Getting Rid of Worry Over Your Small Business

For many people, worrying about things can become more vexing than the original problem they were grappling with in the first place.

Since I’m a tax professional, I’ll use an image I can understand: Imagine that you are facing a terrible tax situation and facing five figures of potential tax obligation. You’ve hired a good accountant, and you’re praying she’s going to be able to help you. She leans over and says, “Don’t worry. I never do. I never worry about a thing. Instead, I just try to think positively.”

Now ask yourself: “Is this the person I want representing me? Someone who doesn’t worry about anything — not even what’s going to happen to her client?”

The answer, of course, is a resounding NO. You want an accountant who’s going to worry over the details of your situation. And cover everything that needs to be covered, so you don’t end up in hock for multiple six figures! What you want is for your tax person to worry, and then take appropriate action so that he or she is prepared.

So here is the exercise that has kept me from worrying needlessly — but rather, doing it productively. I start by asking these two questions to keep worry in its proper place …

1. Is the problem real and reasonable? If you’re getting ready to take a trip to a national park, for instance, it’s appropriate to “worry” about getting accurate directions and your car tuned-up before you go. Worrying about being shot by a sniper along the way, which is unlikely, is probably a waste of time.

2. Can something actually be done about the problem immediately? If you answer yes to this question, then you can probably come up with an action plan to get something done that will alleviate your worry. If your cashflow is down, how can you INCREASE it by selling more, and getting more new customers or clients — rather than worrying about the expense side of the coin. If your production has suffered recently, what are the positive steps you can take … rather than fixating on who to blame?

You get the idea.

Use these questions, and start sleeping better at night. I know I do…