Management 101: Running Your Business During a Personal Crisis

Many people choose to start their own companies because they like being their own boss, but this major advantage can also work against you.  When you're the one who's calling the shots at your company your business can significantly suffer if something happens to you.  A death in the family or a medical problem can cause a lot of trouble for your business, and you have to deal with your personal problems on top of keeping your company running.  Big business owners like Maurice Bouri have several people who could run the company in the event of an emergency, but business owners with a small staff won't be so lucky.   Don't let your business suffer because of personal problems; follow the tips in this post so your company can stay afloat during the hard times.

Have Important Information Easily Accessible for Employees

When you're in charge of running your own business it can be easy to forget to let employees know about important things.  If you have an emergency that pops up overnight that prevents you from working the next day, do your employees have access to important information they'll need to keep your business running?  Do they know the security code they need to unlock the building? Do they have your business' bank account number so they can make deposits?  Make a sheet for your employees that contains important information (bank account numbers, security access codes, payroll schedules, billing schedules, etc.) and leave it in an easy to find place.  Your employees will have all of the information they need to keep things running, and you won't be spending valuable time giving them instructions for tasks over the phone.

Keep the Big Picture in Mind

When you're dealing with personal problems and managing your business from afar, there's no time for micromanaging your employees.  It may seem important to you to call at the end of each day to ensure that everybody punched in and out for the day correctly, but there are other matters that are far more important.  Rely on your employees to keep the important day-to-day activities going and just focus on the most important problems.

Work On Yourself

It's very easy for business owners to overlook their own problems and only focus on business matters, but if you're going through a difficult time you need to take time to focus on your needs.  You won't be able to give your business the time and attention it needs if you're stressed out or fixated on other problems.  Take time to relax and talk to some trusted friends about your troubles. When you're ready to come back to work you'll be refreshed and ready to take on any new challenges.