Running your own business isn’t easy, and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. It’s true that you are no longer answerable to your regular boss but that has its downsides. If you don’t make any money you don’t get paid, and if you’re too sick to work then that’s your look out. Leaving paid employment to plow your own furrow doesn’t mean you no longer have headaches, they are just headaches of your own as opposed to somebody else’s.

There will be good times and bad times, but it’s during the later that you’ll need to stay focused. Here are a few tips for doing just that:

Rule #1: Always Look After Your Health and Well-Being

The may be no “I” in Teamwork but there is a “me” in Positive Mental Attitude.  If you are overworked, stressed and unable to switch off and relax then sooner or later you will burn out.

Rule #2: Set Realistic Goals

Everybody wants to rule the world but very few get to achieve it. There is nothing wrong with being aspirational, the trick is to keep your feet on the ground as you reach for the stars.

Rule #3: Take Time Out

Learn to manage your working hours effectively so that you have time for building your business and time for switching off and taking the family out for a drive, or going to a football match. Success is a long-haul operation.

Rule #4: Reach Out to Your Boundaries

Make a realistic but ambitious appraisal of your capabilities and make it your goal to realize them. Don’t sell yourself short, if you can do it then do it.

Rule #5: Ask for Help

We all need a helping hand at times.  It’s often said that a man will drive around the block for hours rather than ask anybody for directions, but remember it’s a waste of time – and gas.