Avoiding the Pessimism in 2010

I receive many newsletters and articles via email in order to keep up with the latest business and industry trends and reports. It just so happens that the last week of 2009 included a flood of articles entitled, “7 ways to ruin a business”, “When Bad Things Happen to Good Business Owners and Entrepreneurs”, and “The Art of Apologizing to Angry Customers”. Pretty depressing before the new year, right? No worries!

One thing you have to do in order to be successful each day in business is to think positive and turn every negative into a positive. I listed both as one item because they are really one in the same. For example, one of the 7 ways to ruin a business (located on Business Brief dot com) is Bad Interviewing. By the way, each of the 7 begins with the word Bad…scolding you already for ruining your business (chuckle). Okay, so how do we turn this negative into a positive? We could list out the top items you should do or ask in an interview and then check our common practices off the list and see where we can improve! I’ve included a sample below:

Request at least 3 references

Ask for a resume or C.V.

Verify education

Request work samples (if applicable)

Running a business is hard work and you will not be able to satisfy everyone. If you are a sole business owner or entrepreneur you wear many, many hats. You are the bookkeeper, marketing director, file clerk, human resources director, and more! In addition, growing your business takes time. And as it grows you will be able to hire help for many of those hats. So what do you do to stay positive in 2010 when the stressors begin to weigh you down?

1. Learn how to walk away from, and even eliminate, negativity in your life. Whether it is a person, task or thing, if it is a negative energy drainer, walk away and come back later or eliminate. This could include deleting an email, breaking off relationships and/or connections, walking away from a confrontation, or avoiding comfort foods.

2. Learn what to do when you walk away. So you followed #1 and walked away, now what? That is entirely up to you. Did you have breakfast, or even lunch, today? Go eat! Or maybe you practice yoga and meditation? Have a treadmill? Take a walk! Like music? Play your favorite song Loud and dance!

3. Recognize you are not alone. Sometimes it may feel like you are the only business person going through a situation, but you are not. Go to Score.org and read some of the questions submitted by business owners and I guarantee many of the situations and dilemmas will sound familiar.

4. Flip it! Remember you can flip that negative into a positive lessons learned. If a customer complains, listen and find out what you can get from that conversation to make your business better and ensure you do not have a repeat of that same situation.

On a final note, try not to take all those business articles so serious. They are really all there to encourage, not discourage you. You just have to see the glass as half full and not half empty. Thanks for reading!