There are figures that say UK businesses are going under at the rate of 34 a day and apparently that’s pretty good going, so how do you make sure your business doesn’t become a statistic.
Human beings seem to have a natural tendency to not face in to their ‘stuff’. Entrepreneurs and business owners can also have a hard time facing in to the fact that things aren’t going as planned, and even if they do they can kid themselves in to thinking that they can sort it out – all by themselves. Well to a large extent, the being able to make things happen and move mountains all by yourself, was one of the things that got the business off the ground. Then there are times when asking for help before a business enters crisis phase is a good idea.
Then once you’ve done that check that no one, and that includes you, is messing with your head and chucking the word ‘failure’ around or even at you. Yes there is a reason(s) why the business is where it is, and hindsight will be a wonderful thing, but this is all part of learning and growth. Neither of which are always pleasant or pain free. If you read the biographies of many successful entrepreneurs you’ll find they have their fair share of t’shirts bought and paid for hanging in the closet. I certainly wouldn’t be building the business I am today if it hadn’t been for both the things I got right and the things I’ve made a right pigs ear of.
The ostrich move only looks good on the ostrich (and even then I’m not sure). If things aren’t going the way that you want them to ask yourself what have you not been paying attention to – cash flow, the market, your leadership – to suggest 3 common areas. Then find someone who can help you improve in that area. In the meantime remember why you started your business, what you want the future to be and find the fun. Enjoyment, motivation, laughter, they were all then when you started this venture, as the leader you owe it to yourself and everyone else involved to reconnect with those traits again.