![\"Major](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Major-Life-Change-Special-Enrollment-Period.png\")
Basically, the government wants to know if anything happened to you outside (or even inside) your job that would potentially affect your revenue stream.<\/p>\n
When I first started freelancing and encountered these kinds of questionnaires, I didn\u2019t really understand why anyone would need to pry into my personal matters. Having now been through some shake-ups in my life while trying to run a freelance writing business, I now completely get why this matters.<\/p>\n
To put it bluntly, disruptions–both good and bad–are going to affect your WordPress business at some point. Plain and simple. There\u2019s no getting around that fact. So, let\u2019s talk about the kinds of major life changes you may run into, how they can wreak havoc on your business, and give you some practical tips on how to prepare and handle them going forward.<\/p>\n
What Does a Major Life Change Actually Look Like?<\/h2>\n
There\u2019s already so much you have to worry about within<\/em> your WordPress business. It\u2019s scary to think that any sort of life change, disaster, personal crisis, or disruption to your work can have an overwhelmingly negative effect on your business, too.<\/p>\n Sometimes these disruptors don\u2019t even come from anything bad. Take having children, for instance. Or getting married. These are moments to celebrate\u2026 and yet there\u2019s no denying that they can and probably will have an adverse effect on your business.<\/p>\n Here are some examples of big life events that can have a trickle-over effect on your business:<\/p>\n With a lot of these, it\u2019s really hard to predict if or when any of them will happen. But that doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t be prepared to deal with them when they do.<\/p>\n In data provided by the American Psychological Association<\/a>, the leading causes of stress in the U.S. were attributed to things like job pressures, cash flow problems, failing health, and relationship troubles. And these kinds of stressors don\u2019t just lead to what we normally think of when we label ourselves as \u201cstressed out\u201d.<\/p>\n 48% of people surveyed said these stressors impacted both their personal and professional lives.<\/p>\n Physical Wellness<\/b> Mental Wellness<\/b> Work Quality<\/b> Reliability<\/b> Client Relationships<\/b> Our bodies and minds all react uniquely to stressful situations, so it\u2019s hard to say what exactly you can expect to feel or experience as a result. That said, big changes will cause something<\/em> to slip in your business–be it your ability to stay focused, to maintain productivity, to make good judgment calls, to produce high quality work, and so on.<\/p>\n To get through this, the key then is to know how to take care of your business and yourself at the same time.<\/p>\n Sadly, it\u2019s not through lack of trying to balance and manage it all that you may find your business floundering after a major life change. It\u2019s just that you\u2019re a freelancer. You don\u2019t have an employer from which you can collect PTO nor do you have a large team to rely on to help pick up the slack. All of this falls on you.<\/p>\n Which is why you may feel tempted to just push through with a \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d approach. And that\u2019s a bad idea.<\/p>\n Instead, let\u2019s look at practical ways in which you can weather this kind of \u201cstorm\u201d, so both you and your WordPress business can make it out safely on the other end.<\/p>\n Whether you work on your own or you have a small team that works with you, automation will greatly help you bring some consistency and control over your operation before anything has a chance to wreck your flow. In general, this is a really good habit to get into.<\/p>\n To start, take full advantage of all the opportunities WordPress gives you to automate the digital side of your business<\/a>.<\/p>\n Next, start looking at turning your business into as well-oiled of a machine as an agency<\/a>. Even if you\u2019re not trying to scale your business, hire a team, and expand your offerings, many of the techniques used to run an agency would come in handy if you\u2019re struggling to keep your business afloat later on.<\/p>\n Finally, look into ways to generate passive income with WordPress<\/a>. If you can do that now, it will take some of the pressure off to keep your business running at top speed as you deal with everything else.<\/p>\n For freelancers, insurance can get expensive. However, it\u2019s a necessary evil if you want to keep yourself protected. There are three kinds of insurance I would recommend:<\/p>\n Freelancing might seem easy to those who don\u2019t do it. But we know better. We understand that not everyone is trustworthy and honest, which is why any relationship entered into needs to be secured with an iron-clad contract<\/a>.<\/p>\n Just as you would protect the integrity of your business and body with insurance, you should do the same with your relationships. This means getting:<\/p>\n One thing I hadn\u2019t counted on when I started my business was the end of my long-term relationship in the midst of it. I launched my business believing that I would have a certain amount of rent and bills to pay each month, and that I could survive well enough on my growing salary until I was able to build a steady base of clients.<\/p>\n Then I found myself having to coordinate an out-of-state move and find an apartment large enough to house my life and my business. Having split bills 50\/50 for over five years and having lived in more rural parts of the U.S., neither I nor my business\u2019s income were prepared to handle the sudden increase in costs (not to mention the ridiculously expense move).<\/p>\n\n
Side Effects to Expect<\/h3>\n
\nStress can physically manifest itself. Of particular note are the 51% of people who felt more fatigued, 44% who suffered from headaches, and 34% who experienced stomach aches as a result of stress. When you\u2019re trying to keep your head in the game and your pipeline of work moving, these physical symptoms could hold you back.<\/p>\n
\nOn the mental and psychological side of things, 54% of people have lashed out at people around them because of stress. Additionally, 50% of people reported greater irritability, 45% felt nervous, and 35% were on the verge of tears as they battled with out-of-control life changes.<\/p>\n
\nWhen life throws a wrench into the works, it can often be difficult for the freelancer or solopreneur to let go of their daily work habits. And it\u2019s this inability to pull back and strike a better balance that can lead to a drop in performance and productivity in your work.<\/p>\n
\nYour business depends on your ability to deliver a great product and to do so on time. However, let\u2019s say you have a big cross-country move coming up. Or your wife has had more and more doctor\u2019s appointments lately. As competing priorities wiggle their way into your life, something has got to give. Unfortunately, your ability to meet demands and deadlines may be the part of it that does.<\/p>\n
\nEven if you have a really solid client list going into this turbulent part of your life, there\u2019s nothing that guarantees you\u2019ll be able to maintain the same type of relationship with them during it. Nor can you really be expected to handle major shifts in clientele during these periods either, especially when onboarding new clients.<\/p>\n9 Things to Do to Protect Your WordPress Business from a Major Life Change<\/h2>\n
1. Automate Your Business<\/h3>\n
2. Get Insurance<\/h3>\n
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3. Secure Your Business with Contracts<\/h3>\n
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4. Create a Finance Management Plan<\/h3>\n