Is your business making you miserable? Does success seem to elude you? Well, that could mean that you need to keep fighting the good fight, or it could mean that you should consider a new line of work.
Consider the following, and if this sounds familiar to you, it might be a sign that you’re in the wrong business.
You hate going to work every day.
A lot of people hate their jobs right? But the difference for a business owner is that you are not working for anyone else (except for your customers, of course), and the whole point of being your own boss is to work how, when, and where you want to work.
When you have this kind of freedom, and you still hate going to work every day, then there’s a good chance you’re in the wrong business.
It’s difficult to stay productive.
If you can’t be productive at work, it means most likely that you’re bored and completely uninterested in what you’re doing.
People who are passionate about their business, or at least mildly stimulated by it, will naturally get more work done because they’re enjoying it. Secondly, you might just not be very good at it.
People who are working for a company may be able to get by with simply following instructions, but if you own that company, you’re the one who is designing and creating the business; so, you have to be pretty good at what you do.
You’re becoming increasingly burnt out.
All of us suffer from this condition at one time or another. When you’re trudging through every work day in a joyless, worn-out stupor, it’s time to make a change because no one should have to endure that kind of exhaustion day in, and day out.
Quite honestly, no one can keep that up forever, anyhow; eventually, if you’re becoming burnt out and frustrated with your business, a crash will inevitably come.
Burnout is a symptom of a lack of enthusiasm for what you’re doing, as well as a sign that your workload is too heavy. When the work is satisfying and productive, then you can shoulder a larger workload, but not so much when the job isn’t right for you.
Are you cut out to be an entrepreneur?
And so we come to the tough question that many business owners are faced with, after years of fruitlessly trying to make it work for them: Are you an entrepreneur?
Running a business is some of the hardest work there is. Not unlike being a parent, a business owner has to be proficient at a number of skills, to persevere through adversity, be able to solve a variety of problems on a daily basis, and many times work insane hours, to name a few.
The truth is that not everyone is cut out for it, and you will do yourself a favor if you can be honest with yourself about whether or not you’re right for the lifestyle.
Don’t quit the business just yet.
Don’t be discouraged because first of all, you may just be in the wrong kind of business. Think about what you’re passionate about, what you’re interested in, and what you’re really good at; you might just need to change your business model or start over, entirely.
And second, it’s not the worst thing in the world to get out of a line of work that is making your life miserable. There’s always time to explore new opportunities and new endeavors, at which you might be far more successful.
Stephanie
Stephanie is the Marketing Director at Talkroute and has been featured in Forbes, Inc, and Entrepreneur as a leading authority on business and telecommunications.
Stephanie is also the chief editor and contributing author for the Talkroute blog helping more than 100k entrepreneurs to start, run, and grow their businesses.