Everything! I am sure you’ve heard this phrase many times, “Do what you love, not just what will bring you money” and it is absolutely right. Love and business go hand in hand, because when you love what you do, you bring passion to your work everyday. That passion then leads to inspired employees, increased output, and overall satisfied clients and partners.
Through my work as a management consultant I have met tons of business owners and it is always very clear which ones love what they do and which ones are just in it for the job. The ones that do it just for the job end up hating coming in every day, which leads to being late to meetings, missing deadlines, and even letting people down. These are the characteristics you want to stay away from when it comes to business owners and for some reason there are thousands of these types of small business owners out there.
I’d like to think that most of them didn’t start this way. Most entrepreneurs leave their 9-5p job with the goal of following their dreams and accomplishing everything they set their heart to. Unfortunately though, as many people know, owning a small business isn’t easy and the trials and tribulations can challenge even the strongest of love. It is a slippery slope from there and if you don’t take a moment to recap, you could miss the chance to bring things back.
When this happens to you, which I am sure it will, here are three quick tips to help you remember why you got into this business in the first place:
1. Take a refresh day, whether its a quick vacation, stay cation, or just a day away from the office and reflect on the first month of the business and the feelings it gave you when you started it.
2. Have an employee appreciation day and ask everyone to write down one thing they love about what they do and one thing they appreciate about someone they work with. Then have the whole room share.
3. Ask a significant other or relative why they are proud of you for what you do.
While these things may seem minuscule, there is nothing like positive reinforcement to restart you in a low point. These three steps can also help to recharge not only your passion, but the passion of your team and will help the business as a whole move things forward. Just remember that in business, love has everything to do with it!
