Here are some ways to manage the stresses and struggles you face as a business owner every day. Feel free to share your tips on how you make it through your to-do list—click Reply below!
Find your community 😊
It’s invaluable if you can find like-minded people who can empathize, share their own experiences, and help you solve business problems. There are lots of ways to find your community: you could search online for local Meetups and Small Business Administration (SBA) events, or you could look up your local Chamber of Commerce to connect with the business community in your area. Of course the Square Seller Community is thriving community made up of diverse business owners—welcome! And you might also be interested in the Seller Community’s Women in Business Group. Check it out!
Stay organized and try to delegate tasks 📋
There are a wealth of time tracking and organizational applications out there. If you find an app that works for you, that’s great! If you’re more of a pen-and-paper person keep a notebook with a running to-do list (I do this!). Earlier this month we shared 4 tips to help you manage and delegate responsibility that we hope are a good starting point. It might be time to give your team some additional responsibilities so you can focus on the parts of your business you love the most!
It’s good to talk ☎
If you’re feeling stressed out call someone or take 5 to chat to a friend. Just saying a problem out loud can help. Explaining an issue to someone else might help you to realize a solution, and your friends, family or team might see a way forward that you hadn’t.
Go outside or take a quick walk ☀️
Not every business owner has enough time to train for a marathon, but I bet you could stretch to a short, brisk walk a few times a week. Feeling out of shape? Start really small: walk for 5-10 minutes one day, 10 minutes the next day (and the day after too), then build up to 15, 20, and 30 minutes. If you’re not feeling it one day, skip it! If you find it hard to actually get out the door, ask a friend to join so you’re committed. Can’t commit to a daily walk? Sign up for a weekly exercise class. Once you sign up it’ll be that much harder to skip a class.
Eat well! 🍴
If you’re busy busy now is not the time to start an extreme diet. But let's be honest we could all drink less caffeine and less soda in an effort to get everything done. Try to remember to eat three meals a day and avoid anything that affects your ability to sleep at night!
Take a break or do something for yourself 🎁
Plan a vacation or actually go on vacation. You can take Square with you! From your online Square Dashboard you can review sales activity in real time, adjust team permissions, or update inventory whenever you need to. Really can’t take any time off? Plan an evening off—go to the movies or have a movie night at home, book a massage, or treat yourself. Or try something different like an art class. You work hard so having something to look forward too will help you cope with stressful days and weeks ahead.
And remember to breathe!
