Tag: entrepreneurship

Guest Blogger

Life Happens. Here’s How To Cope

Brandi C
Life Happens. Here’s How To Cope
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Life Happens. Here’s How To Cope

 

Life Happens. Here’s How To Cope. Life sometimes throws unexpected curveballs at us. We never know what’s just around the corner, whether it’s losing a job to being diagnosed with a new health condition. Fortunately, there are ways that Barefoot Faith Journey presents some examples of major life changes. This article offers a few quick bits of advice on what you might do when facing them.

 

Starting a New Business

 

If you’ve recently lost your job and decided that entrepreneurship was the path for you, congratulations. Not only are you facing adversity with a positive mindset, but you’re also on the most feasible path to gaining personal wealth. One quick tip to help this process is to form a limited liability company (LLC).

 

An LLC is a limited liability company, which reduces the chances of your personal assets being seized if your business gets sued. It’s a fairly flexible structure that you can file on your own using an online formation service. The online formation service will also have local laws and regulations around business formation.  All of this is located in one convenient place for you to research.

 

The Death of a Spouse

 

Losing a spouse, especially when you have been together for decades, is a horribly painful loss to endure. In fact, it is so painful that 66% of people risk dying within 90 days after the loss of their partner, explains the National Council on Aging. Although the grief may feel unbearable, your purpose does not have to end at this tragic moment. Talk with friends and family. You can also celebrate the memories you shared, and do things that are right for you. This can mean moving or dating once again, when the time is right.

 

New Health Condition

 

Every day, millions of Americans are diagnosed with new health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, or cancer. There are many ways to cope with these, and it starts with understanding your condition. Next, set up a support network, create realistic goals for yourself, and focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t. You might also talk to your doctor about taking health supplements that can help with fatigue, brain fog, and more.

 

Having a Baby

 

You have likely heard people say that having a baby changes everything. However, you have no idea how true this is until you have that adorable little wrinkled bundle safe and sound in their crib home. The Baby Chick blog explains having a baby causes you to worry more, and you may experience changes within your relationship.

 

While many of the changes you’ll experience as a new parent are positive, you may also experience exhaustion and, in some cases, postpartum depression. Look for ways to get enough sleep, create a support network, and make healthy lifestyle changes, such as eating well and exercising.

 

It’s also common to feel like a stranger in your own body, as it may look and feel different than before your pregnancy. One way that you can focus on feeling and looking your best is to buy new clothes. Look for comfortable clothes that don’t sacrifice style, such as leggings, versatile dresses, and a flirty yet comfortable nightgown. Indeed, this may work to help you cope with caring for your new baby.

 

Losing Your Home

 

Whether it’s from fire, foreclosure, or some other unforeseeable event, losing your home is devastating. Similar to losing a loved one, you’re likely to experience grief, confusion, anger, and many other feelings. But you must accept that it’s time to start over and move on. Remember, you can’t bring back the past, but you can create a new future for yourself.

 

Supporting Your Mental Health

 

Each of these situations (and others not listed) will put your mental health at risk. There are some situationally-specific strategies you can use, but there are also more generalized ways to cope with grief, depression, and hopelessness. First and foremost, seek professional help. Therapy is nothing to be ashamed of and should be used anytime you need someone to talk to, especially after a big change.

 

Then, add small things to your daily activities that will help you to move out of your grief and depression. Being out in nature has been shown to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, so take a walk or start a garden. You can visit https://homegardenhero.com/ for simple home gardening tips, including what to grow in your area.

 

Make time for the people you love – and who love you – even when you don’t feel like being social. Simply getting out of the house for lunch or coffee can make a big difference in your mental health, and each visit with loved ones will remind you that you are supported and loved.

 

Take Small Steps to Manage Challenging Situations

 

While no one has a crystal ball to know what will happen in the future, it pays to be mentally prepared for the unexpected. This doesn’t mean that you sit around and fixate on what might be, only that you know your options when facing a crisis. For some comfort and distraction, read more engaging posts on the Barefoot Faith Journey blog!

