photo credit: rutlo

Small business owners and entrepreneurs are rarely described as lazy. For good reason. People in business for themselves are some of the hardest working people there are. However, it is possible to slip into habits of laziness from time to time. In fact, it is entirely possible to work hard every day, but still be lazy in some ways.

Lazy Habits

Getting stuck in your ways just because that’s what you have always done is lazy. As a small business owner, you can’t stay the same for too long. You need to always be growing, learning, and pushing yourself.

Consider the sales person. You were trained on sales tactics 20 years ago. Your method is still the same today. You make cold call after cold call, relying on a formula to ensure that you get sales. It is lazy to keep doing the same tactics without improvement. Its always lazy not to change with the times.

You can go ahead and tell me that you do what you do because it works. But have you ever considered that something else may work better? Don’t ever settle for good enough.

Mental Laziness

When was the last time you picked up a business book? Too many small business owners never crack a book, even though there are many wonderful books out there on just about every topic. There are also Cd’s and videos, so there is really no excuse not to learn, and keep learning.

You should always be learning.

You should also always be challenging the status quo in your business. There is no problem that can’t be solved. Even a toothless squirrel will eventually crack a nut. Don’t allow yourself or your business to be boxed in by problems and by what your don’t know. Challenge yourself to think your way to the next level. Here’s a free hint: enlist some help, either mentors or consultants, to brainstorm answers to your business problems and sticking points.

Your mind is always on and active as a business owner. But is it being applied to anything more than just the daily tasks of the business? Stretch yourself to spend some of your mental power on working on the business, planning and strategizing for the future. You need to push way beyond the day to day. Not doing so is just plain lazy.

Resting on Laurels

Hard work does pay off. When you get to a certain level of success in your business, it is tempting to rest on your laurels. Until you sell your business and retire, you have never achieved your ultimate level of success. Yes, congratulate yourself on getting there, on reaching your goal. Then set a new goal.

The big problem on reaching a point and then just hoping to stay there is that it is often just as hard, if not harder, to maintain a certain level as it is to achieve it. If you are not pushing, growing, learning, you may be being left behind.

So, while you do deserve a pat on the back, and maybe more vacation time and a bigger paycheck, don’t get lazy. Success is hard to come buy. Momentum is a huge part of it. If you bring your momentum to a stand still, you are going to have a hard time gearing it up again. Continue to grow. Continue to learn. Be happy with who you are and where you are at, but at the same time, keep discovering what is next.

Not Hustling

I picked up the term “hustle” from Gary Vaynerchuk. He is the host of Wine Library TV and the epitome of a small business owner who knows how to hustle.

To hustle is to work a little harder to get to your goal. Its very important to have it be goal oriented, otherwise there is no point. If you don’t have enough time to do everything you want to do with your business, you need to learn to hustle. Fit some time in here and there to work on your business. Maybe you can get up a little earlier. Maybe you can work an hour after you family goes to bed. Do you really need an hour lunch break? You can cut some things out and fit more in if you try.

Hustling is especially important for the small business owner who is having a hard enough time just keeping up with the daily grind of the business. Find time to work a little harder, but not in the business, on it. In so doing, you may find the answers you need so that you can untie yourself from that daily grind.

Be Not Lazy

Laziness is more than just not working hard. No one would ever accuse you of that, right? But are you pushing the envelope? Are you learning everything you can learn? Are you satisfied with where you are at, or do you still have the hunger? Are you finding the extra time and energy to push yourself and your business closer to your goal?

Laziness is a state of mind. The best way to defeat it is to challenge it head on. Step one is to really evaluate yourself and find out if there are any areas where you have allowed laziness to creep in. Step two is to stop being lazy in those areas.

Always be acting. Action and momentum will get you where you need to go with your business.

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Bradford Shimp is the publisher of All Biz Answers. He is also the co-creator of Idea Anglers, a place to see your ideas come to life through collaboration. Follow Bradford on Twitter @bradfordshimp.