Tips on how to handle the stresses that come with managing an online business

Running late to pick up the kids from school? Your phone blowing up with customers who haven’t received their packages yet? A staff member is off sick for the day and you have to pick up the slack? The website is having technical problems and you need to speak to your developer? So, you’re managing your own online business but feel like there’s a million things to do, and it’s stressing you out? We’ve all been there.

In this article, we thought we would offer a short list of tips that we ourselves have found useful over the years, to help manage the stress and reset when the going gets tough.

It’s perfectly normal

Self-reflection and the ability to quickly recognise and remedy flaws, mistakes or weaknesses in your business is important, however, be careful not to be overly harsh or critical of yourself. Everyone faces challenges and setbacks, what’s important is you dust yourself off and continue on. Keep plugging away and don’t give up, and keep in mind that every cloud has a silver lining. Losses are a treasure-trove when it comes to gaining invaluable knowledge that we often would have never otherwise learnt.

Pace yourself

As the old cliché goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Growing something that you’ve created yourself, especially a small business, into an international titan is hard, and it takes time. Don’t expect too much of yourself too soon. Instead, acknowledge small successes and keep chipping away at the granite each day. Some people are too busy with always looking towards the future, instead of living in the present and acknowledging what they have accomplished. As they say, “you can’t change the past, but you can ruin a perfectly good present, by worrying about the future”.

Say no

Having a singular focus and being driven often means saying no to distractions that may present themselves as a “great idea” at the time. Remember, nothing in life is truly free, and the things that are worth achieving are usually hard, and require dedication and stick-to-itiveness. Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed by taking on too many tasks or responsibilities. Decide on what is necessary, and work on that.

See the forest for the trees

Keep an eye on the big picture. One bad day or one bad week should not define you. It is helpful to regularly return to “home base”, and work through the thought process to help you recall why you started your online business in the first place. What were the reasons that fueled you, gave you drive and energy, and made you enthusiastic to start this journey? eCommerce in the 21st century is a digital marketplace that literally connects you to every country on earth. Technology is there to help you reduce the burden, automate jobs and multitask, not to drive you into a panic or frenzy. Don’t lose sight of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

If you ever care to find out what EIZ can really do to help your business manage the stresses that inevitably come with an online business, check out our free 30-Day trials on any of our products at https://eiz.com.au/, or talk to one of our experts at enquiry@eiz.com.au.