 

From starting a new business after losing the job to dealing with the lack of sleep that comes with having a new baby or learning how to manage diabetes or other conditions, today’s tips are a great quick reference guide that can help you maintain control during the chaos.

 

From unique recipes to inspirational topics, Barefoot Faith Journey has something for you.

Guest Blogger

3 Reasons to Proceed with Your Startup Business

Brandi C

Barefoot Faith Journey is a faith-based blog by marriage and family counselor Brandi. Read more informative and entertaining articles today!

3 Reasons to Proceed with Your Startup Business

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3 Reasons to Proceed With Your Startup Business Plans Amidst COVID-19

If you were going to start a business before COVID-19 hit, you may have chosen to put your startup plans on hold in hopes that the pandemic would be short-lived. But now that it’s been more than a year since COVID-19 became a reality, you may be thinking about whether you should finally proceed with your startup plans — or give up on your entrepreneurial dreams for the foreseeable future.

Below, Barefoot Faith Journey shares three reasons why you should move forward with your plans of starting a business during the pandemic, as well as some of the things you can do to turn your entrepreneurial dreams into a reality. Now, let’s dive in!

  1. Low-Cost Startup Loans

Starting a small business doesn’t come cheap, as standard startup costs include everything from web and marketing expenses to purchasing inventory, business equipment, licenses, and office space. You must factor in ongoing costs, including payroll, advertising, and insurance coverage. There’s also the cost of hiring specialists to oversee customer support, accounting, and human resources advisors you’ll need to consider. However, these professionals can be employed as freelancers rather than permanent employees to help you save on startup expenses.

But this is where grants and startup business loans come in. And thanks to the pandemic, many lenders are offering low-interest rates, making it the perfect time to finance a new business.

  1. Discounted Startup Equipment

According to USA Today, U.S. businesses, especially transportation, travel, bars, clothing retailers, spas, salons, and fitness studios, have taken a real hit since the pandemic began. And as unfortunate as this is, there are a few ways aspiring entrepreneurs can benefit from these business closures. For one, it provides new entrepreneurs access to discounted business equipment, office furniture, and other essential supplies.

When starting a small business during the pandemic, use websites like eBay to search for new, used, or refurbished inventory to find discounted equipment and supplies. You can also keep an eye out for businesses announcing their closure to purchase discounted equipment. Companies often advertise the sale of equipment to help recoup losses from closing down.

  1. Affordable Business Ownership Tools and Services

In addition to securing affordable startup business loans and purchasing discounted equipment and supplies from liquidating companies, an abundance of free or discounted business tools and services are available amidst COVID-19 — helping your startup capital to go even further.

A few of these affordable startup business tools and services include:

  • Communication and collaboration apps. Whether interviewing potential employees or collaborating with your staff online, free or low-cost communications tools can help you run your business remotely successfully. The team at Tameday recommends free apps like Slack, Troop Messenger, Microsoft Teams, and Flock.
  • Online business formation services. When it comes time to register a business name, you can choose to run your operation as a DBA (“doing business as”), which is beneficial as part of your marketing and branding strategy. A DBA name is a pseudonym for your registered, legal business name. Many business owners use it to avoid using their surname (if the business entity includes their name). An assumed name makes expansion easier for corporations, as creating an entirely new corporation is unnecessary. You can use ZenBusiness.com to simplify the registration process for a low cost.
  • Online marketing tools. You can use free digital tools to reach your target audience and boost your online visibility. This can be done without spending a fortune on professional marketing services. MobileMonkey recommends tools like Phantombuster, Zapier, HubSpot CRM, Ubersuggest, and Canva. But if you’d prefer to hire a professional to handle your marketing, you’ll save money if you look for a freelancer on Upwork, Fiverr, or Contently.

Don’t Wait to Start a Business.

If you’ve been waiting to launch your startup business, there’s no need to hold off any longer. With affordable interest rates on business loans, discounted startup equipment from liquidating companies, and free or low-cost business tools and services, the pandemic could be the perfect time to pursue your entrepreneurial goals!