How to Build Business Bounce-Back-Ability
If there’s one emotional tool that will give you the edge in business, it’s resilience. The more under-confident among us can sometimes feel that being self-employed is an exercise in constant knock-backs. Especially in the early days, it can often feel that you hear the word ‘no’ twice as often as you hear ‘yes’.
When this is a problem for my clients, I talk to them about what I like to call bounce-back-ability. As a business owner, if you’re able to bounce back quickly from knock backs you’ve already got a head start. Business owners who aren’t able to bounce back quite so speedily can very easily become demoralised. In this situation, it’s tempting to think about giving up on parts of your business, if not all of it.
The great thing about bounce-back-ability is that it doesn’t have to be something you’re born with. There are many ways that you can build your resilience levels and doing this is likely to have a big impact on your effectiveness as a business owner.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Remember that it’s not personal
If a potential client turns down your product or service, it’s more than likely because it’s just not a good fit. When you receive a knock back like this, try not to take it personally. Odds are that they wouldn’t have been the right client for you anyway.
Train yourself to look on the bright side
Optimists tend to be more resilient than pessimists. Even if you tend to fall on the pessimistic side of the scale, it is possible to train your brain to look at things more positively. Next time you experience a business set back, try and find a silver lining. Perhaps the client has said they’ll consider you for future projects, or maybe any work you’ve done for them could be adapted for someone else.
Look at knock backs as a learning opportunity
Business owners are always learning. Even the veterans among us need to ensure we continue to develop our craft. When you receive a knock back, look at it as an opportunity to learn. Is there anything you could have done differently? What could you do to avoid this situation in the future? How could you make your business proposition more attractive to other customers?
Develop a sense of humour
Remember the saying about laughter being the best medicine? If you can look on the funny side of bad business experiences, you’ll be much more likely to bounce back from them quickly and effectively.
Give yourself some TLC
Developing bounce-back-ability doesn’t mean that you won’t experience disappointment. This is a very natural emotion and it will never go away altogether. Just as you might celebrate achievements, don’t be afraid to give yourself a bit of TLC when you hit a roadblock. The better you take care of yourself, the better placed you’ll be to recover.
Of course, it can be difficult to build resilience all by yourself, which is one of the reasons why many business owners benefit from the support of an advisor. If you’re working on your bounce-back-ability, make sure you have someone you trust to talk to about it.
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