Entrepreneurship is stressful. The current pandemic and the economic uncertainties it creates are an additional stress factor that can have catastrophic results.
Uncertainty is not something we are used to. When it does not know what to expect, our mind has an unfortunate tendency to imagine the worst-case scenarios .
If this is you, keep in mind that we are all in this together and there are ways to reduce your stress in order to prioritize your health and well-being. In this article, we will discuss six of these ways.
Focus on your strengths
Get organized
Maintain work-life balance
Are you listening?
Learn new things
Get involved with your community
1. Focus on your strengths
Rather than imagining the worst, focus on the strengths of your business. How can you adapt to the current context? Working on your problem – solving skills is one of the keys to better stress management.
Be confident and list the strengths of your business. This simple exercise is enough to remind you that you have a choice: you can worry about the worst that could happen, or you can think about what you can do right now to ensure the continued success of your business.
Let’s say you run a retail business. You noticed an increase in your customer retention rate at the beginning of 2020. Is it because of the customer service provided by your staff, or is it because your products are consistently high quality?
Look at positive customer reviews and gauge their social media engagement to understand what they like best about your products. Then think about how to best leverage these strengths in the current situation.
For example, if your customers praise your customer service, why not post product tips on social media, asking your staff to share their recommendations? You’ll solidify your loyal customer base by ensuring they keep you top of mind.
If your customers are raving about your products, it may be time to start selling them online , if you haven’t already. Having more locations is a sure way to increase your customer base.
Managing stress also means not focusing on what you can’t control (in this case, an unprecedented pandemic). It’s impossible to predict what will happen in a month, but it is possible to identify your business’s current strengths so that they can guide your next decisions.
2. Get organized
The closure of physical stores until further notice is forcing merchants to focus on online sales and undertake more time-consuming tasks in store and in the stockroom.
