Coping with the Stresses of Entrepreneurship

In my previous entry I made mention of the fact that running your own business is hard. What I want to blog about today is how much harder it becomes when you a balancing a 8:00-4:15 job, a two hour commute, and responsibilities at home along with running your own online store. You hair becomes grayer, you’re liable to doze off ANYWHERE due to exhaustion, and you sleep in punctuated by mental lists of all the things you have to do. And I know that there are many entrepreneurs out there that can relate to this 


So what is the key to dealing with this stress? It’s not about grinning and bearing it. The key is keeping the end goal in mind. It’s about reminding yourself that there is a greater purpose to this – a wise friend once told me, “your own business is not as stable as a job but it (is) more fulfilling...$1.00 from your own business feels better than $1,000 from a company”.

Time management does make it a lot easier. Plan out your weekly list of things to accomplish and structure your evenings to comfortably fit everything in. Remember to prioritize because your time is limited. It might mean some sacrifices but remember to keep the end goal in mine.

Sometimes it's even good to take an evening off because if you're tired and stressed, forcing yourself to work may actually be counter-productive. Give yourself a break (and have your business partner earn his keep ) It may just mean you have to make it up over the weekend.

And remember it’s ok if you wanna stop and scream (like I do) to relieve the stress.

It’s also important to have a solid support structure because that structure will be the roots that are going to hold you up when the storms come. They are the ones that will encourage you to pursue your dream, especially when you're ready to throw in the towel.