Take any business success or inspiration across the entire breadth of industry and you’ll find that they all have something in common. The mindset for entrepreneurial success isn’t down to studying, to working all hours of the day, or by reading every business book available. The mindset of success comes from having a positive attitude and being physically and mentally healthy. So, what steps can you take to be your healthiest for the sake of your business?
Sleep Well
The University of Central Florida identified that sleep was not only a key component of being functional in business, but that a good night’s sleep actually helped identify a new business venture and analyze its viability. So, while Apple’s CEO Tim Cook gets up at 3:45am to crack on with emails, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos makes sure to get his eight hours a night. Indeed, Yahoo!’s Marissa Meyer’s four hours a night sleep pattern was her folly in 2014 when a nap caused her to miss an important meeting. So, ensuring you have quality sleep for enough time is surprisingly integral to business longevity.
Think Happy Thoughts
Mindfulness has taken a more important role in business success lately. Not only does it mean that employers are listening to their employees on a more qualitative basis, but it means that those at the helm are themselves implementing practices to promote positive mental wellbeing. A culture of positive mental health – or one that is understanding at least – leads to happier employees and better success. For instance, Goldman Sachs built resilience in a tough field through mindfulness and being able to exist in the present moment. Likewise, Google is a proponent of mindfulness and sends employees on courses so they can perform better at work and feel healthier mentally.
Live a Healthy Life
Business success can often be prevented by leading a physically unhealthy life. A nutritional diet and regular exercise can not only make you feel better in yourself but can help you perform better at work. For example, e-commerce company NextJump promote regular breaks to energize employees with nutritional snacks and at least twenty minutes of exercise twice a week. As a result, the company saw annual sales growth increase fourfold – from 30% to 120%. Being healthy in body results in being healthy in business.
Don’t Forget the Business Health
While you need to be in top shape for running a business, the business itself needs to have a health check every now and then. In the same way that you might get insurance to ensure you are running on all cylinders, insuring your business is also imperative. For instance, Next offers workers comp insurance, which means every employee is protected should anything occur. Not only does this provide a legal safety net for any accidents or mishaps, but it also gives peace of mind to everyone involved. This is the most important thing, which also helps ensure there are no unnecessary stresses in the business.
Without the good health of employees, there would be no business. So, employers are learning how important promoting good health – with regards to sleep, diet, exercise, and positive mental wellbeing – is to ensure future success. Looking after employees is just as important as looking after the business and doing both will see valuable growth.
