Did you think it would be ‘easy’ having your own business? I was driving through a small business area of town last week and commenting to my friend that many people just have absolutely NO idea what it takes to have a business and to succeed in business.

There are so many misconceptions about what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur. Anyone who knows me knows that I like to keep things simple. So, taking this simple approach, I want to speak to a number of different situations in business that we all face and give you some of the simple steps I take to handle them.

1)      Clients.  We all have them. We all want more. And when you get more …..well, tough stuff can come up. As I’m often heard saying: “Where 2 or more people are gathered’…..And when it comes to clients, you are going to have situations where clients aren’t engaged in the work that needs to get done to grow their business – they don’t pay on time or they don’t pay at all – some back out of their signed contract with you. They lie to you. They let you down. They disappoint you.

2)      Team Members. Tough stuff happens when you are just starting out in business and need to hire team members to support you. Tough stuff happens when you are growing your business and you are adding to the team. Personalities get in the way. Different energy creates different synergy. Emotions come into play. There can be competition among team members. Miscommunication is always a challenge – because it happens. We are all people!

3)      Opportunities.  You might find it a bit weird that I added this one – but, think about it. As you grow your business and certainly as you get more successful, more and different opportunities come your way. When that happens – all kinds of ‘stuff’ comes up. What if I’m not good enough? What if they don’t want to pay me what I’m worth? What if they start comparing me to others in my league? What if they don’t like me?

I don’t think we talk about the tough stuff often enough because we are so focused on learning and doing everything it takes to GROW the business. The interesting part is we all go through it – often times we haven’t learned, or been trained, on how to deal with a lot of it – and so not only do we make mistakes (and costly ones, at that) but a lot of the emotional tough stuff festers and we allow it to eat us up.

There are some things that I have learned and steps I take to handle this and I wanted to pass it on to you.

1. Entrepreneur – know thyself! What I mean by that is – how do you best handle tough stuff? For me, it’s got to be first thing in the morning. That’s when my energy is high and my focus is clear. Anything that is a challenge gets handled before noon. My emotions are intact. I make business decisions – and do not come from an emotional space. Deal with the facts.
2. Keep it simple.  When tough stuff happens, we tend to overcomplicate things – as we do in most other situations. Keep it simple – whether it’s writing a response to a difficult email, or an in-person meeting to deal with an uncomfortable situation. Keep it simple and, again, stick to the facts.
3. Work with a coach. It’s so easy to lose perspective when dealing with difficult situations or with difficult people. And it will happen. So, working with a coach is one of the best ways to stay grounded – get perspective – learn from someone who has been there and who can guide you.
4. Deal with it quickly. Tough stuff happens to all of us. Don’t let it fester. Get a handle on the facts – create a plan – and work the plan. The sooner you deal with the tough stuff, the more positive energy you will release which enables you to move on and continue to serve the people you are meant to work with. Then move on……..

Is this ALL it takes to handle the tough stuff? NO. But it’s certainly a good place to start. It has worked for me and it can work for you, too.

How do you handle the tough stuff in your business?

Please share your thoughts!