family harmony, entrepreneurs must become skilled at learning when to say “no”. A client who requests a last-minute meeting that conflicts with a previously planned family activity will usually agree to reschedule if a reasonable explanation is given. After all, everyone understands the importance of family obligations.

Planning regular vacations can serve to remedy tense family situations and disagreements. In a relaxed environment, personal connections are strengthened, and people are generally more agreeable to having productive discussions to resolve festering problems. For those in a small business setting who find it nearly impossible to break away for a week at a time, even a two day mini vacation can help a family grow closer while creating enduring memoires. For the entrepreneur, a vacation serves as an opportunity to leave the demands of the business behind and revitalize their soul and spirit.

Navigating Other Relationships

Entrepreneurs become public people almost out of necessity. The courage and fortitude it takes to open a business attracts people. Friends, clients and employees always like to have a personal rapport with the boss. The key to maintaining positive and productive relationships with those outside the immediate family is to listen carefully and practice the art of delegation while maintaining a sense of integrity in all situations.

Health and Stress Concerns

Business-related stress can be debilitating, and the additional demands on an entrepreneur can lead to serious long-term health issues, including heart disease and depression. Implementing a few simple practices on a regular basis can help an entrepreneur maintain a healthy body, mind and spirit.

* Regular Exercise: Even exercising a little every day, like brisk walking, can provides a variety of health-related benefits. Physical activity allows the body to produce endorphins, which are neurotransmitters that create a feeling of peacefulness and well-being.

* Practice Deep Breathing: For those who feel tense, deep breathing can provide a sense of relaxation and calm any time during the day.

* Eat Healthy: Stress levels are affected by the foods and beverages we consume throughout the day. Foods that are high in fat and sugar content can generate feelings of fatigue, irritability and lethargy. Look for healthy alternatives like fruits and vegetables and stay hydrated.

Failure to Delegate

Many entrepreneurs mistakenly feel they must exert influence over every facet of their business down to the smallest detail. This urge to micromanage people not only crushes the spirit of the employee but also keeps the entrepreneur from tending to the critical needs of the business. Despite any reservations, the owner must work to delegate responsibility. Scaling back the non-critical workload will help promote better stress management, empower employees and result in better overall productivity.

Finding the Proper Balance

Entrepreneurs tend to invest a great deal of time, resources and energy in their business, developing habits that create success. Regardless of the perceived workload, an entrepreneur must always remember that they need to cultivate a life outside of the business. That is critical in creating a complete and fulfilling life. Making an investment in personal relationships and stress reduction techniques will ultimately lead to a healthy and satisfying business ownership experience that you can continue for years.

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Obviously, there are no guarantees of success; however, if you do the above, your chances for success are improved.

Why not tell us about your own entrepreneurial challenges and how you are doing? Please do so, either in the comments below, or by submitting a guest post to us. We review these posts carefully, and as long as your contribution adds something to the entrepreneurial community we’d be happy to feature it on our site with a link back to yours!

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