Andre Vatke Digital Marketing

Motivation to act is one of the most critical aspects of building a successful small business. Which is why small business owners and entrepreneurs so often look for motivational support when things are not going well. The bad news is that by the time you start considering paying for a motivational coach, it’s probably already too late. And even if it’s not, motivational coaching will not solve your underlying business problems.

If you lack energy, you can make up for that lack by drinking some coffee. The caffeine in the coffee can mask the symptom of a lack of energy, but it doesn’t solve the root problem. The root problem for a lack of energy may be a variety of things from the simple such as diet, lack of exercise or lack of sleep, to the serious like cancer or another serious disease. Taking caffeine to deal with a lack of energy only postpones treating the real issue. Depending on the root issue, the consequences can be severe. In the same way, lack of motivation to do business tasks points to deeper issues that may be simple but they may also be deep and systemic.

The real key to success is to determine what the root problems are and then work on correcting those. Not just masking the symptoms.

I understand a few things about the importance of motivation and attitude. At the age of 45 I had a stroke due to a vascular accident and was hospitalized for a month. I was lucky to have survived, but I was left unable to walk or swallow and without a voice. It took nearly two years but I recovered 90% of my abilities. It was a very difficult road, especially at first when all I really wanted to do was sleep. An hour of physical therapy would wipe me out. Yet I knew that recovery had very little to do with how motivated I felt about going to therapy and everything to do with doing the exercises that would stimulate recovery. I recovered because I did what was necessary and I felt better because of that, not the other way around.

That’s the approach I take in business. Being motivated and feeling good about what you are doing can be beneficial, however, what really matters is doing the daily tasks that will build your business such as marketing, lead generation and making sure your employees are assets. How motivated you are is secondary to solving real problems and doing the tasks that matter. You started your business to make money. As an entrepreneur myself, I understand that and never let that out of sight. Accomplishing your business goals will become self-motivating in and of itself.