While many are busy making resolutions regarding their lives – maybe quitting smoking or hitting the gym more often, or eating better – you’re too busy trying to get your small business off the ground. You’ve been working tirelessly alongside your Fort Collins CPA all year to make this venture an absolute success. How’s it coming?

You might not have realized that this would be tough. Looking back on your progress throughout the year, you might find yourself feeling a bit deflated. It takes a ton of time and dedication before you’ll feel like progress is being made, and that leads to some becoming a bit disappointed – which leads to the passion they once had dissipating until you’re left feeling as if you should never have started in the first place.

It’s Tough

You imagined owning a business would equate to more time on the golf course, enjoying the spoils of your success. Instead, here you are slaving away all day and into the night, spending little time with your family, and no time at all on the golf course. Every last detail of your small business consumes your life, and with the New Year, the thought of small business tax preparation is the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Many things can cause you to lose your passion: maybe you’re overly stressed about all of the little wrinkles that need smoothing over on a daily; you might be losing interest due to the minute tasks you have no interest in performing; you could be discouraged because something didn’t go your way, like the loan that didn’t go through for office equipment; or maybe you’re not able to pinpoint the reason you’re generally unmotivated.

Resolve to Restore Your Passion

Here are some great ways to bring back your drive to make this dream a reality, rekindling the fire that once burned so brightly.

• Take a break. Sometimes, all we need is a bit of a break to recharge our batteries, returning recharged and ready to go. If a vacation isn’t in the cards, it is important to schedule “you” time each and every day. And don’t treat this appointment as negotiable. It is important to keep you happy and motivated all year long. If you neglect taking time to do things you love amid the chaos of running a small business, those daily tasks and stresses that are inevitable begin to wear away your resolve.
• Read. When you lose your focus, sometimes the perspective of another can steer you back in the direction of your dreams. You might not have the time or energy at the end of the day to pick up a book, and that’s okay. Just Google “inspirational quotes” and a slew of sites will pop up. Select one that categorizes them to make it easier for you to peruse those quotes that relate to the motivation you are seeking. If you have the time, consider heading to the bookstore or downloading an e-book written by a figure in the business world whom you admire. Just reading about another’s experience in the startup process can put the wind back into your sails – we need to see that others have indeed struggled, that it’s easy for no one, and that if you persevere, you’ll succeed.
• Take a class. Whether it’s to better understand an aspect of the business you don’t quite understand or to clarify your understanding of tax breaks by taking a class offered by accounting firms, the old saying “never stop learning” has never been more true. If you aren’t constantly developing yourself throughout your life, you won’t be realizing your full potential in terms of success. A great business owner knows the business inside and out!