5 Ways to Stay Motivated as a Small Business Owner

It has happened to all of us—when we’re faced with obstacles, we lose our focus and drive. As an entrepreneur, you’re faced with challenges of every magnitude on a day-to-day basis and it’s hard not to feel powerless and scared. But being your own boss is a rewarding experience despite the challenges. At ThriveHive, as entrepreneurs ourselves, we’re always looking for ways to remain motivated and inspired. In this post, we’re here to share our tips on how you, as a small business owner, can find motivation to continue your work and foster motivation in the workplace for your employees.

Here are our top five ways to re-charge and find motivation in the workplace:

1. Talk to your customers

Talking to your customers is one of the best ways to get inspired. Not only does customer feedback help you find more ways to improve your business, it will also help you generate new ideas to reinvigorate your business. By opening channels of communication with current customers, you’ll be able to provide for a better customer experience.

Positive customers reviews can also be a great source of motivation—at ThriveHive we print out customer feedback and tape them to our office walls as a daily reminder of the positive impact we’ve had on business owners. Ask your customers their favorite part about your business through Facebook or social media. This not only increases customer engagement but it also gives you a chance to get to know your customers so that you can better market to them.

2. Set or renew your goals

If you’re feeling unmotivated, take some time to evaluate your current goals. If your goals are overwhelming you, break them down into smaller milestones to make them more approachable and manageable and keep reevaluating them as your business progresses. Motivation is easier when you’re working toward smaller, more realistic goals. While you are in the process of goal setting, remember to align your goals with your resources and bandwidth. Be realistic about what you can accomplish and work in blocks of time. Use a Marketing Calendar to plan out your yearly marketing based on your goals.

3. Reflect on why you started your business

The next time you’re struggling to stay motivated in your business venture, step back and look at the big picture. Looking back at where you started from is a good way to remind yourself of how far along you have come and to measure how much you’ve already accomplished. Seek inspiration from your own small business success!

Thinking about why you started your business may is an effective motivational strategy for many business owners Ask yourself—what motivated you to start the business in the first place? Getting back to the heart of why you started your business can help motivate you to keep going!

Related: 6 Sample Marketing Plans

4. Seek business inspiration from your peers

Having a network of entrepreneurs and small business owners to talk to can be an invaluable support system. Not only can you give each other advice and feedback, it’s also encouraging to hear that you’re not alone in your challenges. Join small business owners associations or meet ups and go to networking events to build your connections.

It’s also helpful to read about successful entrepreneurs and hear about the challenges that they have faced while building their business. Some of the best small business success stories started with great challenges! Check out biographies of success stories like Richard Branson’s or listen to TED Talks given by famous entrepreneurs to kickstart your small business motivation.

5. Think about your business’s impact in your community

Think about your business’s effect in the community and how valued your contributions are. Small businesses have provided 55% of jobs in the US and represent more than 99.7% of all employers. Think about your business as a catalyst for positive change- it has more impact in your community than you can even imagine. Check out our post on the most interesting statistics on small business impact in the US.

10 Inspirational Business Quotes for Small Business Owners

“Small businesses represent an ideal at the heart of our nation’s promise- that with ingenuity and hard work, anyone can build a better life.”– President Obama [Click to Tweet]

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”– Nelson Mandela [Click to Tweet]

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”– Bill Gates [Click to Tweet]

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”– Thomas Edison [Click to Tweet]

“An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hopping he’ll quickly learn how to chew it.”– Roy Ash [Click to Tweet]

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”– Winston Churchill [Click to Tweet]

“Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.”- Ronald Regan [Click to Tweet]

“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.”– Richard Branson [Click to Tweet]

“To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business and your business in your heart.”– Thomas Watson [Click to Tweet]

“Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it.”– William Durant [Click to Tweet]

[Related: Motivational Quotes for Business Owners]

Small business owners are known for being able to keep going against all odds but you don’t have to face your challenges alone. The five tips above, especially when used in conjunction with your intrinsic entrepreneurial spirit, can be powerful motivators to get you through even the toughest challenges. If you have a marketing challenge, reach out to the ThriveHive team to schedule a free marketing consultation.

Do you have additional tips on how to stay motivated as an entrepreneur? Please share your ideas and thoughts in the comments section below.