The pet industry, just like other industries, has its share of toxic individuals and situations that can bring you and your business down. Not only can these people threaten your pet franchise, but they can also threaten your mental health and your happiness inside and outside of work. When you interact with toxic people too much, you will start to see a change in your mind as you approach your business and that our work isn’t going as well as it used to. Toxic people really take energy, enthusiasm, and happiness out of you. In order to keep yourself and your business from being fully effected by these people, consider the following tips to managing the toxicity in your life:

1. Establish Boundaries

When you’re too friendly with toxic people in the pet industry, you set yourself up to give all of your positive energy to them whether it’s through the listening ear or the time that you should have spent working on your business. You must set boundaries with the toxic people who suck up your time and energy so you can complete the tasks you want on time. Do not allow the toxic people to control your schedule, activities, or time by knowing when to cut them off.

2. Let Negativity Bounce Off You

When you run a pet franchise in the pet industry, it’s easy to let negative comments either from a coworker, business partner, or random customer get to you. You should never allow your happiness or joy to be limited by the comments of others, but instead, take everything in stride and let it fall off to make a better you and a better business.

3. Master the Art of Growing

School isn’t the only place where people learn. It’s important for you, as an individual in the pet industry, to know that you will always be growing. You will always have opportunities to rise above whether you’re facing adversity, a tough employee, or an unhappy customer. Instead of running from your opportunities to grow, learn the best way to take those opportunities and turn them into personal success.

4. Be Aware and Focused on Solutions

In order to make the most out of every opportunity to grow in the pet industry, you must be aware of your situation and everything around you. This will not only help you grow, but you will also have an easier time avoiding poor situations all together. In the case that you hit a poor situation, you should be focused on the solution instead of the problem or temporary cover up. Deal with it now to be done with it forever. This will leave you with more time and attention to give to what you want instead of having to revisit old problems.

5. Never Forget Your Mistakes

One of the most important things you can do as a leader in the pet industry is to remember the mistakes when you make them. You don’t want to hold onto them in a self-punishing way, but remember why they came about and learn from them so you do not do them again. This is incredibly important in order to create a stronger business over time and to pass on helpful information as your company grows.

6. Hold Onto Your Energy for Better Opportunities

When your business in the pet industry faces adversity, you’re going to need the energy and focus to face it appropriately. Instead of wasting all of your energy on small humps in the road, recognize small problems for what they are and approach the big problems with all the energy you held onto all this time. This doesn’t mean ignoring small problems, but more appropriately, expending the appropriate amount of energy for each problem you face.