When you launched your business, you had a grand dream. You wanted to sell a particular product or service, make enough to live the lifestyle you\u2019ve always wanted and have the freedom to do whatever you wanted with your life. So\u2026 how is that going?
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\nLaunching a small business is extremely tough work and it takes time to get your company on solid ground, but after a few years, many small business owners suffer serious emotional and motivation burnout. You still want to be an entrepreneur and you don\u2019t want to give up on your business, but you\u2019re working 80 hours a week and you haven\u2019t taken a real vacation in years. In other words, you might be dealing with a bad case of the \u201cbusiness owner blues.\u201d
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\nAs we embrace Spring \u2013 a time for renewal and spring cleaning \u2013 I want to challenge you to dust off your dreams of being a successful business owner. You don\u2019t have to be overworked, overwhelmed and a prisoner to your business. Your dream does NOT have to be a nightmare. Turning this corner and reacquiring the fire all starts with reconnecting with your WHY and working smart instead of just hard.
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\nAnswer the following questions:<\/p>\n

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1. What was the initial purpose of your business?<\/li>\n
2. Why did you want it to exist and bring it to life?<\/li>\n
3. What was the spark that led you to open your business rather than just dream?<\/li>\n
4. What were you seeking \u2013 freedom, flexibility, free time, creative expression, money, security?<\/li>\n
5. How does your business serve others? How does it make their lives better?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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   \nNow take 15 minutes to really lose yourself in your answers. Take yourself all the way back to the beginning and remember what it felt like to cut that grand opening ribbon. No matter how many years you\u2019ve been in business, you should still be able to reconnect with the emotional outcomes you wanted before you even considered your first customer. THAT is your WHY and THAT is what will keep you strong moving forward.
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   \nOnce you\u2019ve found your happy place, ask yourself two additional questions: Where did you think your business would be today and where do you want your business to be a year from now? Consider what\u2019s been holding you back and create small, timed goals to overcome those challenges. If you are having a difficult time with this level of accountability, it\u2019s time to talk to a Growth Coach about being your accountability partner:https:\/\/www.thegrowthcoach.com\/locator.aspx<\/a>.
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   \n\u2013\u00a0Nathan Owens, President of The Growth Coach<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

   When you launched your business, you had a grand dream. You wanted to sell a particular product or service, make enough to live the lifestyle you\u2019ve always wanted and have the freedom to do whatever you wanted with your life. So\u2026 how is that going? Launching a small business is extremely tough work and it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n