How Minimalism Can Make You a Better Entrepreneur

When you hear the word “minimalist,” what comes to mind? For many, that word invokes images of people selling everything they own and living off the grid in some remote cabin. However, that’s not necessarily the case.

Minimalism and simplicity come in many forms. It certainly can involve downgrading your home and your resources in order to live more simply, but a minimalist approach can have a rather useful place in the world of business as well.

The Pursuit of a Healthy Bank Account

While thinking about your business and its potential, it can be easy to get carried away and compile a laundry list of ideas for expanding, implementing new ideas, conquering new challenges, etc. After all, we all want to be successful and make our own way in this world.

Nobody wants to be unable to provide for themselves and their family. We want to achieve our dreams and soar to new heights. However, as time goes on, some of us come to realize that some of these things only serve to create more stress and make things more difficult than necessary.

Simplifying your business can actually improve your performance and your company’s success. Rather than investing all your time and money in countless projects, focus all that effort and energy on only a few products or services. You won’t be able to achieve your goals if you spread yourself too thin.

Discipline and Balance

Balancing work, home, and other obligations requires dedication and sacrifice. The question is, which areas of your life are you willing to sacrifice? Are you at a point in your life where being at the office 16 hours a day micro-managing a hundred different projects is top priority, or do you have a family with whom you would rather spend your time?

This is where outsourcing shines of course, but also “limiting” your business to the core essentials should be top priority as well. This simple paradigm shift could potentially eliminate a great deal of stress, decrease the number of people and resources (such as technology, advertisements, investors, patents, etc.) needed to run your business, and will  leave you with more time to spend on things that truly matter to you.

Misconceptions

You don’t have to completely sacrifice one pursuit for the other. It’s all about finding the right balance and limiting your workload. It is entirely possible to run a successful business centered around one idea. It is much more important to have a stable business than one which continually grows just for the sake of growth.

Nobody is expected to suddenly go from “riches to rags.” The point is to improve your life by removing all the excess and eliminating negative or stressful things that serve no purpose. It’s about putting yourself and others above the pursuit of fame and fortune. A minimalist mindset is not about having less; rather, it is about filling your life with the right kinds of things and the right kind of people.

One Step at a Time

Start small by removing clutter and excess from around your home, or better yet start out by purging yourself and your life of the people and situations that only bring pain and frustration. Eliminating the negative from your life will do a world of good. Then you can slowly move up to more in-depth methods of simplifying your life and your business.

Eliminate unnecessary expenses. Purchasing a billboard on a deserted road would not make much sense, would it? Nobody would see it, and it would just be a waste of time and money. Likewise, spending time, money, and effort on fruitless pursuits and leads that never pan out is equally ridiculous.

Quality vs Quantity

Think about your day-to-day life. Think about the things you have, the things you do, the places you go, and the people you see. Do any of these bring you joy? Do they serve a purpose in your life? Do they enhance your life or the lives of others in a way that holds profound sentimental rather than monetary value?

If you answered “yes” to these questions, then they are positive factors in your life. You should treasure them. However, if you hesitated or even answered “no,” then they are either negative influences or simply have no purpose in your life. Remove them by any means possible. Life is too short to spend it surrounded by people and things that cause more harm than good.

Eliminating anything that is toxic or unnecessary can provide a sense of freedom. It allows you to continue living your life as you wish without undue stress and anxiety. It leaves more room for things that enhance your life and give you a sense of pride and purpose. It also leaves you with a lot more time to relax so that you are not wound so tightly that you cannot even concentrate on simple tasks.

You may be surprised by how much more successful you and your business will be if you limit your workload and direct your time, effort, and resources where they are truly needed.