DE - STRESS-I-N-G ... more helpful hints

One of the top three reasons for running an online business is usually to have more free time -- but it seldom works out that way. Running any business, especially full-time, can be stressful and time-consuming.

Here are a few destressing tips to help keep YOUR e-business from consuming you:

Solution # 1.
Take the Weekends Off

Running a business full-time doesn't mean that you have to (or NEED to) work 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Take off weekends, holidays, AND periodic vacation time to avoid home business burn-out.

Rest your brain.

Just keep a tight focus when you DO work, and automate your business as much as possible to maximize free time.

As a matter of fact, you should be working ONLY as much as you have to. That's why you quit your day job (or plan to), right? Being able to work when you want and play when you want is one of the greatest advantages of running your own business -- and it's also one of the most easily forgotten.

Solution # 2.
Hire An Assistant When Your Business Picks Up

You can't do everything yourself, and you shouldn't try. When business picks up, the "hired help" can relieve a lot of your stress. I know that a business can get busy before/without producing the profit to hire an assistant, but if you can swing it, definitely do.

Here are a few ways to know when it's time for you to hire a helping hand:

When you can't comfortably handle answering your daily e-mail in less than 48 hours.

Taking a week or more to answer emails, (or not answering it at all), can put you out of business FAST. On the Internet, negative word of mouth can spread like wildfire. Why risk it?

When you can't take a day off without losing a lot of the progress you've made in your business thus far.

Admittedly, there ARE a few things that can't be put off until later. In these cases, your assistant can either help with the task itself, or run the basics of the business while you focus all your energy on meeting that killer deadline.

When you have more than five on-going tasks to maintain at any one time.

By "on-going" projects, I mean things that you need to work on constantly, like publishing an ezine, maintaining a website, updating a membership site, or creating a new product. If you publish three ezines, have two websites, and are writing two new books, here is where your assistant can help out with your day-to-day workload.

Solution # 3.
What To Do When You Just Can't Afford A Full-Time Assistant

An assistant doesn't necessarily have to be a full-time employee. Instead of paying your hired help by the hour, you can pay them on a "per assignment" basis. This saves money that would likely otherwise go to an employee benefits package, and can eliminate the need for extra tax time paperwork that a full-time employee would warrant.

To go a step farther, you can have several part-time assistants with each one specializing in a different area of helping you manage your field. This will be much better than having one "Jack of all trades" that doesn't know a heck of a lot about anything specific to your niche.

For example, if you're a Web design consultant, you can hire one assistant to do each of the following specialized tasks:

a) Handle return e-mail and phone calls

b) Create logos for your client websites

c) Find resources and articles for your website and/or ezine

d) Install and create CGI scripts for you and/or your clients' sites

e) Edit and spell check both yours and your clients' websites

f) Schedule new client website evaluations, and follow up on past clients' results

But understand that hiring more assistants *doesn't* necessarily mean spending more money. You'd only have a small amount of work for each assistant, paying each of them only *a portion* of what you'd pay if you had just one assistant who handled everything.

Solution # 4.

Find At Least One Person Who Can Handle Your Business In Case Of Illness, Emergencies, Or Vacations

Train someone you trust to make intelligent business decisions in the event of your absence or illness. This step will take longer than the others, of course, because you can't just pick anyone off the street for this job.

You need to be confident that this person can and WILL run your business as smoothly and efficiently as if you'd never left the scene, and will KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

For instance, although my mother would mean well, she'd have my business in a shambles if she was ever left to run it on her own. She doesn't know how to work a computer, much less an online business. You can explain things 'til you're blue in the face, but if the person you choose for this important job doesn't understand the terminology you're using, it's pointless.

Not only will this person need to act as a temporary "owner" if it becomes necessary, they CAN also:

Recruit, train, and "interview" part-time assistants.

Since they'll know the ins and outs of your business, they should be just as capable when it comes to finding more help. Though the final hiring decision should be yours to make, this person can act as a "preliminary interviewer," screen potential applicants, or scout for new help that will be reliable, skillful, and competent.

Help YOU with important business decisions.

Whether or not this is feasible will depend on the depth of knowledge that you require them (or allow them) to have.

Help keep your costs low.

Although this assistant will have an in-depth knowledge of the workings of your business, you won't pay them as a full-time employee unless you specifically hire them as such. This way, you'd still have all the benefits of "surrogate ownership" in case of emergency, but will also be able to save money by not having to pay them an hourly wage.

Solution # 5.
When You Take Breaks, *Really* Take Breaks

When you fix lunch, don't come back to the computer. Fix it, and turn on the T.V. to watch your favorite sitcom. Grab a book and curl up by the fireplace (or the A/C in the summer!), to read a few chapters of that great novel you got from Amazon.com.

But whatever you do, please ... stay away from your work!

But if you're one of the rare ones who doesn't feel "productive" unless you're exercising your brain during work hours, go to the supermarket for one of those great variety puzzle books and go for the gold. I really don't recommend this last, but you could break open a book on Internet marketing and study.

In short, make sure breaks are REALLY for resting and refreshing yourself -- not simply for leaving the physical vicinity of your work area.

Hang in there # 6, 7, & 8 coming soon

8 Simple Solutions For Working Less & Reducing Stress
© 2003 Harmony Major

Article by ... well, Harmony Major, of course. ;-) Join her ezine, Straight from the Horse's Mouth , to learn exactly how to make your monthly e-biz income more predictable, how to avoid wasteful spending, and to discover ways to drive more traffic and PAYING customers to your website or affiliate site. It's free! Click here.