A few months back, I was in a bit of a rut.

I was working hard on my business. That meant spending most of my days (and nights) sitting behind a desk.

I needed something to get the blood flowing – to challenge myself physically.

I ended up meeting a Brazilian jiu jitsu instructor at a friend’s housewarming party. I saw my opportunity, and I jumped on it.

It’s been two and a half months and a ton of bruises and sore muscles…

But I haven’t quit.

The learning curve’s steep, but it’s been a blast. A great workout and a way to meet some cool people.

One of the things that struck me the most was how consistently people gave me the same piece of advice:

Remember to breathe.

It sounds like such a simple thing.

But it’s amazing how quickly you forget it when there’s a 200-pound man on top of you trying to choke you.

Something that usually comes so naturally flies out the window under so much stress. It gets much harder to fight back and pull off effective techniques.

This happens in online business too.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the insanity of the day to day.

There are customers to satisfy. Products and services to develop. And countless new traffic techniques and tools to try out.

It’s enough to drive even the most organized business owner loco.

Getting sidetracked from time to time is only natural… but it can cause us to “forget to breathe” and lose sight of the fundamentals.

What makes any online business successful for the long haul?

A systematic approach to drive new visitors to your website.

An engaging platform that fosters profitable relationships.

And outstanding service and follow up to convert customers into raving fans.

These things are like oxygen.

Are you treating them accordingly?

Do you have a plan to keep them pumping through your business?

Most importantly: are you executing that plan consistently?

For a lot of people struggling to find the “missing piece” between them and profits, the answer lies in getting back to basics.

Things are nuts out there. Especially online.

But don’t forget to breathe!