If you're thinking about starting your own business, congratulations! This is a very exciting time. Part of your planning process has surely been to research what makes a business successful. However, it’s also equally— if not even more— important to be aware of the common mistakes first-time business owners make. By knowing what these missteps are, you can avoid them and set your business up for victory from the start.

Operating your small business is a labor of love comprised of busy days, long hours and a never-ending list of responsibilities. These efforts might be integral to keeping your business up and running, but too much stress takes a toll on your mental health.

If you're thinking about starting your own business, congratulations! This is a very exciting time. Part of your planning process has surely been to research what makes a business successful. However, it’s also equally— if not even more— important to be aware of the common mistakes first-time business owners make. By knowing what these missteps are, you can avoid them and set your business up for victory from the start.

It can be tough to stay healthy when you have a busy lifestyle. Between work, family and social obligations, there never seems to be enough hours in the day to fit in a workout or balanced meal. But, with a little organization and planning, it is possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle— even when you're on the go. Below are a few tips to get you started.

Deciding to start a business is exciting, but can also be daunting if you're a new entrepreneur. Calculating business startup costs, worrying about long-term profitability and securing startup funding can all be pretty stressful. Unfortunately, it’s common for new business owners to jump into planning without considering if they can afford the necessary small business startup costs. This often leads to the business being unable to sustain itself. Meticulous financial planning in the beginning could help eliminate some of the risks your business will face.

Now that warmer weather has arrived, we should be aware of the uninvited guests that like to tag along— allergies. While it might seem like longer allergy seasons are something you are dreaming up, data actually shows that with the recent warmer winters come longer growing seasons for trees and grasses that produce pollen, meaning a higher concentration of pollen for us to deal with as it begins to bloom.

If you start feeling sick, you may be quick to think you may have COVID-19, but the flu, allergies and colds haven’t gone away.

While COVID-19, the flu and the common cold are all caused by viruses. There are some differences in the symptoms of each. According to the Mayo Clinic, the symptom checks are:

Being agile and creative can help your business thrive during COVID-19 surges. Running a business during COVID-19 is challenging. Learning to adapt and pivot is essential to your success and the future of your business.

Small businesses are important parts of communities and a key driving factor of the current economic recovery. Modern technology and workplace trends are transforming how these organizations are run, not only to increase productivity, but expand the possibilities of the future.

New research found that the United States is home to 32.5 million small businesses employing 46.8% of the private workforce, according to the 2021 Small Business Profiles from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Combine small and medium-sized businesses, and you cover the vast majority of companies in the country – a powerful economic force.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted small businesses across the country in numerous ways. From new health guidelines and supply chain woes to hurdles with hiring and retaining employees, weathering the dramatically altered business landscape continues to be challenging for small businesses.

This has been especially difficult for small businesses of 100 employees or less. While the pandemic has affected each organization differently, navigating the tight labor market amidst the pandemic is a shared problem without a simple solution.

6 ways to help businesses in your community thrive

Small business owners faced the challenges of the past couple of years head-on. Nearly all re-evaluated their operations to accommodate new ways of doing business amid changing safety standards and local protocols, and many plan to make these changes permanent.

When you consider all the responsibilities to focus on as a small business owner, sales and marketing are often amongst the first things that come to mind. Marketing decisions are often phrased as:

How will I grow this year?

How can I keep my current customers coming back?

When you ask a marketing expert their opinion about such things, they’ll likely start discussing the various marketing methods available and guide you based on the type of business you run. That’s all well and good, and we’ll get to that later on. But first, you have to make sure your customers have a good experience when they do business with you. Until you have a solid operation with consistently good customer service, marketing can be a waste of precious time and energy. Whether you’re a service-based business, a retailer, an auto repair shop or any other small business, your marketing should always start from the inside out.

With more people getting vaccinated, many are looking forward to reuniting with loved ones and making up for lost vacation time. However, budget is often a primary concern when planning a trip.

To help make your money go further, consider these tips from the travel experts at Vrbo.

THE BENEFITS OF LIVING MOMENT BY MOMENT

Paying attention to what’s going on right this second can be hard. We often spend more time thinking about what’s coming up in the future. Or dwelling on things in the past we can’t change. We can miss out on experiencing the present. It’s possible to train yourself to focus on the present moment. You become aware of what’s going on inside and around you—your thoughts, feelings, sensations, and environment. You observe these moments without judgment. This is called mindfulness. “We’re looking at our thoughts and feelings with curiosity, gentleness, and kindness,” explains Dr. Eric Loucks, director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University. Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist meditation. Meditation is a practice that aims to increase awareness of the mind and concentration. In recent years, mindfulness has become a household term. Mindfulness programs are now commonly found in schools, workplaces, and hospitals. Mindfulness can involve a sitting meditation that’s practiced in a quiet space. In this practice, you focus on your breathing or sensations in your body. If your mind wanders—like thoughts popping in about things you need to do—you try to return your mind to the present moment. But mindfulness doesn’t have to be done sitting still or in silence. You can integrate the practice into things you do every day, like walking or eating. You can also be mindful while interacting with others.