Well, we are here to tell you that not only is it okay to take a break every now and then, but that it also leads to improvements and success in your quest to achieve excellence in your business. It's time you kicked back, relaxed, reflected and looked ahead. Here are some useful things you can do during your winter break this holiday season.

Running an eCommerce business is hard work, period. Long hours, the responsibility, the quest for continuous improvements and the need to grow your business can take a mighty toll on you, both physically and mentally.

Entrepreneurs of today, whether new or seasoned, are faced with an epidemic of working extra long hours during the week, excluding the extra bit that they do on weekends, that is. With the likes of Elon Musk stating that he works a mind-boggling 120 hours a week, and Gary Vaynerchuk suggesting that you put in 18 hours per day, we’re not exactly sure who to blame.

 

Read these 8 things you can do.

1. Understand the importance of taking a break

If you are embracing the break culture for the first time, you are in for a shock. Many business owners are so involved in their enterprise that they think about it night and day. You can expect to feel that you are missing out on the action, and the need to get off from your cozy and comfortable couch and get to work again.

This is why it is important to understand the need for a break. Working for long hours during the day, for long stretches of time can be extremely damaging to your productivity and effectiveness as a business owner. Your brain is constantly fatigued, often short of sleep, and you run the risk of a burnout. Therefore, it is essential to take a break every now and then.

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2. Evaluate and Re-evaluate

A time of relaxation during the holiday season can also be one of reflection. During the buzz of everyday work, business owners can often overlook certain aspects of the business in favor of the really visible and important ones.

A break can give you a chance to see every aspect of your business from a bird’s eye view, something that can work wonders for your business. You can identify shortcomings in various facets of your operation, evaluate team members and how they are performing, and plan improvements accordingly.

3. Get creative

Amidst the pressures of everyday work, your mind can only do so much. At the same time, a relaxed mind can often turn into a creative one. While you are on your break, you can expect your creative juices to flow, and while you are brimming with ideas, it will serve you well to use them to your advantage.

While you are at it, try to identify areas of creative improvement. Focus on how your marketing campaigns can be overhauled, how your social media presence can be improved, how your team can be motivated and encouraged to perform better, and importantly, how you can make changes to your everyday routine to bring about better results.

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4. Identify improvements and develop execution plan

The need to constantly evolve, improve and adapt is a common aspect of all successful entrepreneurs and businesses. This is why we suggest the following three changes to your enterprise that can drastically improve performance and results:

  • Automate processes: Process automation has become the need of the time now, and can save a ton of time and money. Running your business on autopilot helps you focus more on matters of strategic importance, while the rest of your business runs smoothly and effectively. Explore process automation tools and logistic partners to help streamline and optimize your operations.

  • Hire new people: Having good people around you can make a world of difference to your productivity and the growth of your business. While you might be happy with your existing team, freshening things up might not be the worst idea. Time to make LinkedIn your best friend again.

  • Outsource Order Fulfillment: Order fulfillment is probably the most crucial facet of an online business. You might be doing well on the sales front, but if you cannot fulfill your orders well, sales are no good to you. Therefore, having professional 3PL logistic partners like OGOship can maximize your potential and help you grow and scale.

5. Explore trends with a different eye

The tunnel vision that is sometimes required to build a blossoming business does not allow us to appreciate the other brilliant businesses and ideas that spring up in the world everyday. There is so much that you can take from other businesses and apply it to your own.

The next time you are taking a relaxed walk around the block or when you are out at the mall shopping, explore the little, otherwise ignored, elements. Try to view things with the eye of an entrepreneur rather than a customer. That might be the cue for your next best marketing campaign, or better yet, your next big business idea!

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6. Spend time with family and friends

Building a successful online business requires a lot of hard work and dedication. While you are on your journey, you can sometimes lose sight of things that maybe matter more in life – family and friends. Your busy schedules, meetings and business engagements can cause strains in your relationships. Perhaps you owe your best friend a call, or need to spend valuable time with your children and spouse.

Use this time off work to bridge gaps in your relationships, and catch up with the people that matter most to you.

7. Expand offshore

If you are a small to medium scaled online business looking to reach for the stars, you should know that in today’s day and age, the entire world is your oyster. While you may be doing well in your local market, getting out of your comfort zone and exploring customers around the globe will truly take you and your business to the next level.

At the same time, cross border selling isn’t easy, not by any stretch of the imagination. What you need is a logistics partner that can help you navigate around various operational, financial and infrastructural difficulties that come with international expansion.

OGOship does exactly that, and so much more.

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8. Outsource your eCommerce order fulfillment

OGOship provides end-to-end order fulfillment services that can help your business optimize its order fulfillment operation both domestically and internationally. Driven by data and technology, OGOship helps you automate order fulfillment, makes it simple and delivers shipments affordably and quickly, every time. If you are running an in-house fulfillment service, switching to OGOShip can be extremely beneficial in taking your business to new heights.

Change can sometimes be difficult to adapt to, but at the same time, can also be the pivotal factor in the making or breaking of your business.