GROW

As you probably realised very soon after taking the leap into running your own business, motivation is crucial to success.

At the outset, it may have been quite easy to identify: the thrill of being your own boss or simply the desire to offer a better product or service.

As the years go by and your business grows, maintaining motivation becomes increasingly important, even though your priorities may have changed. You could call it the 'what now?' feeling: a perfectly rational and legitimate response to changing circumstances. The trick is to turn these questions into valuable sources of inspiration and motivation.

Finding out what motivates you can be the key to successful growth. The more you learn about your feelings towards your business and your aspirations for it, the easier it becomes to maintain the hunger that first got it started.

Try making a list of what you feel your strengths are. By doing this, you will be better able to prioritise your time and ensure that you keep getting the inspiration and energy you need from running your own business. It's easy to burn out, however, so make sure you balance your drive and energy with a sensible amount of recuperation time. Remember also that everyone is motivated by different things and it's sometimes hard to get this right. Above all, remember what lit the original spark: keep looking for new opportunities and keep thinking like an entrepreneur.