5 Tips to Manage the Stress of Running a Business in Dubai

Launching a business is easier than running it.

Perhaps that’s why nearly 50% startups in Dubai and UAE shut down after a few years.
If you don’t want that to happen to you, you must learn—and learn quickly—to manage stress better.
Stress pulls you down, mentally and physically. If you don’t learn to manage the stress of running a business, it can seriously minimize your chances of success.
Here are 5 tips to help you deal with unavoidable stresses that will surely come your way—sometimes in a heap—if you want to be a successful entrepreneur in a competitive marketplace such as Dubai and UAE.

• Maintain a Stress Notebook

This is a biggie. You can’t manage a problem which you’ve not identified. Every day spend 5-10 minutes (yes, that’s all it takes!) to note down the stress-triggers. After a couple of weeks, review the jotted down information and prepare a strategy to combat these triggers.

• Focus on What You Can Control

You can’t control how things will pan out, but how you respond to situations is completely up to you. Until you realize this precept, you’ll always struggle to cope up with demanding situations, both at work and in personal life.
When you feel something is overwhelming you, learn how to step away and review the situation anew. Ask yourself, “If worse comes to worse, what can happen in this situation?”
Such simple questions will help you realize that, contrary to your initial fears, the problem in front of you is not so bad after all. And that you can deal with it. You are stronger than you think.

• Learn to Manage Your Time Better

Stress hits us when we feel overwhelmed. You can manage things in a much better way if you learn to manage your time better. Start your working day by creating a “to-do” list. This will help you focus your attention and time on important things, which in turn will make you more productive.

• Learn to Say ‘No’

Before you commit to a project, ask yourself, “Can I manage it? Do I have the time, resources or skills to complete it as per the client’s expectations?” If the answer is no, decline the offer.
Many startup businessmen struggle at saying ‘no’ to projects they are in great position to fulfill, only to repent later. It’s much better to decline a project upfront than accept it and do a below-par job on it. That will neither help the client nor you.

• Learn to Delegate

You can’t do everything, even if you work 20 hours a day, 7 days a week (which anyway is unhealthy and leads only to a quick burnout). Therefore, stop even trying.
Focus on the things you are really good at and leave the rest for others. For instance, if you are launching an online business and you’re a marketing expert but not a great writer, you can hire someone to write the content for you.
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Similarly, if you want to entice investors in Dubai and UAE but are not so confident about your business-plan writing skills or pitching skills, you can ask our experts to help you a lending hand. Among other things, they can help you with startup business planning, startup marketing plan creation, and financial modelling for startups.