I started my own business a couple of years ago, when I moved to France with my partner and our dog. As much as I would love to say it was all plain sailing, it wasn’t. There have been numerous challenges that I’ve had to overcome, such as learning new technology, learning how to sell my services and having a positive mindset to pick myself up when things go wrong.
These are 10 of my top tips, in no particular order, on how to overcome challenges in your business
Understand the problem
Firstly, if you come across a hurdle, understand what the problem is. Can you solve it alone, do you need help, is it something that you need to outsource to an expert? Once you’ve answered that, research different solutions to see which ones might work for you
Create a mind map
Mind maps are fantastic. They are a great way to brainstorm anything. Put your challenge in the middle of the paper and write everything you can think off that’s associated with it. Then look for linkages. This will help you understand the problem so you can start to find the solutions.
Reflect on the problem
Take some time out, away from your laptop. Think through the issue, what are the challenges you face and what have you available to overcome the problem. Then Identify those bits can’t you resolve, and need external help and support for.
Get a mentor
Having someone on the outside looking in, gives you a different perspective. They should be more experienced than you, so may have already been through similar experiences where they can share their lessons learned. They can offer help and advice that you may not think of and even provide details of experts from their network who can help you overcome the challenge.
Ask for help
Ask your friends and family what they think. They bring different experiences with them and an insight into your abilities, which you may not have thought of yourself. They may even be willing to lend a hand, if not with the particular challenge, but with freeing up more of your time so you can concentrate on building your business.
Ask for advice
Ask your online network for advice. They will come from different industries and have different backgrounds. They won’t be so close to the problem, so will be able to offer independent advice. They will also offer up support and empathy, so that you know you aren’t alone, giving you the motivation and enthusiasm to keep going.
Get some clear goals
Know what you want to achieve. Look at where you want to be in the next 90 days, and think about what you could do to overcome the challenges so that you can achieve the goals. Being clear about what you need to do. Being motivated to reach that endpoint can be a powerful tool in overcoming challenges. It might even be that articulating your goals, means that what you saw as a challenge, is a lower priority item and the problem disappears.
Create a plan
Once you have a clear set of goals, create your plan. Know what you want to achieve and when you need to achieve them, if you are going to keep on track. Writing down all the tasks you need to do, clearly defines the challenges, and helps you understand them more fully. This then gives you a holistic picture of what you can do now and what you are going to need help and support to be able to make the progress you want.
Look at the problem from a different angle
Take the problem from a different angle. Is it really a challenge? Is there a different way of doing it? If you don’t know how to design a website, perhaps you could just manage for the time being with your social media accounts, or maybe you know a web designer, who would be willing to do a trade? Try to think laterally, get the brain really working on brainstorming different solutions that you could implement to overcome the challenge.
Have a positive mindset
Try to remain positive about overcoming the challenge. According to Henry Ford “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.” So, believe in yourself and your ability to resolve the issues and grow your business. With the right mindset you can overcome any challenge.
So, I hope that these few ideas can help you if you are having challenges in your business. Don’t worry too much, we all have those sort of days, and even sometimes weeks… but you can get through it with a little bit of support. If you have any other hints and tips you’d like to share, please comment below and let me know 🙂
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please feel free to have a nose around the rest. In particular, if you are just setting up your business, this blog post may be of interest Is this the reason your business isn’t growing?
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