Image by Mariana Anatoneag from Pixabay

By Henry Brown

If you are a small business owner, chances are you have a lot on your plate.  You are more than likely juggling a plethora of tasks every single day, wearing all sorts of hats – business owner, marketer, human resources manager, payroll and everything else. Because of this, it is important that you are disciplined and motivated, and sometimes that means you have to force habits into your daily routine that do not necessarily come naturally to you.

Here, we look at just a few of the habits that every small business owner should develop to help them be the very best they can be.

Learn to say no

It sounds simple, doesn’t it, saying no? But it’s a really hard thing to do. You want to say yes to every possible opportunity that comes your way because you never know when the next one is going to come along. However, by saying yes to everything, you risk overloading yourself. If you are overwhelmed and have more tasks than time and energy, you are going to either leave someone feeling disappointed or leave yourself burned out.

Of course, if you really can’t bring yourself to say no, your other option is to outsource. This is becoming an increasingly popular way of working anyway, with more and more businesses delegating tasks to outside agencies and organizations such as Med USA and third-party freelancers.  This frees up your time, but also allows a specialist to handle certain aspects of your business.

Shop around

When it comes to sourcing products and vendors for your business, make sure you do your research and shop around. The success of your business depends on you keeping a close eye on your finances and doing what you can where you can to save some money. Of course, quality is the more important thing to think about, but do not let misplaced loyalty keep you buying from one vendor or supplier if they are not the cheapest or the best.

Create to-do lists

Whether you are the CEO of a multi-national corporation or a one-person band working from your couch, creating a to-do list every day is a great habit to get into. It allows you to start your day with a clear focus and to prioritize your tasks. It is also a really good way to feel a sense of achievement when you end the day with your tasks ticked off. There are some handy workflow management tools available to help you organize your work – Trello and Asana are two of them.

Eat well and stay hydrated

To be successful, you need to remain as healthy as possible. Unfortunately, when you are managing a business and leading a hectic lifestyle, it can be all too easy to neglect your health and grab junk food and live off coffee. However, eating a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and drinking two liters of water a day will put you on the right track to good health.

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.