April is Stress Awareness Month. The annual observance kicked off in 1992. It is aimed at increasing public awareness of the causes and cures for the stress epidemic. It is a cooperative effort to educate people about the risks of stress and to help them develop effective coping strategies.
Entrepreneurs, particularly those involved in online retailing, face a constant barrage of pressure in their day-to-day business operations. They may have to deal with website hacking, technical problems, shipping issues, inventory concerns, unhappy customers, and more.
The following steps can help reduce stress among online retailers:
- Delegation – Much of the stress in entrepreneurship comes from having to handle multiple aspects of a business. Some entrepreneurs want to make all the decisions and may micro-manage even trusted subordinates. Entrepreneurs need to start delegating tasks and responsibilities to staff members and outsourced virtual assistants. It’s important to follow up on delegated tasks periodically, but it’s damaging to hover over employees every step of the way.
- Make regular backups – It’s disastrous to lose files and other important information because of a computer accident. To eliminate big headaches down the line, make sure to back up your hard drive regularly. The computer could crash at any moment or a misguided click could wipe out important elements on the hard drive. The files will be safe, and you’ll feel calmer when there is a backup system in place.
- Automation – Streamline your processes wherever possible. Automate label printing, invoicing, and anything else. Even social media. Social media is a great forum for announcing and advertising products and services. Keeping up with all of the different forms of social media, however, could consume massive amounts of time. To minimize demands, try linking the different social media accounts through an online service. In that way, one message can be carried across different platforms, saving valuable time.
These are just a couple of tips. To eliminate stress, examine the things that place the biggest demands on your time and psyche. Take steps to rein them in, and regain control and peace of mind.
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