- Form connection with individuals in your industry and business sector. Join groups, participate, and be visible. Let others know who you are. Let them know your business philosophy and your brand.
- Include spirituality in your business regardless of its size. Show love towards others. Respect your employees, clients and whom ever you interact with to make your business a success. Value others for what they bring to the table. Be compassionate. Develop a culture of love, respect and appreciation.
- Give your self permission to be creative and innovative. Let your creativity shine. Be proud of who you are and love yourself.
- High self-esteem, high self-worth, high self-concept and self-love will guide you to become more successful in what ever you choose to do. These attributes also enable you to realize your dream of living a life that has meaning and purpose.
- As business women, we should have a contingency plan built into our business plan in the instance we get sick or become disabled. A contingency plan will enable you to proactively think about your cash flow should you not able to manage your business in such situation. It will help you to keep your business afloat. It also ensures that you will have a way of dealing with the medical expenses that will occur.
- Remember that business is about building relationship with others. You just cannot do it alone. Remember to build a relationship, it takes time. It is a slow and gradual process and it also relies upon people knowing who you are, as well as building trust. You have to be open and prepared to share somethings about yourself. People work with and do business with people that they trust.
- Have am accountability partner for sharing and receiving positive feedback to keep you inspired, motivated and result-oriented.
- Keep a journal to remind you of your vision and the goals that you will like to achieve. Let it serve as a reminder that these are what I want to achieve and ways of achieving them.
- Manage your mental health and physical health well-ness by using a holistic approach to well-ness that takes into account your mental, physical and spiritual well-ness.
- Ask for support, don't do it all alone. You will burnout.
Author: Dr. Cheryl Cottle
While most entrepreneurs will agree that creating a space dedicated to your home-based business is critical, some still continue to function in an informal way rather than create a formal environment with office equipment, furniture, and the overall feel and layout of a professional space. Separating your home life from your work life provides you with the mental separateness and acquity required to run and manage a home-based business.
Regardless of the type of business you are in, if you work from home you will need a space for your business operation. You can use a small nook or a room that you dedicate to your work. Some common spaces used by my clients include working from their kitchen table, converting a closet into an office, working from their attic, garage, basement, or converting a bedroom. One of my client created a sewing studio that doubles as her DIY video production set. Another client is a yoga instructor and uses her living room area as a studio, while yet another client has converted his basement into a top-of-the-line recording studio.
Here are a few reminders why creating a dedicated space for your business is beneficial:
- A home office puts you in the right mindset for working and creating, by making you feel grounded and provides the right climate for you to focus
It is easier to block out distractions, therefore increasing your productivity
- It is a place where you can organize and easily access your work material and resources
- It enables you to threat your entrepreneurial venture as a business instead of a hobby
- It enables your children and family members to see what you are doing as a serious undertaking, therefore creating greater respect and acknowledgement for your job
These reminders have worked for me and my clients, perhaps they can work for you. They just might make working from home a more rewarding and profitable experience.
This article was first written by Dr. Cheryl Cottle and copyrighted © 2011 by Dr. Cheryl Cottle ● Cottle’s Professional Consulting.
