Stressed about the economy? Five things to do to help yourself and your business

When my local barista (someone who makes coffee- I’m in Seattle!) greets me with, “Hey, haven’t seen you in a while. How are you surviving this economic crisis?!” You know everyone is worried.

Let me share a few things that will help you.

First, stay out of the money fog. This is the worst time to be foggy. Keep your business account balanced and stay on top of paying bills. I know this is hard if you are worried about money. But if you spend more time on money, you will likely make some different decisions about how you are spending your business money. Make sure you always know what your balance is. No one ever benefited from free-floating anxiety. Get clear.

Second, look at your expenses. I took a hard look at my business expenses recently. I went through them all line by line and lowered a few. (You can scan your QuickBooks register or go through your on-line banking, line by line.) I don’t throw the baby out with the bath water, though. Some things I need to keep putting money into to keep growing, such as professional development and support. But some things can wait. I decided against a business trip/conference I really wanted to attend. And some tasks I can do myself. It’s hard, because I would prefer to delegate more tasks to my assistant. But there are a few tasks I have temporarily taken back to keep my business expenses down.

Third, tighten your cancellation policy. Simply put, I have been reminding all my clients about my cancellation policy. My clients know I will enforce it if they cancel at the last minute, so guess what—they show up or give me plenty of notice. (I’ll do a whole post on how to do this one next week.)

Fourth, stay curious. I say to myself, “I’m curious if anyone will be interested in this program.” “I wonder what will happen.” I stay curious, as opposed to worried. When worry comes up, I replace it with curiosity. I know that sounds simple, but it helps. Stay curious.

Fifth, remain grateful. Last Tuesday I went in early, grabbed a notebook and went to a café before seeing clients. I sat there and created a gratitude list. I listed out all the things I was grateful for in my business and career. It really made me think. It wasn’t easy at first and I started with small things. But by the end, I felt a whole lot better.

We will get through this difficult time. So hang on.

1 Comment