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Managing your expectations as an Entrepreneur - Part 1

Expectations in entrepreneurship are big, bold, lofty, and the pressure to succeed is huge.  You may feel pressure to perform, sell, grow, and do do do.  Managing those expectations look different for each entrepreneur and it is important to manage your own.  What are your expectations of yourself?

Social media burst onto the scene in a big way, and the pressures on businesses to have a social media presence are huge for entrepreneurs.  We are expected to be available, post great content, post fabulous pictures, grow, interact, and be available. As an entrepreneur, you are in control of managing those expectations of yourself.

Set limits and times to post on your social media accounts.  If you find yourself going over those time limits, consider a timer that beeps at you.   Monitor what content you are reading, and if it is content that is meaningful in your life.  If you find that you are reading a lot of content that is not having a positive impact on your life and relationships, consider removing that content from your social media feeds. 

Consider leaving your phone in another room or put away when you are spending time with friends and family face to face.  If you find yourself reaching for your phone, put a physical barrier between yourself and your phone.  Turn off the ringer, and leave it tucked away.  Practice this until you no longer experience anxiety when you are not connected.

Tell your customers that you will be away, when they can expect you to answer back, and then honor that.  Your customers will appreciate that you are giving your attention to your commitments and will generally be happy to wait for you to answer them.  Part of your job is to manage customer expectations, and that includes how available you are.

Evaluate the type of content you are posting.  Consumers are savvy and will know when you are posting content simply to post.  Provide customers with meaningful content and they will be interested in what you have to say.  Avoid posting content for the simple act of posting content.  Constantly bombarding people with memes and content that has nothing to do with your business will devalue your content on social media.

Evaluate if social media is bringing value to your business.  Are you reaching customers?  Is social media a good way to reach your customers?  What would happen if you did not post on social media at all?  There are lots of "experts" telling entrepreneurs that social media is essential, but there are also a lot of thriving small businesses that have no social media presence at all.  If you do not want to participate in social media for your business, that is ok!  There is no rule book telling you that you must, or that a social media presence will guarantee success. 





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