When you are in business for yourself, you wear many, if not all of the hats. It's a lot of work to be all things to your business, and be its biggest fan. To make your business run smoothly you must be sure you are getting the support you need. Support comes from the people you surround yourself with, the environment you work in, and the equipment and tools that you use to run your business.



1. People Hands down, you are the biggest cheerleader for your business. No one gets as excited about your business as you do. When you have a new idea, or are going through a rough time, it's important to have people in your life that can relate to you. But, what do you do if no one close to you can relate to what you're going through? If no one else in your family or your circle of friends has ever run a business, chances are, they have no idea what you're going through. And, as much as they care about you, sometimes, it's hard for them to know how you need to be supported.

It's important that you find people who can share in your joy, or can give you ideas when you need them. Great places to meet people are networking groups, or industry associations. There are many groups you can join online or off-line. Do a Google search on your industry and see what comes up. You can also check out popular group sites like Yahoo Groups, Ryze or Ecademy. Offline, you can get involved in chambers of commerce, rotary clubs, or specialty networking groups. An Internet search on networking groups in your area and will produce plenty of places to meet new people.

2. Environment Your environment must support your activities. Your space should be functional and you should add elements to the space that you love. For example, I love fairies. The top of the hutch on my desk is home to 6 wonderful fairies that look down on me while I work. I also love books. I have built-in bookshelves on one wall of my office where I keep all the wonderful books that help me in my business. I also have plants in here, pictures of family and drawings that my daughter has done. To me, my office space is sacred ? it's where I do all kinds of thinking and planning and business activities. It truly reflects the things I cherish and supports me.

It's important that you love your space, and that you add elements that will make it a joy to work in your space. If you share a space with someone else, or you just can't have a space that's all your own, be sure that you block out time that your work space is all your own. And, add small things that won't hinder someone else working in that space.

3. Equipment Your equipment is an important part of your business. Be sure it's up-to-date and running properly at all times. When something becomes worn out, replace it. You don't have to spend a ton of money on brand new state-of-the-art technology. Many times, you can get great things second-hand, or you can get last year's model at a discounted rate.

When you look around your business, do you have support from people, your environment and your equipment? What sub-par elements are you tolerating in your business? Make a list of things that you can change this week in order to be better supported in your business. Take time over the next month to update or change the things that are not supporting your business activities properly. Not only will you feel better, but your business will run more efficiently and effectively.