Small businesses are more likely to fail compared to their larger, more established counterparts. Why? To answer that, we need to delve into why small businesses are created in the first place. In many cases, the desire to start and manage a small business stems from passion: a passion for change, a passion for the industry, a passion for problem solving. It’s this passion which motivates us to succeed. But what happens when that passion begins to wane? Without passion, and without motivation, it becomes increasingly difficult to derive value from all the factors that are helping to make small businesses a success. It’s reported that one third of small business owners are lacking motivation; primarily the result of high levels of stress, unstable salary, and lower-than-expected earning potential.

Common signs you, or your employees, may be struggling with motivation at work

Since a lack of motivation may be negatively impacting your business and your work environment, it would be helpful to try and identify the signs that you may be struggling with motivation. Sometimes it might not be apparent that you are not motivated.

Here are some common signs of a lack of motivation:

• Putting off essential business tasks, or procrastinating to delay completion
• Failing to prioritise your online presence; publishing new content less regularly
• Focusing on existing B2B buyers without reaching out to new leads and prospects
• Using old systems and ways of working despite acknowledging inefficiencies
• Failing to enforce policies and willingness to overlook non-approved work methods

Finding passion for what you do

There are a number of ways that small business owners can reignite the passion and help themselves and their employees to regain the motivation needed to help the business grow and develop. One method is to remind yourself and your team of why the business was launched, placing greater focus on the gap in the market where your company operates, and how you can take measures to close this gap. However, finding the passion for what you do ultimately comes down to implementing and embracing change. There needs to be a fire that sparks new ways of working that motivate, encourage, and inspire.

Here are some ways to implement motivational change within the workplace:

• Update your processes to include exciting technologies such as mobile apps and new software
• Reinvent your brand, using new tools to showcase your products/services to your customers
• Develop valuable working policies, with a focus on remote and flexible working opportunities
• Think about expanding your products and services to meet your customer’s changing needs
• Challenge yourself and your employees: reach out to new customers, try new ways of working

And if you’re still finding it difficult to really find the motivation you need to drive your business to success, simply take a step back. Delegate your tasks, and try working alongside different teams or in other parts of the business to give yourself a chance to view your organisation from a different perspective. a new viewpoint could be all that’s needed to understand why you do what you do.