You’ve done all of the work — setting goals, logging calls, meeting new people — but you’re not seeing any forward movement in your business. What’s happening?

Call it a slump or a plateau, it happens to everyone at some point. Be a successful entrepreneur and take steps to break out of old patterns and habits that are no longer serving your business.

Here are 5 ways you can kick a slump and get back in gear!

1 — TAKE A BREAK

If you’ve been working hard, focused on your business to the exclusion of anything else, your mind and body may just need to recharge. Maybe you’re still showing up at all of your networking events, but prospects are seeing the exhaustion showing through behind your enthusiasm. You’ve got to take care of yourself — as an entrepreneur, YOU are your most powerful asset.

So, take some time off. Take a vacation, if you can. If you can’t, take time away from your business. Recognize what gives you energy and recharges your batteries, whether it’s a spa day with your girlfriends, a long hike or a camping trip, a day spent at the museum — and give yourself permission to do that, and only that, until you start to refill your energy reserves.

2 — SHIFT YOUR PERSPECTIVE

Ask a successful team mate and a new business owner if you can shadow each of them for a day or two. You’ll see things from a different angle — whether it’s leveraging a different approach to talk about your business, getting energized by the passion and enthusiasm of a newbie, or learning techniques that have helped your partner rise to high levels of success. Don’t judge any methods against your own – you’re not here to compare, just to learn. If you can take back even one idea to your own business, it’s a win.

3 — SET A STRETCH GOAL

Another great way to break out of a slump is to set a short-term, crazy goal. Maybe you usually call 3 people a day. What would happen if you set the goal to call 30 people a day for a week?

Think of something that sounds difficult, but achievable – and then do it, and watch what happens.

4 — GIVE SOMETHING UP

Maybe you’re in a slump because you’re pulled in too many directions, and you can’t focus on the business the way you need to. Whether you want to have a side-gig to cover your grocery bills, or you’re serious about building a business that will replace your income, you’ll need to give it time. This means you can’t simultaneously do everything you did before, and also succeed in this new venture.

What can you change to open up more time? Time you can use to make connections, meet new people, learn techniques and grow as a leader and entrepreneur?

Give up on the idea you have to do everything. Hire a babysitter, a housekeeper, or a dog walker to open up some space in your day. Give up on the feeling you need to meet every friend for coffee, every time they ask. Give up on 30 minutes a day of surfing social media mindlessly. Learn to say no.

5 — UPDATE YOUR WHY

Are you the same person as you were when you started your business a year ago?

What’s changed in your life?

Have you met your initial goals, but not yet created new ones?

Don’t let yourself stay stagnant. If you’re not building momentum in your business, you may need to revisit your motivation. Take some time and rethink your why. Once you’re back on solid footing and know what’s driving you, you might be surprised and what happens next.

Are you ready to break out of your slump? Get started with Traktivity today!