While we absolutely love having our own business, and the freedom it gives us, there are times where things can get a little stressful. And we won’t lie to you – running a successful home business takes a lot of hard work!
It’s also taken us a bit of trial and error to get to where we are today – and yes, we still do have days when things don’t quite go to plan…
The good news is that anyone can achieve success in business (and in life!). It’s simply a case of having the right mindset!
So here are five of our ‘must do’ tips for running a successful home business – and two things you should avoid doing at all costs!
Plan Plan Plan!
Different people find that different methods suit them, but planning your workload will help to make sure you don’t miss anything out, and help you achieve a good work and life balance!
Some people like paper planners (such as bullet journals or traditional diaries) while others prefer computer or smartphone based calendars, reminders and apps. It’s up to you – no one method is better than another. It’s all about personal preference.
A good idea is to take an hour to sit down and jot in any recurring commitments or big events coming up, so you can plan your workload around them. Then do a check in each week and update!
Keeping a to-do list can also help – write down the evening before the main tasks you need to accomplish the next day, and prioritise these first! It’s also really satisfying ticking things off your list…
It can also help avoid forgetting things – which happens, we’re only human after all! But forgetting to alter a customer order, or to reply to an email can have a huge knock-on effect. You could lose out on a sale, or worse – do damage to your business reputation.
Planning can also help with marketing, and preparing a successful campaign. We plan out our marketing campaigns as much in advance as we can (through in-person events and sales, and online methods like our Facebook group or newsletters) to minimise stress and maximise success (and sales!).
Have Goals (but Be Realistic about Attaining Them!)
While it’s great to have a big goal, remember life is a marathon not a sprint! In order to achieve the big goals you need to take a series of steps to get there.
Don’t give yourself undue stress by placing unrealistic expectations and aims on yourself. By all means push yourself our of your comfort zone , but don’t put yourself off by jumping into something without thinking it through.
Don’t put yourself down when things don’t go how you expect either. Accept that things happen, learn from it and move on. Dwelling on mistakes and letting this affect your mindset can be very damaging to your productivity and confidence!
Keep your end goal in mind though – this is your rocket fuel, your motivation to get out there and keep going. We always keep our goals clear in our head, and are great believers in visualisation – we have a dream board that we use to inspire us. You can do this too – use a physical method such as a vision board or an online board on Pinterest, or even just write down your aims and dreams in a journal!
If you’re having a difficult day pour yourself a cup of tea and take five minutes to look at or think about your goals. You’ll be amazed at how this can refresh and motivate you.
Learn to Love Social Media
Love it or hate it, social media is your friend when it comes to running a successful home business!
Over half of online sales in 2019 were influenced by content on Instagram and Facebook, and over 70% of consumers who have had a good social media service experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others.
A little bit of research into the different social media platforms can go a long way. This doesn’t have to be incredibly time consuming – just looking into the best posting frequencies and days/times for each platform can really help.
Facebook allows you to schedule posts in advance on your page, and there are many scheduling apps and platforms out there to help with your social media management, generally for a reasonable monthly fee.
Think about how you ‘brand’ yourself online and who your audience is. People will respond to you much more if you’re real and authentic rather than if you’re trying to be something you’re not.
We share all sides of our life with our customers – the good and the bad, and we’ve been honest and open about our background and story. This has really helped build up a great relationship with our Scentsy family and our customers, as so many people can relate to what we’ve been through!
Don’t ignore the Boring Stuff…
Ok, so not many people like to talk about budgeting or taxes. But if you don’t keep things in check you could be letting yourself in for a lot of unnecessary stress and worry.
We cant emphasise enough that keeping track of your outgoings and incomings is CRUCIAL to running your home business successfully.
Again, different methods suit different people! Some prefer the paper method, whilst others use apps and online software to keep track of their accounts – some of these are really clever, and include features that allow you to scan invoices and receipts to a digital format and keep them all in one place.
Keeping on top of your books during the year will also help when it comes to the dreaded annual tax return. You can save yourself a LOT of stress and worry by spending an hour or so at the end of each month getting everything together and up to date, rather than staying up all night struggling with the forms at the last minute!
Eat That Frog!
There’s always going to be one thing that you’re not looking forward to. But the best thing you can do is to get it done – you’ll feel absolutely awesome afterwards, trust us!
The term ‘eating the frog’ has been around for a while, and the theory behind it is that you plan the night before to get the most unpleasant thing off of your to-do list as soon as possible the next morning. Then when your particular ‘frog’ has been eaten, you’re free to breathe a sigh of relief and get on with your day.
It could be dealing with a difficult customer’s complaint. Doing your monthly taxes. Making an awkward phone call. But the longer you leave it, the more it will play on your mind, and affect your day.
Trust us – something like this which drains your energy is a certified productivity killer!
Ok, so what are the two things you definitely SHOULDN’T be doing?
Don’t Burn Yourself Out!
Please don’t let yourself get burnt out. You won’t be productive if you’re too stressed.
Take a break, even for 5 minutes and even if you think you don’t have time – it’s better to spend 5 minutes decompressing than to waste twenty staring at your computer screen in a state of semi-panic.
Keep your workspace organised – this can really help your mental state. It doesn’t have to be fancy – just tidy and with everything you need to hand!
If you’re a bit of a digital nomad and work on your laptop on the go then keep your laptop bag packed, stocked with everything you need, and organised! There’s nothing worse that settling down to work somewhere and realising you’ve left a vital piece of paperwork, or USB stick, at home.
If things are getting too much and you’re not coping then TALK TO SOMEONE, please! Stress, anxiety and depression are all too common, and still unfortunately have an air of being ‘taboo’ subjects. We always encourage the consultants in our Scentsy family to be open with us and talk to us about any issues that might be going on in their lives.
Don’t Mix Business with Personal
This is a tricky one, but so important.
When you’re starting up in business it’s so common for family and friends to ask for a discount or a freebie – but trust us, the best thing to do is to just say no. It may sound harsh, but it’s sage advice.
The problem is that once you do one person a favour, others will expect the same. And when you give someone a discount once, they’ll expect it again. Then before you know it, you’re actually losing money!
You don’t need to make a big issue about it – just explain that you won’t be offering discounts at all, in order to be fair to everyone, and because at the end of the day you have a business to run that supports you and your family.
We suggest to our friends that they host a Scentsy party – that way they can earn fantastic host rewards and have a fun night with family and friends at the same time!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this article – is there anything you’d add to our list? Comment below!
If you’d like more information about setting up and running a successful home business with Scentsy then get in touch and let’s chat!
