Building your own business is not for the fainthearted. It takes a lot of self-belief and hard work to get your idea off the ground. Then comes the real hard work if you want to stick around. So, you must find your joy if you want to go the distance and run a profitable operation. But is this easier said than done? This question and a whole lot more are answered in the episode: Time Flies When You’re Having Fun: Finding the Joy in Entrepreneurship, featured on More Details, Please, the podcast hosted by Angela and Emmanuel Williams, owners of mobile cleaning company, DetailXPerts.

Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

When you love what you do, you’re fully engaged in the moment. You’re not clock watching. Moreover, you’re not wishing your life away. On the podcast, Angela and Emmanuel continue their conversation about time and how to make the most of it. And this includes making time for joy in entrepreneurship. Because life is too short to spend doing something that makes you stressed or depressed, right? So, if you feel you need to reconnect with your joy and start living with purpose, listen to what they have to say.

Find Your Joy

Angela reminds you that without joy, it’s harder to achieve your goals. So, how do you make more of joy? Here are some tips to write down and remind yourself.  Think back to when you first got started.

• What got you excited?
• What energised you? Equally important to note: what drains you?
• What did you hope to build?
• Not just about making money – emotionally, creatively, etc.

Moreover, don’t feel guilty about focusing on what makes you feel good. Fun isn’t a distraction; it is a core ingredient to long-term success.

What Steals Your Joy

If you can’t find your joy, perhaps you need to take a different approach? Angela acknowledges this situation: ‘With joy, we all strive for it, but it’s not always there. I am not one who would say I am positive all the time. There are things that steal your joy – the joy thieves.’ In the podcast, she talks about how she copes in a situation like this. But first, you must recognize the problem. For example, what’s stealing your joy at work?

• Losing sight of your purpose.
• Burnout from doing it all yourself.
• Imposter syndrome.
• Challenging client relationships.

Once you can identify the joy thief, it becomes easier to tackle the problem and free yourself from this negativity.

Find Your Peace

Another way to find joy in entrepreneurship – and life – is to find your peace. Emmanuel shares a very personal story on the podcast to illustrate his point. ‘My father passed away and they found him in a trunk of a vehicle. And all my life, we had an up and down relationship.’ Yet, despite this tragic situation, Emmanuel explains on this podcast episode how he found his peace, which led to joy.

However, Emmanuel acknowledges that it isn’t always easy. You need to put the work in. ‘Where you find your joy is where you work towards removing obstacles and barriers and forgiving people and loving people and settling those differences and dealing with family crisis.’ Tune in to the episode to hear more tips and advice.

Build Joy Into Your Business Strategy

Joy might sound like a soft word or a warm feeling, but it’s actually a serious business strategy. Think of joy lighting up your brain. For example, when you feel joy, your brain releases a cocktail of ‘feel-good’ chemicals: dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. These don’t just make you feel good, they can also improve memory and focus. Here are ways joy can help drive success.

• It helps you be more creative.
• It makes you more resilient.
• If you love what you do, you’re more likely to stick with it through the tough times. 
• Joy fuels better decision-making and stronger relationships – with your team, your customers, and yourself. 
• It can help prevent burnout.
• Opens up your mind to innovation.
• Creates a feel-good energy that people want to be around.

Angela and Emmanuel draw from their 20+ years of experience building their franchise and mobile cleaning company and can vouch for the power of joy. Angela says, ‘Joy definitely improves outcomes. Teams perform better when they are happy. When team members are happy, they make happy clients. And you can make better and clearer decisions when there is joy. Customers definitely feel the difference.’

Make Joy a Habit

To sum up, joy isn’t a gift; it is a habit. Therefore, you must work at it. Equally important, never lose sight of why you wanted to be an entrepreneur in the first place. Entrepreneurs are curious, ambitious and energized people. Turning your passion into purpose makes you feel alive. And if you’ve forgotten that feeling, it’s time to rediscover it. It doesn’t mean avoiding hard work. It means staying connected to what makes the work worthwhile and meaningful. Moreover, find joy in the details. Build joyful moments into your everyday routine. Here are some more tips to bear in mind:

• Protect your energy. Surround yourself with positive people who support your dreams and goals.
• Meditate. Turn down the negative noise and thoughts in your head. If you’re new to this, search online for reputable sites that teach you how to meditate.
• Learn to delegate. The alternative is burnout, which is bad news for you and your business.
• Stop being so hard on yourself. See our episode: How to bounce back from failure.

The saying goes that if you find a job you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life. And you can achieve this mindset by leaning into joy. It’s also true that time flies when you’re having fun. Therefore, it is important to make the most of your time. To learn how, listen to The Best Time is Now: Entrepreneurs share their secrets and tips.

Angela and Emmanuel have lots more to share on the subject, including inspirational time-saving advice that helps them work smarter and more creatively, while still having fun. Their conversation could help you capture your joy and feel happier at work. This episode is also a reminder that running a business isn’t just about profits and productivity – it’s about passion, purpose and finding moments of joy in the everyday hustle.

WATCH THE FULL PODCAST EPISODE:

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