by John Stapleton, Contributing Editor
Most successful business owners know it can take years of night and day work, often without pay to make their company what it is.
That first nonrelated employee for a startup is a major milestone. That first company vehicle or the first commercial lease agreement are giant leaps. Costs and commitments begin to add up, and it takes a special individual, a disciplined individual, to build a company that grows year after year.
After the foundation is set, positive daily habits are essential to keep focus. The stress of owning a business can devour the strongest of personalities, raising blood pressure, especially when we are living through uncertain economic times with inflation, supply shortages, and worst of all, employee shortages.
Jeremy Water, the owner of Hunter Pest Control, is also a top-producing Realtor for the Maricopa Real Estate Co. He says his day starts at the gym after waking up at 4:30 a.m.
“The productivity sets the tone for the entire day,” Waters says.
Angel Raymond, AA Raymond Law, voted Best Of in Golden Corridor Living’s Best of Pinal County, says her day starts with a to-do list, re-written and updated every morning.
“I’m not an organized person naturally,” she says. “I have to work at it. Keeping ‘to-do’ lists is essential. Sometimes I write them by hand, but I love calendaring tasks in outlook. My phone, my email, my assistant, and my Apple Watch all remind me to finish my tasks. It might seem redundant, but we can’t miss court deadlines so a little bit of redundancy is totally acceptable.”
Ray Nieves, 911 Air Repair, has seen his business grow exponentially in just a few years. He gives credit to his high school basketball coach for instilling him with a dedicated attitude about learning.
“My coach used to preach this: ‘Every day you either get better or worse, you don’t stay the same’,” Nieves says. “This applies to business, too, always learning and applying changes to stay relevant and on top of your game.”
Nieves spends roughly two hours a day just reading, staying on top of industry trends and technology.
Many business owners say they take a brief mental shutdown that involves closing the office door and putting the phone on silent for a few minutes to maintain the daily grind. Power naps help.
