Congratulations You Are Your Own Boss – Here’s 5 Ways to be a Better Boss

If you’re like me and many others you probably got into Internet marketing as a way to make more money …or at least you thought that was the reason. But it takes a certain personality to start a business and if you look deep inside you may just find out what you really wanted was to be your own boss.
In fact in a recent survey done by smallbizopinion.com “wanting to be your own boss” placed 2nd out of 5 reasons for starting a new business.
The good news is you are your own boss now. The bad news is…you are your own boss now. Being a boss is not easy. Remember when you worked for someone else and you encountered a problem? You could always go to the boss or a supervisor for help in resolving the problem. Sometimes they may even take on the problem themselves and free you up from having to worry.

Who you Gonna Call?

As a business owner, the only boss you have to consult lives in your mirror.
When you work as an employee you get structure, routine, support and evaluation and feedback on your performance. That’s the model that most successful businesses need in order to succeed. When you work for yourself, it’s up to you to develop that model without outside help.
Setting up a home office involves more than having a good computer, a high speed connection and shopping around for a home computer desk. You’ve got to get the most out of the help (you) to ensure your goals are met.
To help you out in that area I’d like to share 5 ideas on becoming a better boss.

 1 – Stay Focused. In this business it is incredibly easy to lose focus. As a one person shop you’re responsible for everything and undoubtedly you are going to have to do things you don’t enjoy doing. But you have to gut it out and keep your eye on the end game. I actually developed a start page for myself to do just that. Every time I open a browser it goes to a page where I have all of my bookmarks organized allowing me to quickly jump to my admin logins for websites, FaceBook account, Twitter, online banking and tons more. It’s a great time saver but more importantly, at the top of the page are my affirmations. Every time I launch a browser there are both images and messages that remind me what my goals are and that constant reinforcement keeps me focused.

2 – Develop an elevator speech. Have you noticed how difficult it is to explain to friends and even family just what it is you do? If you work at home you can’t have a real job can you? How many times have you heard that? Take the time to put together a 2 minute speech that you can use to not only explain what you do but to leave the listener a little bit jealous. You’ll be amazed how much better you’ll feel about yourself when you finish this little project.

3 – Develop Routines. When you worked as an employee you had a routine and you need to set one up for yourself particularly at the start and end of the day. Having a routine or ritual sends a signal to the brain that you’re “at work now” or are “finishing for the day” and it makes what you do in between that much easier because you’re in a “work” mode.

4 – Kick your Addictions. Just how important is it to monitor your FaceBook account continuously for new friends. Do your Twitter followers really need to know you found a great new Starbucks? Do you have to check your email every time that little envelop shows up in your tray even if it’s to delete that offer from a banker in Nigeria? Get real with your time. Avoid the addiction of time wasting social media. Social media is important but you want to use it to advance the business not as a substitute for playing solitaire on your computer.

5 – Schedule time for networking and education. I just finished saying don’t waste your time on social media and now I’m going to tell you the exact opposite but with a different spin. Social media is powerful. It’s a great educational tool and it’s an effective way to influence people. Schedule regular “maintenance” of your network on FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter and any forums that you frequent, but make that activity productive make it something that furthers the business or promotes your personal brand.

As I mentioned earlier, going into business is a lot more involved than just shopping for a l-shaped computer desk or a comfortable office chair and you have to take a hard look at how disciplined you really are. But if you constantly keep your eye on the goal you are going to be rewarded with a fabulous lifestyle.

 
I’d love to hear what your “boss” strategies are and how they work for you. Please share your ideas in the comment box below.