I’m self-employed, where’s my reward and recognition?

When you become a business owner, a lot of things change. Some things are easier, some are harder and some things just aren’t present anymore, this often includes Rewards and Recognition.

As a business owner, there is no one to push you to work, no one looking over your shoulder and keeping you on track. There’s no one other than you around to recognise the hard work you’ve been putting in and the results you’ve achieved.

The temptation might be to overlook the human need for Reward and Recognition, however they are proven to be vital for continued success.

The Harvard Business Review conducted a study that looked into the impact of small gestures of recognition on employees of a not-for-profit organisation. It was found that even small, symbolic gestures like a thank you card or public recognition really had an effect on the mood, productivity and performance of those employees.

In an employee setting, your success is recognised in rewards, promotions and pay increases.

You work hard and you more often than not get recognised for it. That is why companies have performance reviews, awards nights and a management hierarchy to climb. Employees have something to aim for, and are rewarded when they get there.

As a business owner, you’re constantly working. Do you get anything for this investment?

You’re often the admin, the marketer, the account manager all while actually working with clients and customers. There are often late nights, no lunch breaks or weekends. There’s no one around to pat you on the back and thank you for putting in that extra time. There’s no one to tell you that you’re doing great things for growing the business.

Without recognising the milestones you’ve reached and the millions of steps you’ve taken in your business journey, it can feel like you aren’t making much progress at all which can lead to burnout.

Sound familiar? If so, it’s time to put a plan in place that helps you to monitor and acknowledge your business growth, your personal development and your wins.

Why not use a project manager like Trello, Asana or Monday to create a list of goals, projects or targets, that you can then check things off as they are completed. Not only does this provide a sense of accomplishment, but it also acts as tangible evidence of how you have moved your business forward and ultimately succeeded in your ‘role’ when you see how many tasks you’ve completed.

Some other ways you can recognise and reward yourself for your work include:

Get an accountability buddy and meet up every month or fortnight to check-in and talk about how you’re going with your goals. This will help keep you on track, but also get a sense of recognition from your peers
Get a business coach to guide you toward goals faster
Treat yourself to something you’ve been wanting for a while, or a nice dinner out, or a massage!
Taking a break, or better still, a day off. You didn’t start a business to be fixed to the 9-5 grind!
Buy a course or software to move your business forward. This will make your life easier and free up time for yourself – win win!
Actually set up a meeting with yourself or your team to see how you’ve progressed individually and as a business.

Remember, you are the boss, so a reward can be anything you want it to be. The important thing is that you’re tracking your progress and actually realising how much you’ve actually achieved so far!

Implementing check-ins and rewards for yourself will keep you moving toward your goals with motivation and make you appreciate just how hard you’re working.

From Chaotica to Optopia

Real Stories. Real Impact.

ExcellentEmpire Virtual Support5.0★★★★★ Based on 10 reviews fromSee all reviewsJoel S. ★★★★★ Charlie and the team at Empire are fantastic! They deliver a very high quality service and advice, always with a smile on their face.Whenever I throw a problem at Empire team it’s sorted quickly and to a very high standard. I would recommend them to anybody looking for virtual assistance and bookkeeping services.Response from the ownerThanks Joel we appreciate you taking the time to share :) Vanessa A. ★★★★★ The team at Empire are professional, experienced and always there when you need support. As a small business owner, having this level of support is a game changer. I highly recommend if you need to level up, connect with Charlie. Thank you team at EmpireDhania M. ★★★★★ Before we engaged Empire Virtual Support, I was finding it really difficult to stay on top of all of the tasks that I needed to do. When I did have time, I was finding myself mentally depleted, and just not able to focus. As a business, we weren’t realising our full potential. We had this vision of what we wanted to be, but we weren’t taking the right steps or achieving that. So I really needed to find support, so that I could focus on that bigger-picture stuff.Now, I feel like I don’t have to worry, I can pass on tasks to people I trust who are really competent at what they do, really enjoy what they do and are so approachable. Each individual person that I’ve worked with at Empire has been able to collaborate with me in a way that understands what my business problem is, and provide solutions. I have found a lot more clarity in what it is that I need to focus on and can work on growing my business into the business that I want it to be. It has been an absolute weight off my mind having Empire along for this ride, I really feel like they’re part of the team. And they’re working towards these common goals with us. I keep finding new things for them to do and it always surprises me that it’s just so easy for them to just pick up and run with.Big thanks to Charlie and the team, highly recommend!Valerie MacIver Public R. ★★★★★ Charlie and the team at Empire Virtual Support are like an extension of our team.We’ve worked together for more than four years – they are great with time management and full of ideas.Empire Virtual Support have helped to save time and money. It’s like having a weight lifted off your shoulders!Kim B. ★★★★★ It is a relief to have found Empire Virtual Support’s services. They were recommended to me 3 years ago, and I haven’t looked back.I find the team responsive, skilled and thorough. I have been very happy with my website updates as they grasp what I have in mind. I can highly recommend their skills and warm, professional and personalised support.Response from the ownerDelighted to support you Kim :) Stella S. ★★★★★ For me, the value of working with Empire Virtual Support is that I am a lot less stressed. I can tell them what I want, and they make it happen. It’s wonderful because it’s a fraction of the price I would be paying if I had a full time employee. We’ve got a great relationship and I love that they’ve been able to do everything I have ever asked them to do. Working with Empire Virtual Support has helped me bring my business to another level!Response from the ownerThanks Stella, look forward to continuing to work together :) Juliet D. ★★★★★ Charlie and the team from Empire Virtual Support are fantastic to work with, I highly recommended them.Response from the ownerThanks Juliet, we are glad to be able to support your wonderful business! 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We initially bought them on to support us in a marketing function, and since then, they have taken on a large number of responsibilities across the business. There’s actually very little in the business now that they are not across, and we get a really great consistency of experience and service, which has been amazing. Our experience is that every time someone is brought in, they’re in the right person for the task. The most valuable part of their support is the fact you’ve got all these skills in one place, it’s like having a dream team working alongside our inhouse team.Having Empire Virtual Support on our team just gives us so much more confidence to scale, we know that we going to be able to fulfil both our growth ambitions and the requirements of our clients. And that a really great place to be in, to not have to stress about delivering and also to do it in a financially sustainable way.From a personal perspective, as CEO and Founder, having Empire on the team has meant I can focus on the things I should be doing in this role; working on our vision, our positioning, continuing to innovate. I can be 100% focused on the future that is ahead of us and the growth ambitions I have for my business.

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