The lure of running an online business is unmistakable. Be your own boss, set your own hours, be accountable only to yourself!
But the same flexibility that makes it awesome to be your own boss can also make your online business susceptible to dying a slow death when life gets in the way.
Here are a few additional steps I took to make sure my business was still running strong when life calmed down:
- Mastermind calls. I truly believe everyone who runs an online business should be part of a mastermind. Working alone is not only lonely, it can also stifle your creativity and cause you to miss great ideas and opportunities. Masterminds with other online business owners give you fresh ideas and accountability to keep going even when life gets tough. Even though I felt like I didn’t have enough time to participate on these prescheduled calls, I forced myself to do it and had major breakthroughs each time that propelled my business forward and made me excited to jump back in when time allowed.
- Daily writing. Right before life got crazy, I started a new daily routine of writing each morning before I looked at a screen. There’s actually a whole process behind it that I got from Benjamin Hardy. It changed my life. When life got crazy I had to force myself into the chair to do my writing, but I never regretted the time I spent.
- Daily reading. As part of my new morning routine, I also read one chapter of a great business book each morning. I’ve gotten more fantastic ideas during this daily reading and writing time each morning than at any other time in my life.
- Workouts. If I don’t work out, my life falls apart. The thing is, I really hate working out. What I love is the way I feel afterwards. Dragging myself to my workout area everyday has become routine enough that I don’t really think about it any longer. I get dressed in workout clothes before I write and am ready to go as soon as I’m done with my reading and writing. I may not have ripped biceps, but I have mental clarity that only comes with a good sweat session.
- Weekly content. I take a lot of care when writing my weekly emails and blog posts. It takes a big chunk of my time. When life gets busy I try to do shorter chunks of equally good content rather than long guides with lots of links. During the summer I even decided to release new content every other week rather than weekly. I’m not sure if my readers noticed or not, no one said a peep!
- Creative Space. By focusing on life rather than work for a period of time, I gave myself creative space. Ideas came easier. As I was doing a household task, playing with the dogs or moving a kid’s belongings cross country I came up with ideas for blogs, made realizations about life and refreshed my brain.
Those are some of the things I do to keep my business moving even when life gets busy. Let me know in the comments what YOU do to keep your business on track!
Oh, and if you’re interested in my Get Your Launch Tech Done in a Weekend workshop, be sure to send me an email to let me know at Tracie@LaunchTechMadeEasy.com!
