How to Stay Motivated as an Entrepreneur

Becoming an entrepreneur is not for everyone. However, staying one can sometimes feel impossible. Burnout, lack of support, and business setbacks are issues that could derail a person's motivation as an entrepreneur. Staying motivated is important if you want your business to succeed. Here are some tips on how to stay motivated when things get rough.

Have a mission for your business

Having a mission for your business is more that wanting to make money. It is about having a purpose and long term goal for your business. Now your mission doesn’t need to be the same as other businesses, but it should be important to you and your team. When you have a mission, you gain a new sense of purpose that will help you push forward during even the most trying of times.

Organize and Prioritize for work life balance

Learning how to organize and prioritize your life is an essential skill every entrepreneur must master. Life is crazy and running a business only makes it crazier. Establishing some form of a work-life balance is a common struggle for most people. However, everyone needs time for self care and family. Trying to balance personal responsibilities with work is impossible without effective prioritization. Some tips to help get some balance include:

• Develop systems to automate mundane tasks- You don't need to do every little task that your business requires thanks to technology. Automatic email sends, template marketing programs, simple bookkeeping can now be automated thanks to software.

• Effective delegation-If you are lucky enough to have a team, then you already know you cant do everything yourself. Learning how to effectively delegate work to teammates is a good skill to have. Now this doesn't mean you give all your work others, but you need to have resource to get the small things off your plate. If you don't have a team, you may want to explore looking into remote assistants. Remote assistants today are not as expensive as having a full time employee and there many services out there to help you.

• Outsourcing work- Just because you started a business, doesn't mean you have to do everything. The key is to realize where is your time better spent. Do you want to waste 100 hrs trying to design a logo or do you want to hire a graphic designer who can do it for you in half the time. If the concept of hiring a vendor is holding you back, remember this. You can always get a refund of money, but you can never get a refund of time.

Check out the Harvard Business Review’s guide to work-life balance for more tips.

Develop and maintain a strong support system

A good support system is something that everyone needs. Behind every great entrepreneur, there is even a greater support system. Research has shown that supports systems help people develop coping skills. Additionally, people with good support system tend to have improved mental health. If your current support system is lacking, try the following:

• Expanding your professional network

• Join a support group

• Contact therapist

Stay motivated friends and never forget that you have the same amount of time in the day as Beyoncé!