When The Going Gets Tough, Follow These 14 Tips

I have yet to meet an entrepreneur who hasn’t had some tough times. There are roadblocks, detours, negative influences and even failures. But, like the kid who falls off his bike and skins his knee, we must also get back on the entrepreneur seat and keep riding.

You may meet people who try to tell you their business hasn’t had hiccups. I would have to say that either they haven’t been in business very long, they are delusional or for some crazy reason, they are lying.

I am here to tell you the truth… As an entrepreneur, you WILL have setbacks. You might even fail. I have, but the bike laid next to me and I picked it up, got on and rode it again.

Guess what?

Life is grand… Business is great, but I still have tough moments. As long as a person is in business, they will. As a matter of fact, every single person, entrepreneur or not will have difficult times. So this post can be useful for everyone.

So follow these 14 tips when the going gets tough.

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #1: Realize A Mission Far Beyond Your Business

Hopefully, you had a mission or purpose other than your business when you started.

• Travel the world
• Build a mansion
• Defeat homelessness in your hometown
• Etc…

Just reflecting on that ultimate mission will give you motivation to defeat the barrier you are facing.

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #2: What’s The Worst That Can Happen?

As humans, we have a tendency to allow our fears to build “mountains out of molehills.” No matter what you are going through, there are decisions that will need to be made. Now you can assume the world is going to end but really now, will that happen? And if it does, can you stop it?

You need to realize your fears!

You need to keep your emotional state in check!

Now with a logical outlook, weigh out how each decision you make could play out… What is the worst that could happen? What is the best?

It is okay to feel some emotion but you must not allow it to have the power over your processes.

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #3: Make Adjustments

No business plan should be written in stone. When things get tough, it may require you to make adjustments to the overall plan.

I suggest you make small changes and measure the results. Sometimes just a little change can make a huge difference.

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #4: Inspire Those Around You

Be social… Don’t let tough times drive you into hiding. Show others you will not allow difficulties to have power over you. By doing so, you will inspire others and you will discover by doing so, you also will be inspired.

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #5: Take Some You Time

Sometimes, just getting away for a few hours, a weekend or even a week, and just spending some alone time with yourself, you will think and act in a clearer fashion.

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #6: Brainstorming

Usually, tough times involves difficult decisions. And these decisions will often affect employees, partners, etc… It just makes good sense to bring all these people together in a brainstorming session.

Even if you already know where cuts should be made, by bringing everyone together, you will provide a better understanding of the situation and why certain cuts must be made. They will give you more support even if their job or pay is part of the cut.

Or, it is possible that one may have an excellent idea to solve the problem that you hadn’t considered.

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #7: Consider Your Market

What are your potential customers saying? What are they thinking? Are you really solving a problem for them or have you mislead yourself?

You need to take a close look at all these questions and you also may have to consider if you have narrowed down your target market. Or are you just throwing a bunch of mud at the wall and seeing what sticks?

I suggest you ask them… Ask potential customers what their opinion is:

• Are we solving a problem you have?
• Is our pricing structure fair?
• How do you feel about our customer service?
• Etc…

Ask them and you WILL get answers.

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #8: Surround Yourself With Positive People

Now is the time to search out all those friends and family members who live and breathe positivity.

We have more than enough people around us who are either negative or “middle of the road” in their demeanor.

Those are the people you should try to steer clear of during tough times. By putting the positive people around you, you will become positive and it will reflect in your life and in your business.

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #9: Learn

Usually, you can see where the difficulties are coming from:

• Finances
• Marketing
• Business leadership
• Etc…

So it just makes sense to devote some of your time to learn in that area. Take a course, read some books or find a mentor that can help.

By learning, you can grow in the faulty area and bring you and your business up out of the difficult area into a path of success.

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #10: Reflect Back

Sure, the times may be tough right now, but you chose this route…

Why?

Because you knew you could succeed. Look back to what you were doing before you started. Remember why you started. Get that desire back by reflecting back.

This moment is really not that bad.

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #11: Be A Trendsetter, Not A Trend Follower

Just because everyone else is, does not mean you should.

If you look at a big percentage of successful entrepreneurs, they went against the trends. They “bucked” the trends.

Yes, there will be some who say you are crazy, but who will be the crazy one when you have $Millions in the bank?

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #12: Reward Yourself

Trust me, this works!

Start giving yourself small rewards when you successfully complete a task or goal.

• A glass of wine
• Maybe a movie
• How about a chocolate bar

Humans are naturally wired to perform harder when they have a reward awaiting them. So you will be manipulating your own brain and there is nothing wrong with that.

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #13: Market More

Remember that I said to not go with the trends… Well here is one.

Many business owners put a halt to many of their marketing methods when facing tough times. I suggest you do just the opposite… Market More! Market Hard!

Keep in mind that if you are having tough times, your competitors are probably having issues too.

So when they shut down some of their marketing strategies and you ad marketing strategies, who will get the business?

If you must make budget cuts, marketing should be the last and the least.

When The Going Gets Tough Tip #14: Make Yourself The Top Asset

Now for this final and most important tip, I just may get some debate.

I often hear people say they must put the spouse, business, children, etc… first. I respectfully disagree!

Who needs to come first?

You!

You need to

• eat healthily
• exercise
• sleep properly
• play and have fun

Because, if you don’t take care of yourself, how will you be able to take care of anyone else?

So put yourself at the top of the list. Take the breaks you need and treat yourself like a King or a Queen. By doing so, you are protecting and growing your biggest and best asset… YOU!

When The Going Gets Tough Tip Conclusion

I know… Some of these difficult situations do tempt us to throw in the towel. But you CAN get through it.

I have been in some precarious situations in my life and I followed my own tips. That is why I am financially free today and able to enjoy life to its fullest…

There will always be tough times; I still face them regularly too. But because I practice my own advice… My own tips… The tough times are not that bad.

Always remember, there are many who can give you advice and tips, but you need to follow the path laying in front of you. So listen, learn but most of all, follow your gut and I know success is awaiting your presence.

I hope this post helped you. If you did find value, please share it with others.

If you have questions or feedback, feel free to post it below.

Thank you.