10 Success Tips for Small-Business Owners

Whether you're starting out on your own or have experience running a successful sewer and drain cleaning business, these tips will help you become a better boss — and more likable person.
10 Success Tips for Small-Business Owners
Just because you’re the business owner doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. Delegating small, repeatable tasks — which for you might include bookkeeping, social media updates, or something else — will free you to focus on strategy and growth.

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There’s no way to guarantee success — but there are plenty of little things you can do, habits you can form, to boost your chances and stack the odds in your favor.

Indeed, one of the keys to successful entrepreneurship is settling into the right groove, fostering the traits and routines that lend themselves to productivity, creativity, and vision.

Your entrepreneurial rhythms may not be the same as the next contractor's, but here are a few conventions that generally work wonders.

1. Get plenty of sleep. The cliché is that the entrepreneur is someone who burns the candle from both ends, working tirelessly, slaving away in the office at all hours of the night. This is actually a great way to burn out, lose focus, and ultimately see your health decline. Get eight hours each night to recharge your batteries, and come at your problems anew the next morning.

2. Delegate. Just because you’re the business owner doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. Delegating small, repeatable tasks — which for you might include bookkeeping, social media updates, or something else — will free you to focus on strategy and growth. Learn to delegate or outsource the things that don’t have to be done by you personally.

3. Invite feedback. Getting alternate perspectives can help you troubleshoot and problem solve. In particular, make sure you learn how to accept constructive criticism. Don’t take it as an affront, but seize it as an opportunity to get better.

4. Think in terms of customer value. When all else fails, small-business owners can use the customer perspective as their home base — their north star. If you’re faced with a prickly decision, think about the value you can offer to customers, and let that be your guideline.

5. Be grateful. Never underestimate the power of a sincere thank-you — to your customers, to your vendors, and especially to your employees.

6. Take mental health breaks. In addition to getting sleep at night, you need to get outside the office sometimes to refresh yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. A daily walk or a morning workout session is ideal.

7. Guard your time. Set aside some time to be productive each morning — not checking emails, turning off your phone. You need some distraction-free time every day to get stuff done, or else your days will just slip away from you altogether.

8. Plan your next morning. Before you leave the office each evening, arrange your priorities for the next morning — ensuring that when you return to work, you’re ready to jump right into your next challenges.

9. Be intentional in your relationships. Schedule time for friends and family — or risk being disconnected from them altogether. These relationships will help sustain you over the long haul.

10. Go where your customers are. That means following them even into the far reaches of the Web: If you believe your customer base is high on SnapChat, then your business needs to start using SnapChat. Plain and simple.

These are some seemingly small suggestions that can add up to one big cumulative effect — so don’t hesitate in adopting these habits today.

About the Author
Amanda E. Clark is the president and editor-in-chief of Grammar Chic Inc., a full-service professional writing company. She is a published ghostwriter and editor, and currently under contract with literary agencies in Malibu, California, and Dublin, Ireland.

Since founding Grammar Chic in 2008, Clark, along with her team of skilled professional writers, has offered expertise to clients in the creative, business and academic fields. The company accepts a wide range of projects and often engages in content and social media marketing, drafts resumes, press releases, Web content, marketing materials and ghostwritten creative pieces. Contact Clark at www.grammarchic.net.



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